1. How did you start working in/with the legal marketing industry?
When I was a senior in college, I was searching my university’s career center website for job postings, and I came across a recruiter and business development coordinator position at a law firm. I applied immediately and went on an interview. After completing 5 different interviews with department heads, HR and the hiring partners, I was offered the position. The law firm that I was originally hired at actually moved their practice group to another law firm 3 days before my start date. Luckily, they decided to take me with them and my role was more in marketing and business development than recruiting at the new firm where my career began.
2. How do you describe your job to people outside of the legal industry?
When I tell people I do marketing and business development for a law firm their response is usually, “law firms need marketing?” I explain to them that law firms need marketing because they have to keep up with the competition in order to gain new clients and business. People are surprised to learn that being a lawyer now-a-days means taking on an entrepreneurial and sales role position for gaining new clients. I explain that my role as a marketing and business development assistant means keeping track of new deals, updating our materials to reflect our expertise, creating pitches and proposals tailored to our experience and answering RFPs, and to plan dinners and receptions at industry leading events/conferences.
3. What’s the best part of your work and why?
I love how my job always keeps me on my toes and my brain working. There is never a dull moment in the office. I’m constantly getting last minute urgent request emails from attorneys with ASAP requests, and let me tell you, I love getting things done!
4. How do you deal with “impossible” situations?
I don’t think there are any “impossible” situations per say. I think that certain situations are more difficult to handle than others and this is where creativity and brain storming comes into power. I think you have to massage and explain certain situations differently to different individuals in order to come up with a solution or agreement on a situation or dilemma.
5. If you were to build the “perfect” legal marketer, what skill(s) would they most need?
There are 3 important skills that come to my mind. Those are communication skills, adaptability and creativity. Communication is a must because attorneys are very intellectual people and you need to be able to intelligently communicate with them in order to get things done. Adaptability is important because you need to adapt to the different personality traits of the attorneys and they all like things done in different ways. Creativity is also important because it can help you be a problem solver and come up with new and innovative ideas for your attorneys and to help lead their practice and the firm in the right direction.
6. If you could have any job other than what you currently do, what would that be?
An elementary school teacher
7. What are your passions outside of work?
Reading, cooking, politics, cycling and tutoring little kids
8. What’s your favorite guilty pleasure?
Warm Butter Cake
9. Why did you join LMA, and is it the same reason you are still a member?
My supervisor at the time, Jennifer Larivee, encouraged me to join LMA because I was very new to law firm marketing and she thought it would be beneficial to my career as a legal marketer. LMA has been extremely beneficial to my professional development and it has offered me so many wonderful educational opportunities regarding all aspects of marketing, business development and the law profession in general.
Caitlin McNulty, Business Development Assistant
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
633 West 5th Street, Suite 5000, Los Angeles, CA 90071
cmcnulty@akingump.com
213-254-1220
www.akingump.com