Back when the economy was growing, the issue of work/life balance was a hot topic in the blawgosphere as well as in the mainstream legal media. Although discussion of the issue has more recently taken a back seat to dollars-and-cents issues, by no means has it disappeared.

In fact, organizations like the Total Practice Management Association are keeping the work/life balance torch burning strong. The Association is sponsoring the Get a Life^TM Conference in Chicago on May 27 and 28.

The TPMA has put together a stellar list of speakers, anchored by keynote speaker Gerry Riskin, author of the Amazing Firms, Amazing Practices blog. I’d venture to say that a lawyer who runs an international consulting firm from a Carribean island, where he can shelter baby dolphins from a hurricane in his backyard pool knows more than a little about work/life balance. And having recently been energized by Richard Susskind’s keynote at the ABA’s Legal Tech conference, I know that the power of an inspiring keynote speech is not to be underestimated.

My good friend Allison Shields will be speaking on Fees, Finance and the Bottom Line. Those familiar with her Legal Ease Consulting Blog know that she’s an expert on these issues; having had the pleasure of attending a presentation she gave for a local bar association to which I belong, I can tell you that her presentations are as clear and well thought out as her blog posts.

Of course, any work/life balance conference worth its salt should offer plenty of opportunities to relax, and the Get a Life^TM Conference doesn’t disappoint. As a Chicago native and a long-time Cubs fan, I envy those who will be watching my team take on the Dogders from a Wrigleyville rooftop. A President’s Dinner and a cocktail hour round out the official social offerings during this two-day conference.

When you register for the conference, make sure to use promotion code LisaSolomonVIP during checkout to get $150 off the VIP registration price (making your final cost $1095) or $250 off the price of regular registration (making your final cost $750).