I mentioned in my last post about civility that I have worked with lawyers nearly three decades. I’ve worked with a lot of brilliant, thought-leading and profession-defining lawyers. It’s a pleasure to have called them clients and friends. Not all of these remarkable attorneys could be called rainmakers. Some are, […]
Most days, I mourn the loss of civility.
I know you’ve seen it and have felt its sting. Rudeness by travelers, drivers, shoppers, waiters and others in the service business. It’s one of the most troubling, yet widely accepted conditions of our times, and unless there is a Peter Finch-style “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to […]
It’s time to make business personal.
In our world of computer-generated auto-replies ("I'm on vacation" or "I went to the dentist" or "Thank you for your question. In a week and a half, someone will surely get back with you" or "I can't help you, call Susie Drum, and if she's not available, leave her a […]
Managing Partners Appreciate Strategic Role of Marketing Department – By Janet Ellen Raasch, guest blogger
The Rocky Mountain Chapter of LMA has always had robust programming, but one of the best things they do is have a local chapter member, Janet Ellen Raasch, write synopses of the programs (Janet’s byline and contact info are below). I thought this one was especially well done, and it’s a […]
Live Above the Line: Ten Things to Guarantee Years of Promotions
Mark Usellis, the CMO of Davis Wright Tremaine, as issue editor of the October 2010 Strategies: The Journal of Legal Marketing (published by the International Legal Marketing Association – LMA), compiled several articles that he packaged as "Lessons from our Mentors." I wrote the following article that was published in […]
Millennials believe receiving phone calls strips them of control – text instead!
In a client meeting in Houston yesterday, the law firm’s Director of Professional Development shared a recent Washington Post article called, “Texting Generation Doesn’t Share Boomers’ Taste for Talk.” The most interesting discussion ensued among the largely over-40 meeting attendees. Take time to read this article – and note how […]
Do you know what you don’t know? – (A post about KM.)
Law firms have been knowledge management organizations ever since handfuls of lawyers started practicing together under the auspices of a “firm.” They just didn’t know it. Steve Denning is the author of numerous top-selling business books about leadership, and his client list reads like the Fortune 500 issue of Fortune magazine. […]
Getting a rash from the rash of law firm RFPs
During round table discussions in 2009 entitled, “Best Practices in Business Development and Proposals,” we asked invitees (law firm marketing and BD professionals mostly) about the uptick in the receipt of RFPs and RFIs from clients and prospects. The overwhelming response was that the number had tripled or quadrupled. On […]
Marketing ROI, Measurement and Metrics – LMA Dallas City Chapter Survey Results
I moderated a panel yesterday at the LMA Dallas City Chapter (subgroup of the LMA Southeastern Chapter) luncheon on ROI. Panelists included: Allen Fuqua, CMO, Winstead PC Bill Livesay, Executive Director, Andrews Kurth LLP Tim Powers, Partner and Business Development Chair, Haynes and Boone LLP To anchor our remarks in […]
Law Firm CMOs Part 2: LSSO listserve discussion about their future
In my last post, I brought in comments from leading legal marketing consultants from the LSSO listserve discussion called, “Where have all the CMOs gone?” In Bill Flannery’s LSSO listserve post dated February 20, 2010, he said that he has recently interviewed more than 100 law firms in North America and overseas, […]
Law Firm CMOs – LSSO listserve discussion about their future
“Where have all the CMOs gone?” is the subject line of an LSSO listserve discussion late last week. Some of the legal marketing/sales industry’s top consultants (Silvia Coulter and Bill Flannery, to name two) weighed in on this hot button topic. Silvia, a consultant with Hildebrandt Baker Robbins, noting that […]
The “How to Get Things Right” Lawyer Checklist
(Guest post by Keith Wewe) While passing time during the Olympic commercials, I wandered upon a book review (http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_08/b4167079069773.htm) in Business Week of “The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right” by Atul Gawande. It’s the byline that caught my eye – “How tragic errors can be sharply reduced with […]
How to discuss innovation and strategy with lawyers
Nathan Darling, the Director of Client Development and Marketing for Van Ness Feldman in Washington, DC, and the 2010 President of LMA International, has the following suggestions for marketers who want to “brainstorm” ideas with their firm lawyers. 1. Frame such sessions as “strategy sessions” rather than “brainstorming.” In my […]