Austin Managing Partners Have a Safe Space to Talk Shop

© 2016 The Texas Lawbook.By Janet Elliott   AUSTIN (July 19) – Networking. It’s an anxiety-inducing chore that legal conference attendees often associate with rehearsed elevator pitches, awkward small talk and lonely hors d’oeuvres.   At a recent meeting of 15 managing partners in a 21st floor conference room, there was some tentativeness. But there also was a willingness to share frustrations and concerns about the meeting topic – cybersecurity.   The occasion was the third meeting of the Austin Managing Partners Forum, a fledgling effort by aviation lawyer Mike Slack to provide a safe space for managing partners of all-sized firms to talk shop and get to know each other.   “There are a ton of issues that we share in common. Everything from law firm succession to mergers and law firm buyouts, IT issues, maintaining client confidences and protecting work product in an era of hacking and invasive Internet practices,” says Slack, managing partner of Slack & Davis.   This time, Slack was the first to share his head-shaking tale. While he was traveling one day, a firm administrator received an email that appeared to be from Slack. Money was to be immediately transferred to the account of…