David
Ackert, MA
Co-Founder & CEO
David Ackert is Co-Founder and CEO of PipelinePlus, which helps professional services firms develop the capabilities required to thrive in a rapidly changing marketplace. Under David's leadership, PipelinePlus has developed a portfolio of leadership development programs, strategic advisory services, executive communities, and technology-enabled learning solutions focused on Rainmaker Readiness, Rate Readiness, Leadership Readiness, Collaboration Readiness, Succession Readiness, and Commercial Readiness.
David is the founder of several groundbreaking ventures in the legal industry, including Legal Lift, a national network of executive roundtables, and the PipelinePlus software suite. His programs have won Your Honor Awards in both the U.S. and Canada, and his software has been featured in NLJ's Technologies on the Rise. He regularly keynotes at partner retreats and industry conferences and has served as a guest lecturer at USC's Marshall School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University, Loyola Law School, and the UCLA School of Law.
David is the bestselling author of The Short List: How to Drive Business Development by Focusing on the People Who Matter Most, a Gold Winner of the 2025 Nonfiction Book Awards. His insights have appeared in Forbes, The Los Angeles Times, American Lawyer, Law360, Above the Law, The Recorder, the Los Angeles Business Journal, and numerous other publications. He is also the host of the award-winning Market Leaders Podcast, which has received multiple JD Supra Reader's Choice Awards.
Outside of his professional work, David is committed to mentorship and service. He volunteers as a Big Brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and is co-founder of Voices in Harmony, a mentoring organization that has worked with at-risk youth around the world. He co-produced and appeared in the documentary After Kony: Staging Hope, which chronicled mentoring programs for former child soldiers in Northern Uganda and supported awareness and fundraising efforts for health and education initiatives in underserved communities. His charitable work earned him the Difference Maker Award from Ithaca College.
David holds a master's degree in psychology and is a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management.
In this special episode of The Market Leaders Podcast®, Jackie Kappus interviews David Ackert as he shares insights about his inspiration for The Short List™.
Cut Through the Noise With The Short List
From the best-selling book by David Ackert, comes the proven framework that’s helped thousands of professionals focus on the relationships that fuel their growth. See how The Short List can work for you.
Coaching That Drives Measurable Growth
David partners with professionals at every level to clarify goals, prioritize relationships, and maintain strong momentum.
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