President’s Letter
As I begin to wrap up my responsibilities of serving as chapter President, including penning my final President’s Letter for the Nor’easter, I would like to extend a giant thank you to all of the members, volunteers and chapter supporters that have made the last year and a half a very special experience for me. Having the opportunity to work with many of you on helping grow our chapter’s footprint and finding new ways to create value and a stronger community easily makes up some of my best professional experiences to date.
Nothing exhibits our volunteers’ commitment to creating an unmatchable professional association driven by the concept of offering exceptional educational programs and opportunities to build lifelong professional relationships better than the incredibly successful regional conference the chapter hosted earlier this month. In line with recent years, the conference drew a record number of attendees consisting of 160 old and new faces all there for the same reasons – thought-provoking content, first class networking and a chance to learn about the latest products and services available to legal marketers. Not surprisingly, our conference committee, led by our co-chairs Liz Cerasuolo and Maureen Grenier, and speakers delivered on all fronts. None of this would have been possible without this group’s tireless efforts and the support of our sponsors. Thank you to everyone who was involved with making this event a smashing success.
With my term coming to an end in a little over a month, the chapter could not be in better hands with Shelley Swanson coming in as 2015 LMANE President. Shelley has a lot of wonderful ideas that will continue to put the chapter on a path of growth and success for many years to come. It has been a great honor to be able to serve this chapter and one that I am thankful for.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming holiday party on December 9th. Until then, have a wonderful and safe holiday season.
Cheers,
Chris
LMANE President
Kick Off Your Holiday Season by Celebrating with Friends and Colleagues from LMA New England!
Tuesday, December 9th | 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Central Wharf Co.| 160 Milk Street | Boston, MA
Mingle with friends and colleagues over cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and good cheer at the LMA New England Holiday Party. Registration is complimentary for LMA New England members until December 1st. Non-members are welcome to attend (fee). Register Now! Thank you to our sponsor:
Save the Date! January Lunch Program: Creating an Executive Newsroom to Generate New Business with Christine Dunn
Wednesday, January 28th | 12:00-1:30 p.m.
K&L Gates | One Lincoln Street | Boston, MA
As law firms look to enhance their marketing efforts to generate new business, this interactive discussion will introduce legal professionals to the concept of an “executive newsroom” – a critical tool in today’s digital media world. With the rise of digital communications, everyone – from marketers to managing partners – can, and should, be their own media company.
This program will explain the elements of an effective newsroom, and how to think about the resources needed to run it efficiently. You will be guided on how to craft a compelling story that gets your news and your firm noticed. You’ll gain insight into what reporters, and their editors, need to write a news story quickly using your content. The program will also offer strategies for how in-house marketers can work collaboratively with external PR resources. During this interactive session, you will learn:
- What comprises an executive newsroom
- Why law firms need to rethink their marketing department to include an executive newsroom -- or at least elements of one
- How a well-organized executive newsroom can become a platform for thought leadership and can help support business development
- How to develop and leverage content that showcases the value of your firm’s story to clients, prospective clients and the general public
Christine Dunn is an award-winning media strategist who has received international recognition for her ability to create sophisticated, multi-faceted leadership campaigns for clients. As Founder of ArcPoint Strategic Communications, Christine honed her media strategy skills at Bloomberg News, where she worked for more than a decade and held numerous leadership positions including Bureau Chief of Boston, Bloomberg's second-largest market in North America after New York.
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) Update
LMA Future Leaders SIG WEBINAR: Building Relationships and Credibility with Your Attorneys: What Do Attorneys Expect from Us Anyway
For the first time, the Future Leaders SIGs from the LMA Capital Chapter, New England Chapter, and New York Chapter have joined together for a collaborative program for their memberships. All LMA members are welcome to join our Future Leaders for the engaging webinar on December 3rd from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Jason Weinstein and Jennifer Quinn-Barabanov, partners at Steptoe & Johnson, will discuss the key things marketers can do to enhance their relationship with their attorneys and what expectations attorneys really have for marketers in their firms. To register, please contact Katie Reagan at kreagan@jonesday.com.
A special thanks to our sponsor BeaconLive for handling the webinar.
LMA New England Future Leaders on LinkedIn: Be sure to join our group to be a part of discussion groups, learn about upcoming events and view relevant articles about professional development.
Small Firm SIG
Thank you to everyone who attended the recent Small Firm SIG meeting on November 18th. SIG members participated in a roundtable discussion, sharing highlights from the LMANE Regional Conference and discussing themes that resonated with other small firm marketers.
Save the date for the next Small Firm SIG meeting on January 14th from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Guest speaker Stewart Hirsch (Strategic Relationships LLC) will lead a discussion on "How to be a Trusted Advisor." Additional details coming soon.
A Banner Year for the LMA Regional Conference
Life and legal marketing can be hectic, which is why over 160 attendees of the LMA New England Annual Conference hosted at the Revere Hotel in Boston on November 13-14th related to the 2014 theme: Simplify to Maximize.
