2012 brings fresh beginnings and new leadership to the Indianapolis City Group. We bid a heartfelt thank you to Kelly Sharpe of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP and Amanda Stiens of Faegre Baker Daniels LLP for their leadership and hard work — we have big shoes to fill!
Joining me in leading the Indianapolis City Group this year are Pamela Champ and Taryn Elliott. We bring a diverse perspective within the legal industry, representing a small statewide firm, a large national firm, and a consultancy for individual attorneys and firms of all sizes.
I joined Barnes & Thornburg in 2004, and it’s been fascinating to see how our firm and the legal industry have changed in this short time. Over the last seven years, we’ve grown from a small marketing staff of seven servicing a regional Midwestern firm to a staff of more than 20 covering five new offices located from Delaware to Los Angeles. Many of our Indianapolis-based counterparts are expanding as well, with recent mergers for Faegre Baker Daniels LLP, Ice Miller LLP, and Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP, all taking effect this past January 1.
While at Barnes & Thornburg, I’ve handled varied roles, including Marketing Representative (which I’m convinced is the industry’s catchall title for “other marketing duties as assigned”), Business Development Manager for the firm’s Litigation Department (also known as “herding cats”), and my current role as Business Development Manager – Proposals. In recent years, we’ve seen a marked increase in the number of RFPs, pitches, and related business research and competitive intelligence requests we receive. My role was created to help manage these requests and provide a firmwide resource for the processes and tools that go along with each of these activities. I’m excited about making new connections within LMA and learning about how you’re addressing the challenges each of you face in legal marketing and business development.
Please also welcome Taryn Elliott. She is the Marketing Administrator for Kightlinger & Gray in Indianapolis and has been with the firm since 2007. Taryn leads K&G’s marketing committee and is responsible for the firm's strategic marketing communications and client relationship management. She focuses on brand management, strategic planning, website management, event planning, and creative services. Taryn has more than 10 years experience in services marketing, including advertising, public relations, business development, and market research. Taryn and her husband, Matt, recently added to their family, and now have two young sons, Max and Charlie. You can send your congratulations to her at telliott@k-glaw.com.
Pamela Champ joins us as well, bringing 10 years of experience in professional services marketing and business development. She holds both a J.D. and an MBA and has directed business development strategy and tactical implementation inside law and accounting firms. Pamela is now a business development advisor who works with law firms, individual attorneys, and law firm marketers to create growth strategies for revenue and billable hours. She’s passionate about helping attorneys and law firm marketers address the “knowing-vs.-doing” gap as it relates to business development practices, and she’s looking forward to more actively serving the Indy City Group. Please welcome Pamela at pamchamp1@gmail.com.
LMA Midwest has provided valuable networking and educational opportunities to each of us through our city group, and we’re enthused about taking a more active role within the chapter to continue to bring value to our local legal marketing community. We’re in the midst of planning 2012 events and programming, so please drop us a line and let us know which topics would pique your interest this year. We’d love to hear from you!
Jennifer Whitley is the Business Development Manager – Proposals at Barnes & Thornburg LLP and Vice-Chair, Programs–Indianapolis for LMA Midwest. For more information about the Indianapolis City Group, contact Jennifer at jwhitley@btlaw.com.