I’ve been so excited that the LMA has formed a NJ city group of the NY chapter, and it’s been wonderful to connect in person with other legal marketing colleagues outside of the Annual Conference. Last night, we met up again to re-cap the LMA conference for those in the group that hadn’t been able to attend.  I added my experiences, but was able to learn a lot from Wilentz’s Amy Adams and Corcoran Consulting Group’s Tim Corcoran, who shared about sessions that I had missed. 

One of the sessions that Amy re-capped was taken from the pre-conference SMORS session – Smart Marketing on (Limited) Resources. She focused mostly on the presentation on managing your workload and gave us some valuable tips: 

  • Understand your firm’s culture – this can take time. 
  • Know who the influencers at your firm are – even the discontented ones (especially the discontented ones).
  • Identify where you can delegate your workflow, even outside of the marketing department. 
  • Put in face-time with your clients – email is not always sufficient. 
  • Use the words "pilot program" to launch something new – attorneys are more comfortable if it sounds like the firm won’t be overly invested. 
  • Use checklists and shared calendar reminders to communicate what you’re doing to the partners. 
  • Uncover the true motivation behind why a partner wants to do something to find out where your time is best spent. 

In addition to these tips, Amy shared a handout with us that included the top ten ingredients for success, which really summed up her key points. The handout comes from Emily Krause, the Director of Marketing at Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen and Tom Helm, the Business Development Director at Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers. 

  1. Manage your time well. Look at what you should be doing in house vs. outsourcing. Don’t mistake activity for results.
     
  2. Find your allies in the firm. You should know everyone’s name and they should know yours – from the mail room to accounting to the partners to IT. Have a good working relationship and share information. 
     
  3. Know the business and the clients. Be the go to person for answers.
     
  4. Be over prepared when you present ideas and concepts to attorneys and partners. Have research to back up your ideas and concepts. Where has it worked before. Is there a competitive edge. What was your thought process. What are the expected results.
     
  5. Don’t be an expense. Show deliverables. Use metrics. Track everything you can. Show the ROI.
     
  6. Make it easy – in every interaction with the attorneys. Do any prep work that you can do for them ahead of time. Print directions, bios, make cheat sheets of questions, send reminders. Anticipate their needs and you will gain their trust and respect.
     
  7. Be accountable – own your mistakes, learn for [sic] them, and always present a solution with them. Never make excuses.
     
  8. Deliver top notch customer service all the time – Treat the attorneys or practice groups like your clients.
     
  9. Think strategically – Focus on the big picture. How are things related? What will happen next week, month, year, and present the full plan.
     
  10. Follow the trends. Know what is new and cutting edge, not just in law firms, but also in IT, marketing and resources. 

Do you have any recommendations to add for managing your workflow successfully on limited resources? 

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Photo of Lindsay Griffiths Lindsay Griffiths

Lindsay Griffiths is the International Lawyers Network’s Executive Director. She is a dynamic, influential international executive and marketing thought leader with a passion for relationship development and authoring impactful content. Griffiths is a driven, strategic leader who implements creative initiatives to achieve the…

Lindsay Griffiths is the International Lawyers Network’s Executive Director. She is a dynamic, influential international executive and marketing thought leader with a passion for relationship development and authoring impactful content. Griffiths is a driven, strategic leader who implements creative initiatives to achieve the goals of a global professional services network. She manages all major aspects of the Network, including recruitment, member retention, and providing exceptional client service to an international membership base.

In her role as Executive Director, Griffiths manages a mix of international programs, engages a diverse global community, and develops an international membership base. She leads the development and successful implementation of major organizational initiatives, manages interpersonal relationships, and possesses executive presence with audiences of internal and external stakeholders. Griffiths excels at project management, organization, and planning, writes and speaks with influence and authority, and works independently while demonstrating flexibility in thinking, especially in challenging situations. She also adapts to diverse and dynamic environments with constant assessment and recalibration.

JD Supra Readers Choice Top Author 2019

In 2021, the ILN was honored as Global Law Firm Network of the Year by The Lawyer European Awards, and in 2016, 2017, and 2022, they were shortlisted as Global Law Firm Network of the Year. Since 2011, the Network has been listed as a Chambers & Partners Leading Law Firm Network, recently increasing this ranking to be included in the top two percent of law firm networks globally, as well as adding two regional rankings. She was awarded “Thought Leader of the Year” by the Legal Marketing Association’s New York chapter in 2014 for her substantive contributions to the industry and was included in Clio’s list of “34 People in Legal You Should Follow on Twitter.” She was also chosen for the American Bar Association Journal’s inaugural Web 100‘s Best Law Blogs, where judge Ivy Grey said “This blog is outstanding, thoughtful, and useful.” Ms. Griffiths was chosen as a Top Author by JD Supra in their 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards, for the level of engagement and visibility she attained with readers on the topic of marketing & business development. She has been the author of Zen & the Art of Legal Networking since February 2009.