Thursday evening’s program began the conference with “Client Feedback: Interview Best Practices.” Wicker Park Group’s Laura Meherg and Tara Weintritt and Audax Group’s Daniel Weintraub deconstructed a live client interview, which allowed them to demonstrate real-time tips on best practices from initial planning to interviewing and follow-up procedures.
The full-day conference on Friday kicked off with a keynote presentation entitled, “Legal Marketing – New Capabilities for a New Era,” presented by Eric Lesser, Research Director at IBM Institute for Business Value. Eric focused on the importance of taking a quantitative, analytical approach to legal marketing, noting that successful Chief Marketing Officers must be what he deemed as “digital pacesetters.”
Breakout sessions included topics ranging from rebranding to data analytics, technology, social media and client satisfaction – with each session emphasizing at least one of three main concepts that promote simplifying to maximize:
- Developing relationships and maintaining happy clients, including both attorneys and firm clients.
- Utilizing technology, market trends and social media to further business.
- Improving current tactics and gaining new skills to help promote attainable change.
Were you unable to attend this year’s conference, or are you curious what you may have missed from other breakout sessions? Search #LMANE14 for insights and takeaways from attendees. We took to Twitter to summarize some top takeaways.
Top 10 #LMANE14 Tweets – Committee Picks:
- @katienscoe: Your brand lives in the stories your clients tell other people #LMANE14
- @JoThorud: Do you know what value add means to your client? Ask them. #LMANE14
- @DebScaringi: Convert clients to colleagues.#LMANE14
- @RachelMMaggs: Good reminder: Simple things like relevant subject heads & document formatting can make all the difference to your clients. #LMANE14 #LMAMkt
- @DavidAckert: Do you look for ways to help your clients off the clock? Generosity breeds loyalty. @WickerParkGroup #LMANE14 @LMA_NE
- @Jeannette_M_R: @Leahschloss first step in change is create urgency. Celebrate when change is implemented #LMANE14
- @CleanSleight: Immediate needs can be approached proactively with the right tools in place. Reactive can be avoided with the right foresight. #LMANE14
- @ddiforio: As a marketer you can never be too familiar with your data.#LMANE14 #lmamkt
- @parisgetssocial: Big data is the new black "let it be known, there is no algorithm for awesome" @CathMacDonagh indeed awesome lady indeed #LMANE14
- @LMA_NE: During interview do not speak to the audience, instead speak about the audience. Tailor msg to fit the audience's perspective. #LMANE14
Future Leaders Fellowship Program: Call for Nominations!
The LMA New England Chapter Board is pleased to once again offer a Future Leaders Fellowship Program to recruit up-and-coming New England Chapter leaders.
We are seeking nominees who exhibit a passion to pursue a career in or related to law firm marketing, and who are eager to engage with peers in our community. The benefit is one year of free membership to LMA International and the New England Chapter as well as the opportunity to bring valuable insight, ideas and information back to your firm, hone leadership skills and forge relationships that will provide ongoing enrichment throughout your career.
Candidates should be employed in a New England office of a law firm or service provider, and have less than ten years of professional experience. Click here to download full details and nomination instructions, and be sure to pass along this information to all of your colleagues!
Nominations are due by Monday, December 1st. Please contact Shelley Swanson, 2015 New England Chapter President, with questions or to request more information about the program.
Sponsor Spotlight
A special thank you to our Regional Conference Gold Sponsor Integreon. We hope you had a chance to say hello to Monica Gallagher, Tom Amann and Josh Hagelstrom at the 2014 LMANE Regional Conference.
For more than a decade INTEGREON has enabled understaffed law firm marketers to achieve more with less by providing process-driven tasks like CRM data entry, graphic design, on-demand edits to pitch books, other collateral and social media, and proofing web pages. We INTEGrate with our clients so closely and seamlessly, our engagements feel INTErnal. Team up with INTEGREON and, at your desired pace, transform your fixed costs to variable, adding much better value along the way. Reach us at 347-880-6344.
Partner with the Chapter Today - Annual Sponsorships Available!
LMANE is excited to offer new annual sponsorship packages that provide significant value for our supporters and more opportunities to be featured at our networking and educational events. The various packages offer different levels of participation and ways to reach the chapter's members. Annual sponsors will also have the potential to receive price breaks with future partnership opportunities, including the regional conference. If you are interested in exploring how your company can work more closely with our chapter, please contact Shelley Swanson today or check out the different packages on the chapter website.
A Special Thank You to Deb Scaringi!
LMA New England has been fortunate to have Deb Scaringi of Scaringi Marketing serve as our Programming Chair since 2011. In this role, Deb has consistently identified and secured numerous high-profile speakers—both on a local and national level. With the help of her fellow committee members, Deb has always made sure that each speaker is fully prepared and each luncheon is flawlessly executed. Her positive attitude and tireless efforts have ensured that our lunches are insightful and enjoyable for all attendees—and, for that, we could not be more grateful.
