Name: Sarah Blanchard
Position: Client Development Manager at Jones Walker
Age: 36
Family: Married with 10 cats
Hometown: Lafayette, Louisiana
Education: Bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (Go Cajuns!) and an MBA in marketing from Louisiana State University at Shreveport
What was your very first job, how old were you and what was the biggest takeaway from the experience?
My first job was a waitress at a Mexican restaurant in my small hometown. As a 16-year-old, I learned so many skills: multitasking, managing expectations, working with people from various generations and backgrounds, time management, and customer service. All of that translates well into legal marketing and any professional setting. Plus, I learned to make a delicious guacamole.
What areas do you focus on in your role as a legal marketer? Why are you passionate about your profession?
My position combines client and competitive intelligence, working with our client teams, experience management platform, and competitive intelligence team. Prior to this role, I worked more than 10 years in practice and industry business development roles. In-house legal marketing feels like connecting dots and putting together puzzles each day, and I love being challenged with finding efficient and creative solutions.
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 will never be a morning person, and my struggle with waking up is a running joke among my family and colleagues. My morning routine is petting each one of my cats before I leave the house, listening to a true crime podcast on the way to work, and hoping for the best.
What’s something about your job that might surprise people?
I think people might be surprised to know that my job is fun. Of course, there are challenging days and hard tasks, but generally, the people on my team, my attorneys, and my peers in legal marketing make the environment a place I want to be. I’ve been able to do things I never dreamed I would do through my roles in legal marketing.
What’s the greatest personal or professional obstacle you’ve had to overcome, and how did you do it?
One of my greatest obstacles both personally and professionally was my husband and I being laid off at the same time. Fortunately, my background in journalism and legal copyrighting led me to an in-house legal marketing position in DC, and that changed the course of my career. From a negative, came a lifelong positive and immense growth.
What are your best productivity hacks?
I put my noise canceling headphones on, sign off messaging apps, and tick through my list of things I need to do that day, starting with an easy win to get momentum. If it’s a long task, I opt for an audiobook so there are fewer breaks, and I don’t touch my phone. I do my best creative thinking between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., so I save my most complex tasks for then.
What is your favorite phone app for work/professional use? What about for fun/personal use?
My favorite professional app is LinkedIn, and my favorite personal app is Goodreads. I love finding new authors and seeing what my friends are reading.
What’s a leadership skill you’ve learned the hard way?
The leadership skill that was hardest for me to learn is delegating. Having previously worked as a solo marketer, and then joining firms with large teams, it was a challenge to delegate and trust that others can complete things how you expect them to be done. I’ve learned that with communication and trust, delegating comes more naturally.
What are some of your hobbies or favorite things to do in your free time?
My favorite thing to do is go to concerts. I’ve always been a fan of punk, pop punk, and emo music, so I travel to Warped Tour (a touring rock music festival) every summer and meet up with friends at shows throughout the south. One year I went to 70 shows, including seven stops on the same New Found Glory tour.
Tell us about some of your volunteer efforts in the community and why you support those causes/organizations.
Since living in New Orleans where there is a significant stray pet population, I have been active in trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs. Stray cats are trapped, spayed or neutered, and returned to their colonies to live healthier lives without the dangers and stresses of reproduction. Sometimes I adopt within those colonies, too, and that’s how you find yourself with 10 cats. Everything I do is for the feline community.
You’re taking me out to a business lunch in your city. Where are we going and what do you recommend I order?
For a quick lunch in downtown Lafayette, we’re going to Pop’s Poboys, specifically for the Boudreaux, which is fried catfish, pickled okra tartar sauce, and blue cheese coleslaw. Stick around for happy hour at Hideaway on Lee for a margarita and to maybe catch Cedric Watson play, too. Even better, come back for Festival International de Louisiane!
What’s one of the smartest purchases you’ve ever made? What’s one of the dumbest?
One of the best purchases I’ve ever made is noise canceling headphones. I have lived in these since 2018. They greatly help my concentration. The silliest thing I’ve bought (definitely not dumb) is a two-foot-tall resin blow mold Halloween decoration of a black cat dressed as a mummy, which my husband and I creatively named “Mummy Cat.” Mummy Cat guards our attic in the off season.
Can you name someone who has had a great impact on you as a leader, or someone who has been a mentor to you in your life or career? How have they changed your outlook?
A partner at my first firm was a mentor, an ally for legal marketing, and eventually a friend. One of her greatest lessons was that doing good work often is not enough; you have to vocally advocate for yourself and those on your team. She focused on mentoring and helping other women so that there was a seat at the table for all of us. I hope to mirror her mentorship with young women in my community.
What is something you are absolutely determined to do in life?
When I somehow find free time after work, LMA, and cat rescuing, I’d like to learn to sew. I’m a big believer in reducing waste and restoring items, rather than tossing more into landfills. I want to be able to repair vintage clothing, reupholster furniture, and make my own mid-century inspired clothing and decor.