Blogs

The call for leaders for the 2020 LMA International Board of Directors is now open! As you think about whether or not to apply for a position on the Board, take a look at what current Board Members have to say about their experience.

After that, go after it and APPLY (applications due on May 24).

But, before we lose you to the Game of Thrones finale tonight (spoiler, it's tonight):

"The Promotion Plan Workshop"

"Cross-Silo Leadership"

A page from Harvard Business Journal's May/June issue on collaboration from a leader's perspective.

"A restaurant manager mistakenly served a $5,000 bottle of wine. The owner took to Twitter to forgive her."

Mistakes are inevitable. How does a leader respond when errors occur?

"Leaders Eat Last"

A longer read for the beach or during your down time on how leaders build a "Circle of Safety," trust and teamwork within their organizations.

I currently serve as the Immediate Past President on the International Board and Chair of the 2019 LMA International Board Nominating Committee. This follows my year as President in 2018 and Treasurer before that. This year, I will conclude my fifth consecutive year on the Board.

Over that time, I have been fortunate to be a part of some significant changes at the LMA, namely the regionalization of our membership from 19 Chapters to eight regions, conducting the most comprehensive membership survey in the history of our association, and most recently, working with a team to hire our next Executive Director Danielle Holland who will join the LMA on June 3rd.

As with most LMA leadership stories, mine began with a shoulder tap to help lead my local group in Houston. From there, we formed a Texas Chapter for which I served in a leadership role. During that time, I had a chance to serve on a few international committees and got the bug to raise my volunteer commitment and serve on the International Board.

Over the course of nearly a decade in LMA leadership in some capacity, I have been inspired to serve because the LMA makes me a better professional. I am a stronger legal marketer because of the relationships I have developed through the LMA, the knowledge I have gained about our industry, and the leadership development opportunities that the LMA has afforded me.

Along with being a tremendous professional development opportunity, serving in an LMA leadership role is fun and personally rewarding. For those interested, I always share that it is not an open-ended commitment. You are a temporary steward of our association for a very short period of time. If you are professionally situated with a firm or company that values association engagement and are personally positioned to commit the time, it is an opportunity unlike anything else you could experience in your professional career. It has been privilege to serve, and I would encourage others to push themselves and find their place in LMA leadership.

I am the Secretary of the Board of Directors, which serves as a Member of the Executive Committee along with the President, Immediate Past President, President-Elect and Treasurer. I am responsible for keeping the meeting minutes and ensuring that our collective to-do list is accomplished. While the Board meets quarterly in-person for a day and a half, the Executive Committee meets monthly by video to work to keep the momentum going of running the day-to-day business of the LMA. I also serve as the Board liaison to our Advocacy Advisory Council, which works to elevate our profession within the broader industry by helping law firm management understand and appreciate the impact legal marketers can have on the business of law.

I was invited to participate in a working group in 2018 that took a deep-dive look at both the governance of our Association as well as the way our Members were experiencing the LMA; through these intensive workshops and round table discussions, I realized I wanted to play an active role in helping shape the future of the LMA by working to ensure long-term viability in this ever-changing marketplace. In business, we all have competition and our Association is no different. There are a plethora of competing forces out there and my deep appreciation for all the LMA has done for me throughout my career pushes me to want to be a part of the success of its future – I want to work towards leaving the LMA better than I found it (not that I’m going anywhere any time soon!!).

Meeting new people and having the opportunity to hear perspectives different from my own and to learn – both all sorts of subject matter that is important to our industry, but also leadership and management skills. We are a group that evaluates ourselves regularly and pushes to keep growing. Getting the chance to work with people from across the US and Canada from firms and companies of all shapes and sizes is not something I would get exposure to otherwise. I’m a better business person and teammate because of my time spent working for the LMA.

I serve on the LMA board as a Member-At- Large. I don’t think I have a typical day in my role. I oversee all firm operations, so I spend a lot of time multi-tasking. I work with all departments in our firm. I am the person that ties it all together and reports to management. I typically have a few LMA calls a week with the committees I work with as the Board-liaison, and I also serve on the Colorado Judicial Institute Board. I am working to finish my Master of Science in Legal Administration at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, but I am currently enjoying a break between semesters. 

When I became a Chapter President in 2014, I got to attend the Leader’s Conference for the first time. I was so inspired by those that served on the board and as committee chairs. That conference motivated me to serve, and at the time the Board was definitely something I aspired to be part of one day. After years of building my LMA resume and serving in various capacities, I completed all my commitments and was ready to apply for the Board. Serving is truly an honor. 

The benefit that stands out the most is that I get to serve with an amazing group of people. Not only do I learn from them, but I am inspired by them. Since the Board is a diverse group representing many demographics it exposes me to people that I otherwise might not get to interact with regularly.