Blogs

LMANE NYC General Counsel Panel - November 18, 2025

By Dave Olson posted 13 hours ago
On a beautifully sunny and cool NYC November morning, Chicago-based Sidley Austin Chief Marketing Officer Erin Baxendale moderated the LMANE NYC General Counsel panel featuring Avita Delerme, General Counsel at The Channel Company; Melissa Schoffer Farber, VP and General Counsel at BroadwayHD; Cara Ciuffani, former General Counsel at Veho and Equinox; and Jonathan E. Goldin, Chief Legal Officer at Pearl Health. Baxendale opened by asking: "What is one shift inside business or legal impacting how you and your teams are working today?" One panelist shared that CEOs and private equity owners are increasingly asking how legal teams are using AI to manage ...

Leading Boldly: Unlocking Growth Through Guard, Grow & Get

By Merc Smith posted 2 days ago
Thank you to author Linda Moss , Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer, Dykema and 2025 LMA Midwest Conference Planning Committee Member. Session : Lead Boldly: Unlocking Growth, Strategy & Influence Speakers : Melissa Marshall, Chief Marketing Officer, Levenfeld Pearlstein (“LP”) and Deb Knupp, Managing Director, GrowthPlay Presented : LMA Midwest Region Program, October 9, 2025 Redefining Growth in Modern Legal Marketing What does it really mean to “lead boldly”? For Marshall and Knupp, it means replacing traditional notions of marketing as a reactive resource with a disciplined, measurable growth engine. Their joint framework—G3: ...

Rethinking Cross-Selling: Lessons from LMA Midwest 2025 by Mia LaFlore

By Merc Smith posted 7 days ago
Thank you to author Mia LaFlore , Sr. BD/Marketing Manager - Intellectual Property and Technology at DLA Piper and Planning Committee for the 2025 LMA Midwest Conference. Session: Driving Profitability Through Cross-Selling Speakers: Rob Randolph (Yate Collaborative) and David Sheppard (Sidley Austin) Conference: LMA Midwest Regional Conference Date: October 9-10, 2025, Chicago, IL If you've ever sat in a cross-selling meeting where everyone's focused on filling white space on a spreadsheet, you know the drill. We look at our client list, identify what they're not using, and figure out how to push more services their way. Labor ...

Finding Creativity in the Unscripted by Rebecca Wenglinski

By Merc Smith posted 10 days ago
Thank you to author Rebecca Wenglinski , Founder & CEO, Lotus Business Growth Consultants and Chair, LMA Michigan Local Steering Committee for this recap blog of the LMA Midwest Conference session, "Improv Tools to Improve Your Skills and Advance Your Career" from presenter Tom Keller, Director of Business Development at Kerr Russell. At the recent LMA Midwest Conference , attendees explored an unconventional yet transformative approach to professional growth: improv comedy . The session, titled “Improv Tools to Improve Your Skills and Advance Your Career,” was led by Tom Keller , Director of Business Development at Kerr Russell in Detroit. ...

The Research Alternative Legal CMOs Need to Know About by Kathy Grunditz of OneNorth

By Merc Smith posted 08-27-2025
Thank you to OneNorth for supporting the LMA Midwest Region! Legal marketers face a persistent challenge: proving marketing’s impact in a world where key buyers rarely respond to surveys or interviews. When your audience consists of general counsel at Fortune 500 companies or CEOs of global enterprises, access to this kind of market research has long felt out of reach for legal CMOs— it’s too expensive, too slow, and frankly, too complex to justify. When you’re under pressure from partners to validate every dollar spent, it’s easy to deprioritize research in favor of more immediate tactics. But here’s the irony: the very thing that could help ...

Tech That Connects: How the Right CRM Can Supercharge Collaboration and Growth by Chantal Williams of InterAction+

By Merc Smith posted 08-19-2025
Thank you to InterAction+™ for supporting LMA Midwest Region! Legal marketing and business development teams are under constant pressure to deliver results faster, with fewer resources and higher expectations. Collaboration isn't just a nice-to-have, it’s mission-critical. But without the right tools, collaboration becomes a bottleneck instead of a boost. This is where the power of a legal CRM comes into play. High-growth law firms are turning to purpose-built platforms like LexisNexis® InterAction+™ to break down silos and connect teams in meaningful, data-informed ways. InterAction+ goes beyond just contact management, acting as a complete ...

