Nor'Easter Newsletter - September 2014 Issue

By Jennifer Jones posted 09-30-2014 08:10

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President’s Letter

“The tans will fade but the memories won’t.”

There is no better quote to capture what the summer means to most of us. As we see yet another summer come to a close and ponder how it could have ended so quickly, it’s the perfect time to appreciate the memories we made with our families, friends and colleagues. Doing a quick scan of the pics (and of course, selfies) on my iPhone from the past three months, I see a lot of fond memoriesthat were made with the members of our LMA New England community.

Personally, the summer highlight I’m most proud of and still makes me smile is our first ever boot camp that was hosted on the same day as our summer soiree. The free, half-day program, which gathered 30+ members for an afternoon of content designed to share lessons learned from the board’s professional experiences, was the perfect blending of education and networking. To top it off, the event included a networking hour with the former Chapter presidents and led into a top-notch, rooftop summer social that was described as “the best,” “amazing,” “so much fun,” among other descriptions (our attendees words, but of course, I agree with them). All in all, it was a marquee day for our chapter.

The good news is we’re not slowing down for the fall! With the chapter having close to 240 members YTD, our highest total ever, the board and our committees are putting in the hours to make sure we are delivering high quality programming for the upcoming months. To that point, I’m excited to have the current LMA President, Tim Corcoran, join us on September 17^th to give his popular presentation on law firm finances. On the cusp of that program, we will be welcoming Doug Stone, a prominent professor at Harvard, to present on understanding feedback, a topic that is featured in his new book Thanks for the Feedback. And if that isn’t enough – our conference committee, led by Liz Cerasuolo and Maureen Grenier, just set the agenda for our Regional Conference that is filled with industry leaders covering the topics most pertinent to capitalizing on ROI. Needless to say, I couldn’t be more excited about our lineup for this fall.

So as I sit here wishing my olive complexion wasn’t going to fade and trying to hold onto the last days of the warm weather, I realize the fall is going to have just as many fun memories to appreciate as the summer did. And for that I am thankful. I look forward to sharing them with you.

Cheers.

Chris

New England Chapter Elects New Members to the Board of Directors

Congratulations to the members recently elected to our 2015 Board:

President-Elect (2016) – Katie Rutter, Katie Rutter Consulting
Vice President – Kate Boucher, Foley Hoag LLP
Financial Officer-Elect – Ashley Morris, K&L Gates LLP
Chief Information and Technology Officer – Jennifer Jones, ALM Media
Member-at-Large – Katherine Scobbo, Ferriter Scobbo & Rodophele PC

These recent additions will be joining our current Board members continuing their terms in 2015:

President – Shelley Swanson, Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen, P.C.
Past President – Chris Newman, Cooley LLP
Chief Financial Officer – Jenna MacNeill, Greenberg Traurig LLP
Member-at-Large – Cristina Brennan, Foley Hoag LLP
Member-at-Large – Tina Rutherford, K&L Gates LLP
Member-at-Large – Caroline Von Flatern, Ropes & Gray LLP

And a tremendous thank you to our Board members wrapping up their terms this year:

Past President (2012) – Katie Reagan, Jones Day
Vice President – Liz Cerasuolo, Fish & Richardson P.C.
Chief Financial Officer – Steve Burke, Proskauer Rose LLP

Call for 2015 Committee Members

LMA New England is looking for talented volunteers to join our 2015 Committees. Committee members gain important leadership experience while working with other LMANE colleagues on a variety of targeted initiatives. Click here to learn more about our 2015 Committees. If you would like to be a part of an LMANE Committee, contact Shelley Swanson (LMANE President-Elect) at swanson@srbc.com.

