Passle CMO Series Podcast

Episode 98 - Suzie Williams of McMillan on The Client Experience & Differentiating the Firm’s Brand

It’s often challenging to fully illustrate what differentiates a law firm from others in the market. Being able to articulate the unique value a firm offers is a key element of the role of the CMO.

Today on the CMO Series, Charles Cousins is lucky enough to dive into this topic with Suzie Williams, National Director, Marketing & Business Development at McMillan.

Suzie and Charles discuss:

• Suzie’s journey to her role at McMillan and the specific moment differentiation became a key consideration
• The importance of client listening and feedback
• How to demonstrate the talent and experience within your firm in an authentic way 
• The role of the marketing team in building diverse teams
• Advice for others trying to build a point of difference for their firm

Episode 97 - Jennifer O’Donnell of Segal McCambridge on Walking in the Shoes of a New Legal CMO

The first few days, weeks and months as a legal CMO are critical in establishing yourself in the business, assessing what is needed in the firm and building an understanding of the landscape at the firm.

Today, Alistair Bone welcomes Jennifer O'Donnell, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer at Segal McCambridge, to the series to discuss her first steps as legal CMO and her advice for aspiring marketers new to their roles.

Jennifer and Ali discuss: 

• Jennifer’s career journey leading up to joining Segal McCambridge as CMO
• The plan for the first day, week, month, quarter as a CMO in a new firm with a new team and how to prioritise activities
• The biggest successes of the first few months as a CMO
• The challenges faced when joining a new firm in the early months
• The resources, people or communities that have helped along the way 
• The previous experiences from former roles Jennifer has leaned on the most as a CMO
• Advice for others taking on new and challenging legal marketing roles

Episode 96 - Mariana Loose of Alston and Bird on The Intersection and Positioning of Marketing and Business Development within a Law Firm

Although often considered synonymous with one another, the Marketing and Business Development functions occupy quite different spaces within a law firm. No matter how those functions operate within the firm, there is always a need to ensure they are aligned to successfully meet the objectives of the firm.

On today’s episode of the CMO Series Podcast, Charles Cousins is lucky enough to dive into this topic with Mariana Loose, Chief Marketing Officer at Alston and Bird.

Mariana and Charles discuss:

• Mariana’s journey to CMO at Alston and Bird, and the point on that journey she realised how important Marketing and BD alignment was
• The consequences of a misaligned marketing and BD structure
• How marketing and BD should work together and the roles they both play
• How Alston and Bird are aligning these two key functions
• The importance of diagnosis and applying the right resource to benefit the firm
• How to define what "good" looks like for both the functions within the firm
• Advice for other legal marketing professionals on their career journey 

 

Episode 95 - Angela Pandolfo Roy of Gibbons Law on Content Management: The Linchpin of Legal Marketing & BD

Being able to demonstrate the knowledge of your firm is at the heart of professional services marketing. 

On this episode of the CMO Series Podcast, Ed Lovatt is lucky to explore this topic with Angela Pandolfo Roy, Chief Marketing Officer at Gibbons Law. Together, they delve into Angela's background, how her firm approaches content management, and what firms should consider when it comes to the role of content in their marketing efforts.

Angela and Ed cover: 

• How Angela came to her role at Gibbons and the point in her career journey she realised how key content management is in legal marketing
• What content management means and why it is "the linchpin" of legal marketing
• How the Gibbons Law team approach content management and what those processes look like in practice
• How to keep tabs on the competition through content
• How Angela’s background in journalism has helped her in her legal marketing career
• Advice for legal marketers looking to succeed with content

 

Episode 94 - Katie Munroe of Zuckerman Spaeder on Creating a Culture of Client Service Straight out of the Gate

By shifting the business development mindset from asking for work to offering assistance with problem-solving, you will not only deepen relationships but improve your likelihood of generating new business.  

