Name: Holly McCleary
Position: Content Specialist at Jackson Walker LLP; LMA Southwest Director at Large for Regional Programming
Family: Dog mom to Babe Ruth
Hometown: Bedford, Texas
Education: B.A., Advertising and Public Relations, University of Texas at Arlington
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?
Legal marketing was a field I fell into by chance, and I haven’t looked back.
After graduating from UT Arlington, I scrambled for a good two months trying to find a company that would take a chance on someone right out of college. Bills were piling up and panic was setting in when I discovered an opening as a Communications Assistant at a “Downtown Dallas Law Firm.” Within two weeks, I met with the recruiter, met with the team at Jackson Walker, then accepted the position.
Four years later, I’m still at Jackson Walker and feel so fortunate to have found the perfect place for me right out of college.
What I love about legal marketing is that it’s the perfect mix between corporate and agency life—I have an overall company to market (Jackson Walker), and I have several clients I serve (attorneys). It always keeps me on my toes, and yet I feel supported enough to say when I’m overwhelmed or need a break.
What made you decide to join LMA and how long have you been involved?
I first encountered LMA a few months after joining Jackson Walker. My team and I attended a program about diversity and inclusion, and I really enjoyed the topic. I continued to attend programs as a non-member for a little over a year when my firm invested in a membership for me so that I could attend the Southwest Regional Conference and other programs. It wasn’t until I participated in LMANext that I increased my involvement.
Tell us a little bit about why you wanted to join the LMASW Board.
Thanks to the encouragement of my LMANext mentor, Mary Margaret Gorman, I put my hat in the ring when the LMA Southwest Region put out a call for members to join a local steering committee (LSC). I was selected to serve as the Dallas LSC’s member-at-large for programming in 2021. Because I was involved in calls with the Southwest Regional Board and LSCs, I volunteered to help with the LMASW Regional Conference last year and had a great experience working alongside some awesome people. After that experience, I decided to apply for the Programming Director position for the Southwest Regional Board, and that’s what I’m doing now.
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?
COVID created this chaotic storm for our industry. Throughout 2021, we were all drinking from a fire hose. As the Marketing Communications Coordinator, my role became almost entirely focused on COVID materials, particularly our COVID-19 & Your Business email newsletter. For a long time, we were putting out that newsletter daily, and each email had so many new articles to publish on the website. A lot of my time was spent asking attorneys if they had conflicts. However, now, my position is back to normal—except I was promoted to Content Specialist in January 2022.
Regarding long-lasting impacts, I would say that COVID taught us all to be prepared for a next-level disaster. We must be able to quickly pivot in the face of a major virus or a natural disaster. I think we could all benefit from creating disaster response plans.
Also, I would say that moving forward, the legal industry needs to take a hard look at their business models and ensure they’re ready for a fully or partially remote work environment, while also considering what this means for their culture.
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?
This depends entirely on whether I’m going to the office or working from home. I
love working from home because I can sleep in a little more, spend time with my dog, watch a show on TV, and take my time. If I’m going into the office, I get up at 6:45 am, feed my dog and let him out, make my coffee and a bagel, watch 30 minutes of TV while eating, then get ready so I can be out of the door between 8:20-8:40 a.m., depending on traffic. Pretty exciting stuff, I know.
What’s something about your job that might surprise people?
Honestly, I don’t really have an answer to this one! In general, not many people know about legal marketing, so anything I tell them is a surprise. Something that surprises me is when I’m able to read a court opinion or new legislation and understand it. Coming from someone who doesn’t come from a family of lawyers or who did not attend law school, that is something that makes me extremely proud.
What are your best productivity hacks?
I should get paid for how much I praise Monday.com. My team uses it, and I really cannot imagine my workday without it. Also, I have a calendar from Day Designer that I use religiously so that my tasks for the day are organized alongside my meetings scheduled that day. I check the boxes next to my list of tasks that are practically done, and then I highlight the box green when it’s done-done.
What’s a leadership skill you’ve learned the hard way?
As a natural-born commander, I have had to learn to step back and let other people run the show. I have always been this very hands-on team member who acts on instinct then apologizes later. What I have had to learn is that it is okay to step aside and have someone else be in control. Sometimes, the ideas others have are better and create even better results.
What are some of your hobbies or favorite things to do in your free time?
I’m a bit of a couch potato. I enjoy watching TV shows (particularly reality competition and baking shows), coloring, building Metal Earth models, and playing games on my PlayStation 5. I also play tug-of-war with my dog, Babe Ruth, every night.
Tell us about some of your volunteer efforts in the community and why you support those causes/organizations.
Between LMA and serving on the Fort Worth chapter of the American Advertising Federation, I do not spend a lot of time volunteering, unfortunately. However, I do donate to Goodwill and engage in random acts of kindness. A goal of mine is to find an organization I’m passionate about and volunteer. Lately, I’ve been thinking about volunteering at my local animal shelter.
What’s one of the smartest purchases you’ve ever made? What’s one of the dumbest?
The smartest purchase I’ve ever made is buying my house last fall. After seeing the prices escalate even higher, I am confident I made the right decision to buy instead of rent. I wish I could say I made this
horrible purchasing decision before, but I’m always diligent about what I put my money toward.
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?
I have had so many incredible people in my life who have shaped my perspective in some form. The most profound impact came from my high school journalism teacher, Erin Adwell. She showed me what it means to be fair and fun, and to care about others. I could never thank her enough for helping me find my confidence during high school.
What is something you are absolutely determined to do in life?My bucket list includes traveling the world little by little, start a family, and keep a garden alive.