Name: Elizabeth Brick
Position: LMA Southwest Region President-Elect; Business Development Manager at Baker Donelson
Family: Husband, Tim; Dogs, Nola and Moon
Hometown: Kentwood, Louisiana
Education: Louisiana State University
At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to pursue a career in the legal industry and why are you passionate about your profession?
My first post-college job was at an executive recruiting firm that recruited for the C-suite roles of large corporations, including AmLaw 100 firms. I was consistently captivated by the conversations I heard related to the CMO/CMBDO searches, particularly those conversations as they related to law firm strategy to address the 2007-2008 financial crisis. I heard first-hand how the “business development” component of these searches was pivotal to the evolution for many top firms, and I was hooked. Who wouldn’t love a role that’s all about relationships and where there are fun, complex problems to solve? I transitioned from my role at the recruiting firm to an entry-level business development role with one of recruiting firm’s law firm clients. I haven’t looked back.
Why am I passionate about my profession? The legal industry is full of brilliant people, and they all have different skillsets. Working with those brilliant people, to leverage the right skillsets and positively impact our clients and the Firm’s bottom line is challenging, rewarding work.
What made you decide to join LMA and how long have you been involved?
During my time at the recruiting firm, a particular CMO for whom we were conducting a search indicated that he highly preferred candidates with LMA volunteer leadership experience, so I knew that joining LMA AND getting involved in leadership was something that I wanted to pursue. Since I think that the path to leadership is different for everyone, I’ll detail my journey below, but please know if you are ever interested in getting involved, feel free to shoot me a note on LinkedIn. I’d love to chat!
Upon joining my first law firm over a decade ago, I immediately started attending LMA events available through my local group, and I also soaked up as much information as I could from the online webinar repository (it’s a fantastic resource!). I actually put together a brown bag lunch series at my first firm so coordinators could review webinars on certain topics, then we could discuss together as a group!
As I was shifting my career from Houston to New Orleans, it took me a while to get a feel for things in the New Orleans-Baton Rouge Group before I felt comfortable raising my hand to volunteer. The first volunteer leadership role I held was in 2019 as the New Orleans-Baton Rouge Local Group Membership Chair, then it was off to the races! Below are the roles I’ve held as a volunteer leader, and I share all of these to also express that if you’re interested in volunteering, and things excel quickly (I moved from a local group committee member to the Southwest Board in two years), lean into the challenge! LMA is full of welcoming, wonderful individuals who will make sure you don’t fall flat on your face, and I am proof of that.
LMA Volunteer Experience:
- New Orleans-Baton Rouge Local Group Membership Chair, 2019
- New Orleans-Baton Rouge Local Group Chair, 2020
- LMA Southwest Region Board, Director-at-Large, Communications, 2021-2022
- LMA Southwest Region President-Elect, 2023
Tell us a little bit about why you wanted to join the LMASW Board.
LMA has been integral in every stage of my career, and I view the role of President-Elect as an enhanced leadership opportunity that allows me to give back to the organization that has given so much to me. And, the other board members that I get to serve alongside are smart, brilliant professionals that share the same passion.
Have you seen any changes to your role or areas of focus since COVID-19? Are there any long-lasting impacts that you anticipate for the profession of legal marketing and business development?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. There have been numerous articles I’ve read this year that detail how in 2020, the legal profession rose to heroic heights to meet clients’ challenges in a constantly evolving landscape. As a result, client satisfaction was at an all-time high. But, you can’t run at a breakneck speed forever, so now, as a result, client satisfaction is falling, generally speaking. It creates opportunities for Firms, but only if they can meet and/or exceed those 2020 expectations. So, that’s where I’ve been spending a good bit of time in my role lately. How can I help our lawyers efficiently achieve that proactive outreach that set so many apart during the pandemic? What tools from that time are worth keeping or adapting? What should be jettisoned? And, how, in my role, can I start shaping the landscape of what clients feel is the “next” new height of client service?
What time do you typically get up on a workday, and what’s your ideal morning routine to get it off to a great start?
I’m generally up by 5:15 am so that I can get in some sort of physical activity before my workday starts. It helps me think more clearly throughout the day.
My ideal morning routine? I’ve learned that having “me” time in the morning is critical to my well-being. It helps me start the day centered and energized.
My ideal routine looks something like this:
- Walk outside with the dogs OR a quick 30-minute ride on my indoor bike.
- Check email + calendar to mentally prepare for the day and respond to any time-sensitive issues that have come in overnight.
- Spend at least five minutes reaching out to people in my life (mom, husband, friends, co-workers, etc.) Sidenote: Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m the WORST at returning texts during the day. This is my opportunity to let people know I’m thinking about them, because I often am, but I’m just terrible at letting them know that unless it’s first thing in the morning. 😊
- Music while getting ready, then on the road by 8:00 a.m.
- Desk by 8:30. (I used to have an hour commute in Houston, and even though I’ve been in New Orleans for 7 years, I still celebrate the short commute and drive through the French Quarter every. single. day.)
What are your best productivity hacks?
My single-best productivity hack is time blocking. I figure out the percentages of time I need to spend on the most critical items and block my calendar accordingly. For example, I know if I want to help grow revenue with a client, I need to spend at least an hour a week thinking about that client, seeing what’s new, what dots I need to connect internally, etc. It’s the same with attorney coaching. If you don’t MAKE time for the most important things, you’ll spend your entire day triaging or managing your inbox.
What’s a leadership skill you’ve learned the hard way?
There are actually two – delegation and vulnerability.
Delegation. When I first moved into a manager-level role, it was a challenge for me to delegate things I’d historically done to work on the overarching strategy and big-picture items. I could do both, right? Wrong. After burning out (my own fault), I began to approach things differently and started viewing delegation as an opportunity for me to have a greater impact, and for others to have valuable hands-on experience.
Vulnerability. We are all human, and we all have lives outside of the office. Sometimes life throws you a curveball (or two, or three) and as a leader, you have a choice about whether to open up to your colleagues about those curveballs. If you choose to be open and share vulnerable thoughts or situations, you make others feel comfortable about opening up as well. I’m not suggesting you share anything that you’re not ready to share, but rather think about the impact that opening up might have on others and how that might make your work relationships even stronger. I’ve been fortunate to work with leaders over the course of my career who’ve shown me the power of vulnerability, including at Baker Donelson, and now I strive to foster that environment – because creating a space where someone is able to be seen, and can be their truest selves – it’s really special.