Anna Dusi
Director of Marketing and Attorney Recruitment & Development
McCormick Barstow LLP
Anna Dusi is responsible for marketing, business development and attorney recruiting at McCormick Barstow LLP, a law firm with a total of six offices located in: Fresno and Modesto, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, Cincinnati, Ohio, Denver, Colorado and Seattle, Washington. She is based in Fresno, California.
How did you get into legal marketing?
I started my law firm career as firm administrator for a small bankruptcy firm. McCormick Barstow is much larger, but the commitment to client service, and my experience working with lawyers, serves me well in this job. I love people, group dynamics and collaborative efforts. I am probably not the typical candidate for legal marketing, but my understanding of professional services and knowledge of the Fresno legal community are the right assets.
Before law firms, what did you do?
I started out as a trainer in the proprietary software division of The Dwyer Group in Waco, Texas, a home services franchisor. I transitioned quickly into management, working with small business owners in the electrical services industry. When I returned to Fresno, my consulting background was a natural segue in helping start-up a law firm. In my current job, my former work experience gives me the ability to relate to 100 different lawyers, each with individual marketing and business development goals.
What is your educational background?
Born and raised in Fresno, it was my dream to attend UCLA. I have always been numbers oriented but was also interested in the social sciences. Majoring in economics was the right mix for me, and it has given me a wide choice of professions.
What is the best advice you ever received?
Busy women make time for meaningful work. I think we are all challenged by meaningful work. The energy makes it easy to be passionate about the work that fills our days.
What would people be most surprised to learn about you?
I am a runner, with a particular passion for half marathons. Not particularly athletic, I always leaned toward the academic in school. I see the value of fitness and health, but I would rather be learning another language, seeing a different country, or eating an amazing meal. But I do like to run. When I run, I find space to reflect on goals, upcoming projects or just zone out and listen to music. At one time I was up to 25 miles a week, with a play list that includes Lord, Cold Play, and Adele, to name a few.
If you were stranded on a desert island for one week with a group of lawyers, what would you want to have with you?
Music!
What is your favorite movie? Favorite book?
I gravitate toward documentaries. I am not much of a TV-watcher, but have a few guilty favorites on NetFlix - House of Cards, Homeland, Breaking Bad and Mad Men all work for me. My reading tends to be industry oriented. I like Business Week for its quick synopses and I am now reading The Lawyer Bubble: A Profession in Crisis.
What is your favorite place to relax?
I have always wanted to be a certified scuba diver. My tropical dream includes certification in a foreign country, or even closer to home in Key West or Hawaii. Anywhere I can have an underwater adventure sounds like paradise to me.
What is one of the most memorable events from your childhood?
I had such a good childhood growing up in Fresno, and was not as anxious as many of my peers to get away. Attending UCLA was my dream and my reality, as it turned out. My only regret is never having studied abroad. I have traveled since college, but I think the only way to really know a city is to be immersed in the culture by living there.
If you could eat only one food or cuisine for the rest of your life, what would it be?
That’s much too limiting! I am kind of a foodie. In San Francisco, I like the Zuni Café. If you ever find yourself in Fresno, I have a few gems to recommend. Both Cracked Pepper and Trelios boast local chefs who embrace the farmer to table concept. Our local Farmer’s Market features amazing chef’s throw downs. Around Mardi Gras, for example, we might get to vote on tasting portions of gumbo, and then select a meal portion of our favorite.