SPEAKER

Esther Bowers is the firm's Chief Practice Innovation Officer, serving in key leadership roles on the firm's Operating and Practice Technology Committees. As part of her work with the Practice Technology Committee, Esther focuses on the strategic, ethical, and secure use of AI across the firm's practices, as well as advancing the adoption of technology to enhance the client delivery model. In this capacity, Esther drives strategic initiatives to improve the firm's operations and elevate its brand across key practices. She is responsible for the design, implementation, and coordination of cross-departmental and multidisciplinary task forces involving attorneys and executive teams, ensuring the delivery of innovative solutions that enhance client service and operational efficiency. Esther leads the firm’s award-winning FOCUS program, which integrates cutting-edge practice technologies, legal project management principles, knowledge management and tailored staffing models to deliver efficiency, value, and client-focused outcomes. Under her leadership, the program has been recognized as a trailblazer in legal service delivery innovation.

Before joining Honigman, Ms. Bowers was the Director of Client Service Initiatives at Barnes & Thornburg LLP, where she led the firm’s client-facing services, including value-added offerings, legal project management, and client feedback programs. Esther co-created and implemented the firm’s legal project management program, training and advising attorneys on process improvement and client value. She also spearheaded the firm’s client service program, designing and implementing customized service plans for key clients and driving initiatives to enhance client satisfaction and engagement. 

An active participant in the legal innovation community, Ms. Bowers serves as Co-Chair of the 2025 and 2025 LVNx Conferences for the Legal Value Network (LVN) and is a member of multiple advisory boards. Esther regularly presents at industry events and authors topics including generative AI, legal project management, and client value strategies, having presented for organizations such as the American Bar Association (ABA), Practising Law Institute (PLI), Legal Value Network (LVN), Legal Marketing Association (LMA) and more. Her thought leadership has been featured in publications such as Law360, The American Lawyer, and Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute. Esther earned a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She holds certifications in Legal Project Management from LawVision and a White Belt from the Legal Lean Sigma Institute LLC, and she has completed advanced training in generative AI technologies.