1. How did you start working in/with the legal marketing industry?
My first job related to the legal industry was as a staff writer at the Los Angeles Daily Journal, where I primarily handled enterprise reporting and covered corporate counsel. I loved having to dive in and write about completely new things, and I found law fascinating. I moved into legal marketing when I had the chance to join one of my favorite LADJ colleagues at Latham & Watkins. Since then, I’ve worked with law firms and other professional services firms handling a range of marketing activities.
2. How do you describe your job to people outside of the legal industry?
I provide the infrastructure and tools our experts and consultants need to grow their practices, including a strong brand, thought leadership, media relations, client events and communications, pitch support, and website management.
But even to people within the legal industry, my current role takes some additional explanation. My firm, Berkeley Research Group, provides litigation consulting and strategic advisory services; our economists and other professionals work with law firms on high-profile cases and with Fortune 500 companies on major consulting engagements. Clients essentially look to BRG for some of the best minds in a variety of key disciplines to provide independent thinking on complex, unstructured problems.
I joined BRG in 2011, a year after its founding, and as we celebrate the firm’s fifth anniversary, it has grown to more than 700 employees in 26 offices. It’s been an incredible experience playing a role in building one of the leading firms in its space, and one of the fastest-growing firms in the professional services industry.
3. What’s the best part of your work and why?
Every day presents new challenges and opportunities to broaden my knowledge. BRG is a dynamic environment, and its culture is a unique mix of academic and entrepreneurial pursuits, which makes for an intellectually stimulating place to work.
4. How do you deal with “impossible” situations?
I first assess what makes a situation seem impossible. Is it a resource issue? Can we tap underutilized employees in other departments? If it is a matter of funding, are there complementary initiatives whose budgets can be combined for a bigger impact? Sometimes, taking a step back reveals that the initial request or project plan was flawed from the outset, and that the situation requires a different approach altogether. Whenever possible, my mandate is to find creative approaches and make them work, but I also have a responsibility to push back and press for more clarity about objectives and steer away from bad ideas.
5. If you were to build the “perfect” legal marketer, what skill(s) would they most need?
The ideal legal marketer is a consummate strategist, communicator, diplomat, and problem solver, and, above all, is scrappy and unflappable.
6. What advice would you offer to someone new to the industry?
Take advantage of as many training and networking opportunities as possible. Volunteer to help on projects. Take initiative and show that you’re willing to own an area that doesn’t already have a champion.
7. If you could have any job other than what you currently do, what would that be?
As an avid runner, I would love to operate a running camp. This would give me the opportunity to share with others the joys of doing what I love the most and, ideally, allow me to run a lot more than I do now.
8. What are your passions outside of work?
I’ve been a runner all my adult life; it is my form of meditation. It is how I unwind, think through problems, and often come up with my best ideas.
9. What’s your favorite guilty pleasure?
Napping after a run.
10. Why did you join LMA, and is it the same reason you are still a member?
I joined LMA for its educational and networking offerings, which is the same reason I’m still a member. It’s been invaluable as a resource for the latest developments as the legal marketing field becomes increasingly sophisticated. I also find enormous value in the LMA discussion boards for best practices and vendor selection.