Meet Ellen Katkin, Marketing Director at Gilbert Oshinsky LLP
Ellen Katkin is an active and longtime member of LMA, but it’s only recently that I had a chance to really talk with her.
Ellen has been in legal marketing for about 15 years and has spent the last three happily ensconced at Gilbert Oshinsky LLP, a boutique firm of 40 attorneys specializing in insurance recovery and bankruptcy. She is the firm’s first marketing director, a situation in which she has found herself before.
“It takes some time to build credibility with the lawyers when you first arrive at the firm, but after you’ve had a few successes they are happy to work with you. They start to realize that you can really help them build their practice,” she said.
She is a one-woman marketing department with a shared assistant and a few key vendor partners. Her primary responsibilities include business development, market research, public relations, advertising, and Web design and updates.
Her favorite part of the job, and what causes her eyes to light up as she talks about it, is teaching and coaching attorneys in business development. “These are skills they can use the rest of their careers,” Ellen said. “How to network, the importance of developing and maintaining relationships, keeping a good rolodex, making the most of speaking engagements... I feel like I’m helping them individually in addition to helping the firm. It’s very rewarding.”
It struck me that Ellen isn’t the type of person who would try to attract much attention. She gets more satisfaction from putting others in the spotlight. Maybe that’s why she enjoys marketing so much. “Marketing was always my career goal,” she said. “I have subscribed to Advertising Age since I was in high school. I majored in English and journalism in college and went on to get an MBA as a pathway to establishing a career in marketing. I consider myself very lucky that I feel the same enthusiasm for marketing today as I did the first day I started.”
She’s been with larger firms, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart (now K&L Gates) and Swidler Berlin (now Bingham McKutchen), and worked in other industries, including radio, theater and food service, but Ellen prefers legal marketing “because of the structure and the culture,” she said. “I really enjoy working with lawyers. They are bright, perceptive, and fun to work with.”
At Gilbert Oshinsky, her immediate goal is to build the brand and raise awareness of the firm. “I’m working on an integrated marketing campaign that includes an ad campaign, PR and speaking and publishing programs to generate some buzz,” she told me. “In any industry you need to be cognizant of your brand equity. Where you advertise is important. Who you sponsor is important. Where you speak is important. You look for similar values and target markets, always keeping the brand in mind.”
Her biggest challenge so far has been keeping up with demand and increased participation in marketing activities by the attorneys. “In order to do a good [marketing] job, they have to understand how they can benefit from marketing and which marketing activities would be most effective for them,” she said.
Ellen does a lot of networking on behalf of the firm at industry and media events. She also networks for herself at LMA events. “Through LMA, I’ve met friends that I’ve known for years and can call on if I need help or have a question. It’s good to feel like I’m part of an industry,” she said.
Profile written by Elaine Noble, principal of Noble Pursuits, a graphic design and branding firm in Alexandria, V.A.