Let the Countdown Begin – LMANE’s Signature Regional Conference is Only Two Months Away

Have you registered yet for the 2014 Regional Conference taking place on November 13-14 at the Revere Hotel in Boston? If the answer is no, here is what you will miss:

Learning from industry experts on the best ways to simplify your strategy to maximize your ROI on marketing and BD activities
Watching an in-person client interview with a GC to determine the best ways to solicit feedback and capitalize on what you learn
Hearing from the Research Director at IBM Institute for Business Value about the best ways to create value using knowledge
Enjoying two cocktail receptions that bring together not only members of our chapter, but also folks across the country, for the best networking opportunities possible
Experiencing a lunch session that will leave you smiling while full of delicious food and newly found knowledge

Don’t miss out on the chapter’s most important and popular event, one that saw record attendance last year! Program details will be released in the coming weeks so stay tuned to our social channels or visit the conference website at www.lmane2014.com.

Contact Maureen Grenier to take advantage of the few sponsorship opportunities still available.

September Lunch Program: Demystifying Law Firm Finance
with Tim Corcoran

Wednesday, September 17, 2014 | 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Nutter | Seaport West, 155 Seaport Boulevard | Boston, MA

In this session, Tim provides an overview of the changing face of law firm finance, from the long-time R.U.L.E.S. approach to the more modern Learning Curve approach. The interactive discussion will cover how law firms made money yesterday and how they will make money tomorrow. Tim will discuss the role of Alternative Fee Arrangements (AFAs), Legal Project Management (LPM), Business Process Improvement (BPI), Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO) and Big Data on the law firm of the future. This program is designed to demystify law firm finances so legal marketing and business development professionals can sit at the table as equals with finance professionals and firm leadership.

Tim Corcoran is a principal with the Corcoran Consulting Group and advises law firm leaders, in-house counsel, and legal service providers on how to profit during a time of great change. He is 2014 President of the Legal Marketing Association, and previously served as Treasurer and co-chair of the Annual Conference Committee.

Register Now!

Thank you to our sponsor, Thomson Reuters.

Save the Date! October Lunch Program: Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well with Doug Stone

Tuesday, October 28, 2014 | 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Brown Rudnick | One Financial Center | Boston, MA

Members of the Legal Marketing Association operate in a blizzard of feedback, direct and indirect. We are on the receiving end of feedback from lawyers and clients that is often presented in challenging ways, and receive feedback as well from bosses, peers, and subordinates, not to mention spouses, friends, and family members. We often react defensively, feeling frustrated that the feedback is off-target or unfair, offers no acknowledgement for all that we've already done well, or is just plain confusing. But as dispiriting as it can be, we know we need feedback -- our success at work and in relationships depends on it. In this talk, Mr. Stone will look at why feedback is such a challenge -- "Am I supposed to take feedback that is wrong?!" -- and offer ways receivers can regain their balance and engage in feedback conversations with skill. Nothing makes an unpleasant feedback conversation pleasant, but there are things we can do to make the stress go down and the mutual learning go up.

Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of Doug’s recent book, Thanks for the Feedback (Penguin 2014).

Douglas Stone is a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School, a founder of Triad Consulting, and co-author of Thanks for the Feedback (Penguin 2014). He is also a co-author of the bestselling Difficult Conversations, which has been translated into 25 languages and sold almost a million copies. His clients include Time Warner, Honda, Merck, the US White House, the NRC, and several law firms.

Special Interest Groups (SIGs) Update

Small Firm SIG

The Small Firm SIG recently launched a LinkedIn Group, providing SIG members the opportunity to share ideas, ask questions, post job descriptions, and engage with one another in an exclusive online platform. If you are an LMANE member at a firm with fewer than 100 lawyers or with two or fewer marketing professionals, we invite you to join the Small Firm SIG LinkedIn Group.

And thank you to everyone who attended the Small Firm SIG luncheon on September 9^th. Stay connected to the SIG’s LinkedIn Group for details on an October luncheon.