As of January 1st, Katie Rutter of Katie Rutter Consulting and LMANE President Elect (2016) will be our new Programming Chair. Please feel free to email Katie at katie@krutterconsulting.com with topic or speaker suggestions.
Learn More About Jack Rossin and Jessica Lister from the Latest Member Spotlights
In this issue’s Member Spotlights, we feature Jack Rossin, a long-time member from Sunstein Kann, and Jessica Lister, our former leader of the Hartford City Group. Be sure to find out who got a better-than-Harvard education working in a pawn shop.
Your Honor Awards Is On the Horizon
Each year, members and supporters of the chapter gather at the Your Honor Awards (YHA) to celebrate the work that our peers contributed to the legal industry during the previous year. It's a great opportunity for in-house marketers and their third-party partners to showcase the projects they are most proud of, and gives the attendees a unique opportunity to see the marketing initiatives that are considered industry bests. Information is coming soon about a March date and submission deadline for the 2014 YHA. Stay tuned!
A Warm Welcome to Our Newest LMA New England Members
Please extend a warm welcome to the members who have joined or re-joined LMA New England Chapter this fall. Thanks to your support, our chapter has a record number of members in 2014!
- Elizabeth Cummings, Business Development Manager, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C.
- Janice DiMare, Marketing Assistant, Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton
- James Durham, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer, Littler Mendelson P.C
- Carol Faiola, Marketing Coordinator, Morse Barnes-Brown & Pendeleton
- Ashley Gibbs, Marketing Operations Project Manager, Dechert LLP
- Allison Glenn, Business Development Coordinator, Goulston & Storrs
- Amelia Glynn, Director of Marketing, Peach New Media
- Nick LaPalme, Business Development Specialist, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C.
- Robin Lindstedt, Marketing Manager, Day Pitney LLP
- Anne Olson, VP Business Development, Primary Opinion
- Jay Pabian, Managing Partner, Pabian & Russell, LLC
Remember that if you leave your job, your former firm/company is able to transfer your membership to another individual for a nominal fee while you also maintain your membership through the end of 2014 at no additional cost to you. Rules differ for memberships contracted as a group.
New England Promotions and Moves
Congratulations to members who have recently taken on new positions!
- Linda Pepe joined Burns & Levinson LLP as Director of Marketing and Communications
- Scott Katz joined Thomson CompuMark as Account Manager, Trademarks
- Jahna Barbar joined Sherin and Lodgen LLP as Marketing and Practice Development Manager
- Audra Callanan was promoted to Associate Director of Marketing & Business Development at Foley Hoag
- Mary Connolly joined Goodwin Procter as Director of Business Development
- Kelly Harbour joined Goulston & Storrs as Associate Director of Client Relations
- …and incoming LMANE Vice President, Kate Boucher, welcomed her daughter Victoria "Tory" Ann Boucher in September.
New England Chapter Remembers Robin Muir-Zarro
Robin Muir-Zarro, a long-time member of Boston’s legal marketing community, passed away on November 5th after a courageous three-year battle with an Anaplastic Astrocytoma brain tumor. Robin graduated from Boston University and is originally from Philadelphia. She began her legal marketing career at Goodwin Procter in 1997, and then went on to Foley Hoag in 2011, where she was the firm’s Marketing Technology Manager.
“Robin's presence is felt throughout Foley Hoag on a daily basis,” Director of Marketing & Business Development Jasmine Trillos-Decarie said. “Robin was the project manager for the re-design of our external website – something she and the team accomplished after her first tumor battle. The site would ultimately be awarded a Third Place prize for Best Website by LMA-International. This was a huge accomplishment for Robin, something that will certainly be her legacy here."
Robin consistently kept up on the latest technological advances for just about every electronic medium. Her keen interest in this area was surpassed only by her love of writing. Robin’s vivid imagination enabled her to write fantasy and science fiction stories that transported readers through time portals and into remote dimensions of the universe.
To honor and celebrate Robin, many of her co-workers and former colleagues recently participated in the 2014 Boston Brain Tumor Walk – a 5K trek that raises money and awareness for the National Brain Tumor Society. The team, called "Robin's Wings," raised a total of $20,880. They plan to make their participation in the walk an annual event.
Robin leaves her husband Joe Zarro, parents and extended family.
Looking for New Professional Opportunities – Explore the Latest Job Bank Highlights
Many new job postings have been added over the past couple of months! Visit the job bank to see all current openings.
Make a Difference - Volunteer Today!
If you are interested in getting more involved with LMA New England, we have plenty of opportunities for volunteers to actively contribute to the chapter on all levels. Contact Shelley Swanson or Jen Jones to discuss how we can get you involved today!
Please send any contributions for the LMA New England Chapter newsletter to Jen Jones at ALM Media.
Legal Marketing Association New England Chapter
One International Place, Boston MA 02110
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