Looking back on my three days in Vancouver with lawyers from all over the world, the one thing that strikes me the most is how similar we all are. We may speak different languages. We may live on different continents and in different countries. We may each have our own cultures and legal systems. But we all share the same values as people and as lawyers.

LawPact is an international association of independent law firms of which Berman Fink Van Horn is proud to be a member. We come together a couple of times a year to learn, share ideas and collaborate on how to best serve clients. I was fortunate to have the recent opportunity to attend LawPact's spring conference in Vancouver. With 66-member firms in 28 countries, LawPact allows Berman Fink Van Horn to serve our clients' needs not only in Georgia, the Southeast and the U.S., but also in many parts of the world.

Spending time with lawyers from Belgium, Canada, Poland, India, Panama, Mexico, Chile, Austria, the United Arab Emirates, and of course, many cities in the U.S. was insightful. It helped me remember just how amazing these lawyers are and how lucky we are to have some of the best lawyers in each of these countries to help us serve our clients when the need arises.

Seminars on hiring, retention, elevation, retirement and succession planning were truly insightful. With Scott Collins, a colleague from Seattle, I also truly enjoyed presenting best practices for client engagement letters

While I am proud to be a part of such a distinguished group of professionals, I also greatly appreciate the camaraderie and friendship among such a diverse group. Our common ideals and demands for professional excellence bring us together, but our bonds of friendship developed at these conferences are what gives us the comfort to introduce our clients to our fellow LawPact members when the need arises.