City Group Updates

Hartford City Group

The LMA Hartford City Group will be hosting a program on September 18^th that will focus on practical solutions for the business development challenges mid-size firms are facing. The luncheon will be moderated by Dave Whiteside, Sr. Business Development Specialist at Thomson Reuters, and will feature a collection of senior legal marketers from the region, including:

Renee Gilroy, Director of Marketing, Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP
Richard Martinez II, Senior Business Development & Marketing Manager, Robinson & Cole LLP
Debra A. Sciarra, Director of Marketing, Murtha Cullina LLP
Paul Sussman, Editor-In-Chief, Connecticut Law Tribune

Contact Jennifer Paquin at Wiggin & Dana for more details or register online. Thank you to our lunch sponsor, Thomson Reuters!

Portland City Group

The LMA Portland City Group will be hosting a luncheon on September 16^th at the Hyatt Place Hotel. Contact Gretchen Johnson at Verrill Dana for more details.

Future Leaders Come Out in Full Force for the First Ever Boot Camp

In late July, the Chapter hosted its first ever Boot Camp, a free, half-day program designed to enhance the professional skills of our members that have less than 10 years of professional experience. More than 30 attendees had the chance to hear the Chapter’s board members and committee chairs present on topics like business etiquette, budget planning, networking, building internal relationships, time management, among others. After the four hour program concluded, the members were treated to a cocktail hour with the chapter’s former presidents, board members and committee chairs, giving them a chance to use their newly-minted networking skills! In the end, the program was a rousing success and something the Chapter intends to do again next year (with a new topic flavor, of course). Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make it possible.

Sizzling Hot Summer Soiree Scores Rave Reviews

Always looking for the perfect place to network, eat delicious food and sip fun summer beverages, our special events planning committee, led by Katherine Scobbo and Carolyn Von Flatern, found the perfect venue to host this year’s summer party. Drawing close to 100 people, attendees were treated to a rooftop party at the Revere Hotel that featured gorgeous views of Boston, fabulous cocktails and a social setting that was buzzing with conversations and laughs. A special thank you to J. Johnson Executive Search for choosing to partner with the LMA New England Chapter as the exclusive sponsor of the LMA NE Summer Soirée.

Be sure to check out additional photos on the Chapter’s Instagram account.

Sponsor Spotlight

J. Johnson Executive Search, the Chapter’s summer soiree sponsor and name badge sponsor at the upcoming conference, uses a discreet, relationship-based model to match highly motivated, career-oriented professionals with the marketing and business development departments of professional services firms worldwide. Jennifer Johnson Scalzi and Kate Harry have personal knowledge of the cultures of the marketplace and the capabilities of potential candidates, enabling them to provide an optimal solution to recruitment challenges.

We hope you were able to say hello to Jenn and Kate at the Future Leaders Boot Camp and/or Summer Soiree. Be sure to follow their updates on Twitter, Facebook and the JJES blog for the latest career news and opportunities.

Learn More About Savannah Rose and Rachel Merrick Maggs from the Latest Member Spotlights

In this issue’s Member Spotlights, we feature Savannah Rose, an active participant in our Future Leader SIG who recently got engaged, and Rachel Merrick Maggs, a competitive intelligence products expert for Thomson Reuters when she isn’t hitting the ski slopes. Be sure to find out who made their start at McDonald’s breakfast bar and Santa’s Village!

Savannah Rose
Marketing & Business Development Specialist
WilmerHale

Rachel Merrick Maggs
Business Development Specialist
Thomson Reuters

A Warm Welcome to Our Newest LMA New England Members

Please extend a warm welcome to the members who have joined or re-joined the LMA New England chapter over the summer. Remember that if you leave your job, your former firm/company is able to transfer your membership to another individual for a nominal fee while you also maintain your membership through the end of 2014 at no additional cost to you. Rules differ for memberships contracted as a group.

