By Aimee Panichella McKinney, chief marketing officer at Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig 
Selena Browne is the marketing and business development manager at McCandlish Holton PC and heads member engagement for The Virginias Local Steering Committee as member-at-large. Based in Richmond, Virginia, she supports her firm’s civil defense attorneys across dozens of industries and practice areas.
Prior to her career in legal marketing, she resided in Tokyo where she founded a consulting business that helped English-speaking families, from six different continents, navigate Japan’s healthcare system during their childbearing years.
How did you get started in legal marketing? While working in operations and business development in the hospitality industry, I loved the marketing aspects of the work, but wanted to contribute those skills to a different product in a different industry, like professional services.
How has LMA positively impacted your career path? On a day-to-day basis, LMA membership has been essential in feeling like part of a community of marketers working toward similar goals. At my firm, I am a marketing department of one. While I enjoy collaborating with and supporting the attorneys at my firm feels great, qualitatively, it doesn’t feel the same as sharing ideas, strategies and tactics with fellow marketers. That camaraderie through LMA has kept me energized and optimistic in a way I would miss without membership. Taking a longer view, membership helps positively narrow the focus for future career changes, making it more likely that I will continue seeking roles within the legal and legal-adjacent sectors.
Why have you continued to be a LMA member?Well, first of all, my firm has generously continued to pay for membership, though I have thought I might elect to pay it myself if it came to that. The value of having access to a large group of experts that I can reach anytime for ideas, help and encouragement, it feels pretty priceless. It’s difficult to imagine doing my job without membership.
Before I was a member, I sought out professional association options and found LMA. I reached out to several leaders on The Virginias Local and was very warmly received, especially by one person. She was so welcoming and enthusiastic about LMA and legal marketing. She immediately offered ways to get involved even before I was eligible to hold a position on the board. She continued to stay in touch and offer opportunities for inclusion. I was lucky to encounter the best kind of on-boarding and aim to provide a similar experience for others.
What have you found to be the most beneficial aspects of your LMA membership? The support of colleagues and how willing they are to share their knowledge. Also it exposes challenges facing other firms, which helps provide a bigger picture of what legal marketing is in different circumstances.
What recommendations do you have for great business reads and how do you stay up to speed on trends?I read almost exclusively non-fiction, but find that business books are typically large on concept and give away little in terms of teaching you “how” to get something done. My favorite modern storytellers are Malcolm Gladwell and Anthony Bourdain. Listening to NPR’s Fresh Air reliably helps me keep up with the day’s thinkers and writers. TED Talks also are great resources when I am seeking to think about something in a new way.
What advice would you give to your younger self as it relates to your career? Relationships, relationships, relationships. What you know will get you only so far without a village to help bring it to life. And focus less on answering questions and more on asking questions.
When you aren’t working, what do you enjoy doing?I am still raising a (blended) family so that requires a lot of time outside of work. Otherwise, I read a lot, run, walk my dog, eat great food, whether we cook or dine out. I have an entrepreneurial nature, so various projects always are ongoing.