Tips for Managing a Website Project by Vanessa Schaefer of Clockwork Design Group

By Merc Smith posted 08-12-2025
Thank you to Clockwork Design Group for supporting LMA Midwest Region! Are you considering (or in the throes of) a website redesign? Are you feeling overwhelmed by all the work that’s involved? We understand! At Clockwork, we manage multiple website projects concurrently and know that effective project management is a game-changer in ensuring a smooth and successful execution, from website kickoff to launch. Read on for our 7 steps to help you stay on track, on budget, and reach your goals: Step 1: Pre-Planning Build a Business Case for a New Website Document limitations of your current site. Define goals for a new website. Connect the goals ...

Turning Legal Marketing and Business Development Insights into Strategic Impact by Jessica Goldberg of INform54

By Merc Smith posted 07-30-2025
Thank you to INform54 (Powered by Society 54 ) for supporting LMA Midwest Region! For years, legal marketing and business development (MBD) teams have worked to shift the perception that their departments are simply cost centers. While their work has long been viewed as essential, it hasn't consistently been recognized as central to a law firm's long-term success. However, as law firms adapt to an increasingly competitive, data-driven environment, this view is shifting, particularly when MBD teams utilize data not only to track activity but also to drive outcomes. Today's most forward-thinking firms recognize that MBD functions can be growth ...

Clean, Connected, and Actionable: The New Data Standard for Legal Marketing by SigParser

By Merc Smith posted 07-21-2025
Thank you to SigParser for supporting LMA Midwest Region! Legal marketers know the pain of working with messy data. Outdated job titles. Duplicated records. Contacts with missing context. CRMs built for storage, not strategy. So yes— clean data matters . It’s the baseline for any successful marketing strategy. But here’s the thing: the firms winning in 2025 and beyond won’t just be the ones with the cleanest spreadsheets. They’ll be the ones with the most useful data —the kind that’s clean, connected across systems, and actionable in real time. It’s not about more tools. It’s about better systems —ones that reflect how relationships ...

Activate, Automate, Advance: How High-Performing Firms Are Using CRM to Scale Impact by Chantal Williams of InterAction+

By Merc Smith posted 07-16-2025
Thank you to InterAction+™ for supporting LMA Midwest Region! Legal marketing and business development teams are being asked to do more than ever. More lead generation, more visibility into ROI, and more support for firmwide growth initiatives. But when resources are stretched thin, how can teams scale without burning out? High-performing firms have cracked the code: they activate smarter strategies, automate wherever possible, and advance their impact by putting the right tools to work. At the center of this success? Legal-specific CRMs provide law firms with a unified hub to source client data. LexisNexis® InterAction+™ helps firms do ...

Houston, We Have an Engagement Problem: Three Things to Activate Now by Holly Barocio of GrowthPlay

By Merc Smith posted 07-10-2025
Thank you to GrowthPlay for supporting LMA Midwest Region! According to Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace report, global employee engagement declined to 21% in 2024, representing approximately $438 billion in lost revenue due to lost productivity. Additionally, employees have reported a decline in well-being since 2022. Of the twelve engagement elements Gallup tracks, three elements saw the most significant decline: Clarity of expectations . Just 46% of employees clearly know what is expected of them at work. This is down ten points from a high of 56% in March 2020. Feeling cared about at work . Thirty-nine percent ...

Mastering Event Management in the Legal Sector by Nexl

By Merc Smith posted 07-08-2025
Thank you to Nexl for supporting LMA Midwest Region! The Role of Technology in Legal Events Legal event management has evolved. Once relying on Excel spreadsheets, paper tickets, and hours of manual labor, technology has transformed how organizers plan, execute, and evaluate legal events. From online event registration platforms to attendee management solutions, event planning software allows planners to offer memorable and profitable experiences without getting buried in the logistics. These events, ranging from small networking events to large-scale international conferences, provide lawyers with opportunities to network with peers, ...

The Business Case for Human Flourishing at Work: Why Prioritizing People is a Strategic Imperative by Deborah Knupp of GrowthPlay

By Merc Smith posted 06-30-2025
Thank you to GrowthPlay for supporting LMA Midwest Region! In a business landscape defined by rapidly evolving technology, shifting client expectations, and relentless performance pressures, law firms face a critical choice: continue optimizing operations for efficiency alone, or invest in the one asset that truly drives long-term value—people. The law firms that will lead tomorrow aren’t just embracing innovation; they’re cultivating environments where individual lawyers and staff can truly flourish. But it would be foolish to dismiss this as a soft, idealistic notion – it is a business strategy grounded in data and measurable performance. ...

