Bettina Rutherford
Business Development Manager
K&L Gates
LMA NE 2016 Star Award Recipient
What makes a Star Award recipient so special?
Each year the LMA New England Board considers a member for the Star Award. Star Award recipients are selected based on their outstanding dedication and contribution to LMA New England. This year, the board selected Tina Rutherford (K&L Gates) for her years serving as a board member, managing our email communications and working with our contact management system.
Get to know Tina
What was your first job?
My very first job was a summer job at The Ex, the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, working a Pepsi booth at the food pavilion. Day after day for the two weeks of this huge fair (the 5th largest in North America – just googled it), I handed out free samples of Pepsi to thousands of people filing past, enjoying such witty remarks as “Bettina!? What kind of a name is that?” and “I bet you get bored just standing around all day.” Yes, yes I did, thank you. My first ‘real’ job after finishing my MBA was in advertising sales for a west coast lifestyle magazine called Western Living Magazine in Vancouver, Canada. It’s a gorgeous magazine and I think I was more in love with the homes, designs, food and travel tips than I was with the actual job; turns out, I’m not very good at sales and would just go and chat with my clients rather than try to sell them ad space. I did get some really nice custom furniture as a result of that experience though!
How did you get into Legal Marketing?
After a few months I switched magazines to work for BC Business Magazine, thinking I would make some connections in the business community so I could get out of sales. One day, I called on Lawson Lundell Lawson & McIntosh LLP, one of the largest firms in Vancouver, and got to chatting with the current person in charge of such things as advertising, a legal secretary named Heather (you can see that this was a long time ago!) I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but shortly thereafter, Heather left to pursue her cello career and I became the firm’s first Marketing Coordinator. At the time, I didn’t even know there was such a thing, but I haven’t looked back since! Witnessing the evolution of this industry over the years - from a time when the perception of our role was to handle the holiday card mailing (yes, mailing) and “make things look pretty”, to now, when we have truly earned a valued seat at the table at the highest levels - has been remarkable and gratifying. I’m so glad I stumbled into legal marketing lo those many years ago – it has been a rewarding ride!
If you could live in any other period of time, when would it be?
I am fascinated by, and in awe of, great architecture and design, especially modern architecture by the likes of Frank Gehry, IM Pei, Zaha Hadid, Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer and a host of others who have produced stunning structures around the world. Ever since I was young, I have dreamed of living in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water and if I’m ever fortunate enough to design my dream home, this would totally be my inspiration. I like to think that I could have been an architect if I weren’t in legal marketing. Several years ago, I even considered going back to school for architecture, but I don’t think I could master that really cool handwriting they need to use on their blueprints!
What LMA members have to say about Tina
We asked some LMA members to share their thoughts about and experiences working with Tina.
"Tina is a truly outstanding volunteer and a most deserving recipient of the LMA New England 'Star Award.' She dedicated significant time to LMA NE over the four years she was on the board and mastered our antiquated CRM system to send out communications to the membership - an always time-consuming task. Tina was a saving grace many times over when we had last minute communications that had to go out. We thank Tina for her service to LMA NE."
- Katie Rutter, Katie Rutter Consulting
“Tina always has the good of the group top of mind. When the board unexpectedly needed a person to step into the Member at Large role, Tina didn’t hesitate to volunteer extend her time. She loved being part of the team and being able to make a difference for the LMANE community. Not only did Tina volunteer her time, but she also took on the board function that most people would avoid like the plague – managing the chapter’s MemberClicks system. Never one to complain, Tina’s patience and perseverance won the battle against the archaic email distribution system each and every time a chapter mailing went out over a 3+ year period. Most people do not realize the countless hours that Tina put in each month to make sure everyone stayed informed on the latest chapter happenings. From someone who saw behind the scenes for 2.5 years, I can truly attest to how hard of a worker Tina is. We were very lucky to have her volunteerism and support for the number of years we did.”
- Chris Newman, Cooley LLP
"When I became President in 2012, Tina volunteered to co-chair the Regional Conference. After working closely with her, I quickly observed that she was going to be a “go-to” person. She is someone who has the leadership skills, ambition and intelligence that stands out in this competitive market. Since she joined LMA, Tina has continued to grow and develop deep relationships with people in the community. In her time volunteering with LMA New England, she has earned the respect and confidence of her colleagues and peers and has proven to be a valuable member of our membership. Tina always goes the extra mile and makes any project look seamless and easy. She has a fine attention to detail, a very creative approach to problem solving and an impressive understanding of the issues facing our industry. She is the kind of person who rolls up her sleeves and dives right in-- an asset to any team. I cannot wait to watch how successful Tina continues to be in the years to come."
- Katie Reagan, Jones Day
"Tina and I served together on the LMA board. As chair of the programming committee, I recognize how important her role was at getting communications to the membership in a timely fashion. She was a tremendous asset to the board and always willing to do anything we needed, even though she had a million things on her professional and personal “to do” list. She is one of the nicest people I know and it has been an honor to serve with her!"
- Deb Scaringi, Scaringi Marketing