Meet Brandon McAfee, Senior Business Development Specialist, Venable LLP
Brandon McAfeeBrandon McAfee started college on a music scholarship, majoring in Jazz studies. After the first year he changed his major to communications and since then, he hasn't missed a beat.
Brandon began his marketing career in early 2005 and gained experience working at All Risks Ltd and two other professional service firms, including Clifton Gunderson LLP and CBIZ.
He joined LMA shortly after taking a position with Venable in late 2010. According to Brandon, there's a steep learning curve in the legal industry and unlike his previous service firm experiences. To be successful you must learn the firm's practices in and out, to be able to cross sell and learn the attorneys' specialties and work style. In addition legal marking is a tough sale "Nobody wants to be marketed for litigation services," he remarked.
Venable's internal structure is divided into four divisions including IP, Litigation, Government & Corporate. As he explains it, "While the marketing team handles marcomm related tasks, such as PR, web and graphics, the business development team interacts with attorneys more, almost like account managers working with practice group leaders and partners to carry out tactics using the services of their marketing department. In short, we facilitate the implementation of strategies."
"For attorneys that want it, we'll develop a personal business development plan. We'll hone in on their particular skills and create a plan around their strengths. Your goal," he said, "is to make every attorney your number one client."
He started with the firm's IP division, and talked about one particularly interesting project that involved coaching attorneys to reach a new untapped market for the legal industry. He explained, "I outlined tactics and marketing plans designed to infiltrate this new industry and promote the idea of using the legal industry to protect their intellectual property - it wasn't on their radar yet. We obtained several new clients and that industry focus is still doing well for the firm." Brandon emphasized the role of market research in contributing to the success of the project. "I really value our firm's research team, they are an integral part of our success as a department."
Like switching majors in college, Brandon showed his versatility when he switched from supporting the IP Division to the Litigation Division where he advanced to senior business development specialist. When I asked him to share some of his work methodology, he said, "I religiously use Microsoft Outlook's Task Manager to stay organized and make sure nothing falls through the cracks. I keep tasks organized by category, track the percentage done, and link emails to tasks."
After college, he earned a master's certificate in graphic and web design, the result of a one-and-a-half-year commitment. "I wanted to know the technical side of design to enable me to manage web and other design projects better," he said. He also takes an avid interest in keeping up with new technology as it emerges.
To maintain close working relationships with the litigators in two offices, he splits his time between the firm's DC and Baltimore offices. To accommodate the dual commute, Brandon and his wife live in Columbia, MD with their two daughters. He remarked, "I think that work/life balance is just as important for a man as it is for a woman. I can't wait to get home each evening to spend time with my girls.
On the weekends, he plays the drums at church and at various DC jazz clubs like Blues Alley. "As a jazz musician, you can get gigs with different bands, sort of like a contractor. I've played with Marcus Johnson quite a bit."
When you see Brandon, be sure to say hello, and take the opportunity to ask him about his next gig.
Jonathan Groner is a public relations and writing consultant in Washington, DC.