Tips for Law Firm Practice Area & Industry Pages by Vanessa Schaefer of Clockwork Design Group

By Merc Smith posted 06-24-2025
Thank you to Clockwork Design Group for supporting LMA Midwest Region! As we design and build law firm websites, we see similar issues arise, time and again. One of the most time-consuming conundrums is the Practice section, often compounded by an Industry section. Read on for a few tips to organizing your Practice area and Industry content. Practices Versus Industries Some law firm sites have separate sections for Practices and Industries, some mix them together, and some just list Practices. There is no standard or “right” answer. The only typical thing is how complex and convoluted these sections tend to be. Why all the confusion? Usually, the ...

Aligning Business Planning with Training & Technology by Nexl

By Merc Smith posted 06-17-2025
Thank you to Nexl for supporting LMA Midwest Region! Bridging the Execution Gap with Effective Technology: Transforming BD Training into Revenue Growth  Law firm leaders increasingly seek to boost growth through business development (BD) initiatives. Aligning BD efforts with targeted training and advanced technology is pivotal for law firms wanting to increase efficiency, client satisfaction, and overall growth. Integrating these elements fosters a culture of innovation and responsiveness to client needs.   BD plays a crucial role in driving law firm growth. However, business plans aren’t worth much until they’re executed. The plan shouldn’t be ...

From Share of Voice to Share of Model: Evolving Legal Marketing by OneNorth

By Merc Smith posted 06-09-2025
Thank you to OneNorth for supporting LMA Midwest Region! Let’s face it: “disruption” isn’t just a buzzword anymore. It’s practically a colleague. AI is writing briefs, clients are talking to robots before they talk to firms, and your website has exactly 3.2 seconds to make a dazzling first impression before someone scrolls, swipes, or vanishes. Here are some of the highlights worth keeping in mind as you set out your strategy for the next year: From Voice to Visibility Legal marketing has long lived by the gospel of Share of Voice. You measured how often your firm was mentioned, how loudly you amplified your message, and how many pixels ...

12th New York Local Group CMO Forum Recap: Where Innovation, Strategic Marketing and Technology Intersect

By Eric Himsel posted 06-02-2025
12th New York Local Group CMO Forum Recap: Where Innovation, Strategic Marketing and Technology Intersect Against the bustling backdrop of New York City, the Legal Marketing Association’s Northeast Chapter (LMANE)’s New York Local Group hosted its 12th Annual CMO Forum on May 15. LMA New York’s Programming Committee, chaired by Ellen Auwarter , Vice Chair Syndia Torres-Pena , in conjunction with CMO SIG Co-Chairs Despina Kartson , Chief Marketing Officer at BakerHostetler, and Nicole Petrie , former Chief Marketing Officer at Schulte Roth & Zabel CEO & Founder of Petrie Global Advisors, produced the ...

Top 10 Takeaways from the 2025 LMA Annual Conference

By Kristin Olmstead posted 05-28-2025
At the 2025 Legal Marketing Association (LMA) Annual Conference in Washington, DC, friends in legal marketing and business development from all over the country and the world came together to share the latest ideas on coaching attorneys, connecting with clients, using tech, and more. The sessions offered great advice on how law firms can adapt and build stronger, more genuine relationships with their clients. From tapping into client feedback to making communication easier with new tech, the conference was full of practical tips for staying ahead in today’s competitive legal world. Five years ago, I joined Arthur Chapman Kettering Smetak & Pikala with ...

LMASW Member Spotlight | Rachael Schilling

By Brittany Lewis posted 12-11-2024
Name : Rachael Schilling Position: Marketing and Client Services Director at Liskow Family: Husband: Jonathan; Sons: Addison (8), Lawson (5), Harry (1) Hometown: Mobile, Alabama Education : The University of Southern Mississippi (B.A. in Marketing) At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to pursue a career in the legal industry, and why are you passionate about your profession? It wasn’t an immediate realization, but the longer I spent in the legal industry, the more I recognized how much it suited me. The combination of intellectual challenge and opportunities for constant growth is what drew me in. Working alongside incredibly ...

LMA TW x SW 2024 Your Honor Awards Winners

By Brittany Lewis posted 11-18-2024
The LMA Southwest Region proudly congratulates this year’s honorees of the Your Honor Awards hosted jointly by the Southwest and West regions. Presented at the LMA TWxSW Regional Conference in Las Vegas on October 24, 2024, the seventh annual YHA program recognized the creativity, innovation, and hard work of law firms and individuals who have made significant contributions to the legal marketing profession. We are grateful to Chambers for sponsoring the YHA program for the second consecutive year. Congratulations to the 2024 LMA TWxSW Your Honor Awards honorees: Business Development Campaign Award · Winner: Adams and Reese, “AR ...