ILFM Chief Executive Tim Kidd shares the thinking behind this year’s conference theme and explores why technical knowledge is most powerful when professionals also have the confidence to apply it.
For each ILFM Conference, our team thinks carefully about the theme and what will be most relevant, useful and meaningful to our members and the wider legal finance community.
We never want the conference to be simply a day of theory and technical updates. Of course, delegates need current information and expert guidance, but they also need practical ideas they can take back to their firms, the reassurance that others are facing similar challenges and the opportunity to build connections with people who genuinely understand their roles.
That is why we have chosen From Compliance to Confidence: Leading legal finance through change as the theme for this year’s conference.
The idea has grown from many conversations I have had over the past year with legal finance and compliance professionals working across firms of different sizes. Again and again, I have been struck by the scale of the responsibility they carry and how quickly that responsibility is evolving.
In many firms, legal finance professionals have influence over financial control, regulatory responsibility and day-to-day operations. Their work directly affects the protection of client money, the early identification of risk and the financial stability of the business. As the role continues to evolve, many are also becoming more closely involved in improving systems, shaping governance and contributing to decisions that affect the wider direction of the firm.
That requires excellent technical knowledge, but knowledge alone is not always enough.
You also need the confidence to apply that knowledge. The confidence to question a process that does not feel right. To raise a concern when others may prefer not to hear it. To explain why a particular control matters. To challenge established ways of working and help colleagues understand the consequences of getting things wrong.
We know that this can be difficult. Legal finance professionals are often the people thinking ahead to what might go wrong, testing whether systems are robust enough and spotting risks others may not immediately see. Yet their concerns are not always given the weight they deserve, and they may be expected to carry significant accountability without always having the authority, resources or recognition to match.
For me, confidence does not mean having all the answers or never questioning your own judgement. It means having the knowledge, support and professional standing to make informed decisions and to speak with authority when it matters.
This thinking has shaped the conference programme. Delegates will hear regulatory and investigatory updates directly from the SRA, alongside insight into economic crime and the wider risks affecting firms. We have also included sessions focused on the human side of the role, including managing operational and organisational change, authentic leadership, psychological safety and the growing influence of finance teams within law firms.
These issues are all closely connected. Strong compliance requires good systems, but it also depends on culture, communication and people who feel able to act.
Our aim is for delegates to leave the conference better informed, better connected and more confident in the value they bring to their firms.
We understand the responsibility our members carry, and we are confident that this year’s programme will provide practical support for the challenges they are facing now and those that lie ahead.
Find out more and book a space here: https://www.ilfm.org.uk/site/training-and-events/ilfm-conference/
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