Gabriela Arias, Business Development & Marketing Assistant, Robinson & Cole
Stephanie Beck, Marketing Coordinator, Bernstein Shur
Ann Blanchard, Marketing Coordinator, Verrill Dana
Jamey Borell, Immigration Practice Manager, Mintz Levin
Sally Bradford, Marketing Communications Manager, Hemenway & Barnes
Amy Campbell, Infoworks!
Amanda Cote, Marketing Assistant, Klein Hornig
Susan de Mari, Director of Marketing, McLane Law Firm
Mary Ellen DeWinter
Kristin Fischer, Business Development & Marketing Manager, Brown Rudnick
Suzanne Fletcher, Director, Marketing, Analysis Group
Jolie Frechette, Content and Marketing Specialist, Downs Rachlin Martin
Jenna George, CRM Specialist, Mintz Levin
Kara Gilberg, Marketing Coordinator, Mintz Levin
Kelly Giustino, Assistant Administrator, Conn Kavanaugh
Aaron Harris, Marketing Coordinator, Verrill Dana
Brian Houk, Senior Vice President, Global Client Development, ShiftCentral
Jennifer Irvine, Director of Business Development and Marketing, Bowditch & Dewey LLP
Mairead Kean, Marketing / Business Development Assistant, Wolf Greenfield
Paul Lazdowski, Business Development Specialist, IP Litigation, McDermott Will & Emery
Lauren Macaulay, Business Development Manager, WilmerHale
Emily Marshall, Marketing Associate, Pierce Atwood
Ruth Mattson, Associate, Bove & Langa
Michael McLean, Business Development Manager, McLane Law Firm
Elizabeth Munnell, Principal, EHMunnell
Julie Parker, Marketing/Communications Manager, Wolf Greenfield
Kerry Pillion, Lead, Social Media, Goodwin Procter
Jenna Paradise, Client Relationship Coordinator, Ropes & Gray
Amanda Rae, Client Relations Coordinator, Ropes & Gray
JoAnn Ricciardelli, Paralegal/Marketing Leader, The Hayber Law Firm
Mirna Shampemba, Business Development Coordinator, K&L Gates
JoyEllen Snellgrove, Special Projects Manager, Marketing, Debevoise & Plimpton
John Tuerck, Partner, Law Practice Consultants
Lisa Woodford, Owner, Paris Marketing
Sarah Wooster, Business Development Specialist, Mintz Levin

New England Promotions and Moves

Congratulations to members who have recently taken on new positions!

Ashley Morris was promoted to Business Development Specialist at K&L Gates
Caroline Von Flatern joined Ropes & Gray as a Practice Development Specialist
Jay Wager joined Nutter McClennen & Fish asDirector of Business Development
Savannah Rose was promoted to Business Development Specialist at WilmerHale
Alyssa Ritchie joinedBurns & Levinson as a Coordinator of Business Development and Events

Congrats to Denise Wilson on Her Retirement!

After more than 15 years (and thousands of events), Denise Wilson retired from Goulston & Storrs at the end of June. Over the years, Denise has been very active in LMA and has assisted our Chapter with various events including Regional Conferences, monthly lunches, Holiday Parties and Summer Outings. She is looking forward to dedicating more time to the most important thing in her life-- her family, friends and grandchildren. Please join us in wishing her well.

Looking for New Professional Opportunities – Explore the Latest Job Bank Highlights

Many new job postings have been added over the past couple of months! Visit the job bank to see all current openings.

Think Tank Live!

Members of the LMA International’s Think Tank have created an editorial-style calendar that outlines where they will be directing their efforts over the coming months. Results of their work – whether white papers, webinars, survey reports, etc. – will be published on the LMA web site at approximately two-month intervals.

If you would like to contribute ideas for consideration by the Think Tank, or if you would like to participate in the development of new intellectual capital, please contact the committee’s co-chairs: Ian Turvill, Chief Marketing Officer, Freeborn & Peters LLP, or Jonathan Mattson, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer, Tucker Ellis LLP. Contribute to the Think Tank Discussion Forum by clicking here.

Please send any contributions for the LMA New England Chapter newsletter to Jen Jones at ALM Media.

Legal Marketing Association New England Chapter
One International Place, Boston MA 02110

September 2014

In This Issue

President’s Letter

2015 Board of Directors

Call for Committee Members

Regional Conference Update

September Lunch Program

October Lunch Program

Small Firm SIG

Hartford City Group Lunch