Jacqueline Simonovich to Present at Barristers Skills and Leadership Summit
Benedicto & Simonovich LLP is pleased to announce that founding partner Jacqueline Simonovich will join a panel discussion at the Bar Association of San Francisco's Barristers Annual Leadership and Skills Summit on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
Presented by the Barristers Annual Meeting Committee, the summit brings together CLE panels and presentations aimed at attorneys in their first ten years of practice and law students preparing to enter the profession. This year's program features two panels: one on rising from associate to partner, and one on leaving a firm to build your own practice.
Panel II: Making the Leap — Building a Firm of Your Own Running from 1:00 to 2:15 p.m. and offering specialty MCLE credit in Technology in the Practice of Law, this panel brings together attorneys who left established firms to open their own practices. Jackie will be joined by Amber Bissell of the Law Offices of Amber Lee Bissell and James Owens of Owens Defense, with Evan Ettinghoff of Minnis & Smallets moderating. The panel will cover the decisions and risks behind starting a firm, the technology and systems that make it possible to run a practice without the infrastructure of a larger firm, and how to build a client base and generate referrals from the ground up.
The topic is a familiar one for Jackie. She and co-founder Kevin Benedicto built BenSim Law after years at larger firms, betting that clients navigating high-stakes disputes are often better served by a smaller, more direct team.
The panel will be held virtually, followed by an in-person Barristers Annual Happy Hour that evening. Attorneys interested in attending can find registration details, pricing, and MCLE information through the Bar Association of San Francisco's event page.