It was billed as “20 Keys to Successful Law Firm Management,” but a panel discussion at the D.C. Judicial and Bar Conference could have been summarized with one word: communication.

The discussion touched on a number of topics, but the idea that being able to communicate effectively, whether it’s with clients, the public or other lawyers, was a recurring theme in the presentations put forward by five panelists at Friday’s conference at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.