Leadership Labs
Leadership Labs are free, live, virtual sessions that offer valuable insights and practical guidance on specific topics relevant to successful Inn management. By covering diverse topics such as program development, financial management, and membership recruitment, these sessions address key aspects of Inn management, equipping leaders with effective skills and knowledge to run successful Inns.
Leadership Labs are designed to be interactive and may include current Inn leaders sharing their Inn’s management processes to inspire engaging discussion amongst participants. These free sessions are offered for Inn executive committees and scheduled from 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET on the third Thursday of each month to allow Inn leaders to plan in advance to participate.
Inn leaders are encouraged to participate in one or more Leadership Labs scheduled throughout the Inn year. Experienced Inn leaders are highly encouraged to participate and share their expertise in effective Inn management with other participants.
Upcoming Leadership Labs
March 20, 2025 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET
Effective Financial Management and Reporting Practices
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Good, sustainable Inn management requires the development of an annual budget that balances membership dues, and any other revenue, with re-occurring expenses. Effective financial management is one of the most critical elements of ensuring your Inns long-term viability. In the March Leadership Lab, we’ll explore many components of managing Inn finances, including budget development, alternate sources of revenue (sponsorships), and common pitfalls to avoid.
April 17, 2025 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET
Achieving Excellence: A Road Map to Ensure a High-Quality Member Experience
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Join us for Achieving Excellence: A Road Map to Ensure a High-Quality Member Experience, a high-level overview of the Achieving Excellence program. Whether your Inn currently participates in the program, or if you’re thinking about opting-in for the 2025–2026 Inn year, this interactive session will provide a summary of what the program is, how it improves the member experience, and a timeline of key program dates. A Q&A session will follow the presentation, so bring your questions and be prepared to share your experience with others.
If your Inn needs help completing your 2025 Achieving Excellence items before the April 30, 2025 deadline, don't wait! Send us an email with “Help” in the subject line and we’ll follow up with you promptly.
May 15, 2025 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET
Engaging Younger Generations of Attorneys
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While Inns across the country are unique and serve their respective legal communities in diverse ways, one universal similarity is that we’re all member-centered organizations. Focusing on the needs of members, no matter their level of experience, is key to fostering professional development and creating a sense of community. Given the alternate career paths some younger and new attorneys take compared to previous generations, it’s highly recommended that Inns develop a strategy that addresses the unique needs of this demographic. This Leadership Lab will explore various concepts and discuss practical strategies to effectively engage younger attorneys in your Inn and legal community.
June 18, 2025 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET
Program Idea Swap—Developing Engaging Programs
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Why do members come to your Inn meetings? (Hint: it's not because of the chicken). Programs are the lifeblood of any American Inn of Court. Join us to learn and share some of the best ideas for program planning for the upcoming 2025–2026 Inn year. This leadership lab will be highly interactive, and attendees will walk away with ideas for program development that can be implemented immediately at your Inn.
(This Leadership Lab will be held on a Wednesday because of the Juneteenth federal holiday.)
September 18, 2025 | 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET
Inn Leader Orientation
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While all experience levels of Inn leaders are welcome, the Inn Leader Orientation Learning Lab is primarily tailored for those relatively new to American Inns of Court leadership roles. The session will cover the history of the organization, introduce key staff at the national office, provide an overview of Inn management tools and resources, and outline what a successful Inn year looks like.
October 16, 2025 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET
Technology Bootcamp—Tools to Maximize Your Inn’s Effectiveness
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Did you know that the American Inns of Court offers all Inns an Inn Management System (IMS) to manage all your Inn’s administrative needs, and a hosted website to communicate with current and potential members? The Technology Bootcamp—Tools to Maximize Your Inn’s Effectiveness Leadership Lab will provide a tour of the IMS and Umbraco, two tools to help you manage your Inn and communications, and focus specifically on how to create meetings, send invitations, and track RSVPs in the IMS. Whether your Inn already uses these free tools or is hearing about them for the first time, join us to learn how to maximize their use. NOTE: Immediately following the Lab, we will hold a 30-minute “ask me anything” session where our staff will answer your how-to questions about these technology tools.
November 20, 2025 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET
Inn Governance—Sticky Situations, Stability, and Future Leadership
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When it comes to your Inn’s health, effective governance is essential to your Inn’s success. To ensure a sustainable organization, each Inn must develop an executive committee that can make effective decisions, handle difficult situations, and have a defined succession plan that cultivates and provides a path for future Inn leaders. Our Inn Governance Leadership Lab will explore ways for Inn leaders to cultivate and sustain healthy Inn governance.
January 15, 2026 | 1:00–2:00 pm ET
Mentoring—A Critical Component of the Inn Experience
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Mentoring is one of the most valuable experiences Inns can deliver to their members and represents one of the primary reasons attorneys are drawn to the Inn experience. To be effective and add value to membership, the mentoring must be intentional and consistent. Within these parameters, there are many ways to mentor and be mentored. Join us for our Mentoring Leadership Lab to learn different ways that Inns are delivering mentoring experiences and the mentoring resources available to make it easy.
February 19, 2026 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET
Community Outreach—Expanding Your Inn’s Impact Through Community Outreach Projects
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Community Outreach activities offer opportunities for Inn members to extend the mission of the American Inn of Court into their broader community. Join us for our Community Outreach Leadership Lab and explore a variety of successful Inn outreach activities. Following a brief presentation on community outreach concepts, an Inn leader will highlight how community outreach activities have made positive impacts within the Iocal community. An open Q&A session will be held to help generate ideas for your Inn to implement.
March 19, 2026 | 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET
Effective Financial Management and Reporting Practices
REGISTER NOW
Good, sustainable Inn management requires the development of an annual budget that balances membership dues and other revenue with re-occurring expenses. Effective financial management is one of the most critical elements of ensuring your Inns long-term viability. In the Effective Financial Management and Reporting Practices Leadership Lab, you’ll learn components of managing Inn finances, including budget development, alternate sources of revenue including sponsorships, and common pitfalls to avoid.