Whether a new entrant to the associate ranks or a recent lateral hire, all lawyers have an opportunity to make a positive impact on their firm’s bottom line with this approach. On today’s episode of the CMO Series, Ed Lovatt welcomes Katie Munroe, Chief Marketing Officer at Zuckerman Spaeder, to discuss their method for cultivating a service-oriented mindset and why Zuckerman Spaeder is investing in a BD training program to shape the next generation of lawyers.

Ed and Katie discuss:

• How Zuckerman Spaeder brought in new work historically and how that has shifted in the last few years
• The importance of investing in developing new firm attorneys – whether junior lawyers or lateral hires
• The new business development curriculum for lawyers Katie is developing and how it supports good client service
• The generational differences between junior associates fresh out of law school to those who’ve been in the role for a number of years and how to tailor business development training to meet their expectations and leverage their strengths
• The importance of networking opportunities for attorneys early in their career and how distinct that approach is at Zuckerman
• The ideal mix when it comes to a more traditional, in-person approach to BD in a digital-first world
• Advice for marketing and BD leaders looking to develop the next generation of lawyers in their firm

CMO Series REPRESENTS - Diana Lauritson of Hogan Lovells on Colour, culture and leadership: Raising the next generation of marketing leaders

Despite the rise of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion programs, there is still a huge disparity in the representation of people of colour in professional services marketing. This under-representation is most apparent in leadership roles, highlighting that there’s still a way to go. 

That’s why on this episode of CMO Series REPRESENTS we’re so lucky to welcome a leading role model who is paving the way in professional services marketing by highlighting issues related to colour, culture and leadership in law firms.

Yasmin Zand has the pleasure of sitting down with Diana Lauritson, Senior Marketing and Business Development Manager at Hogan Lovells, to share her lived experiences, the role race has played in her career, and how to raise the next generation of marketing leaders.

Diana and Yasmin discuss: 

• How Diana came to her career in legal marketing and her current role at Hogan Lovells
• How being a woman of colour impacted the way Diana moved forward as a Legal Marketer
• The pressures related to being one of the few women of colour in senior marketing roles in law firms
• Programs that supported Diana and recommendations for the next generation of women of colour in legal marketing to find support
• Advice for up-and-comers in the industry

Episode 93 - Maura Brandt of Crowell & Moring on Fostering a Positive and Successful Culture in Legal Marketing

Each and every law firm has a unique culture, and a different way of working together and moving forward. Every day here at Passle we see the impact that the firm's culture has on the success of the marketing and BD approach.

On this episode of the CMO Series, Alistair Bone has the pleasure of speaking with Maura Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer at Crowell & Moring to get her insights on how to foster a positive and successful culture in legal marketing.

Ali and Maura explore: 

• Maura’s career highlights and how she came to her current role at Crowell and when she first noticed how important culture was to the success of a firm
• What makes a good culture in a law firm and more specifically in a legal marketing team
• Crowell’s recent brand refresh and how culture played a part of the process
• The specific elements that contribute strongly to the culture at Crowell
• What a positive, successful culture means for someone in a marketing or BD position in a law firm
• The role of the CMO in fostering and encouraging a positive culture within the firm
• Advice for legal marketers looking to make a positive impact on the culture at their firm

Episode 92 - Adam Severson of Baker Donelson on Navigating Lateral Growth, Mergers and the Role of Marketing

Mergers can provide huge growth opportunities for ambitious law firms. Navigating a merger can also present challenges, but marketing and BD teams are well-positioned to help guide and influence a firm’s strategic direction and identify new or emerging markets.

Someone well-versed in successfully navigating mergers and lateral integrations is Adam Severson, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Baker Donelson. Ed Lovatt has the pleasure of welcoming Adam to the CMO Series to share his insights on taking advantage of market opportunities and the key factors that influence the success of a merger.

Ed and Adam discuss: 

• Adam’s background and career journey to his role now at Baker Donelson
• The point at which Adam recognised the huge potential of law firm mergers in providing business development opportunities
• The current landscape for firms when it comes to merger activity
• The role of  marketing and BD in influencing strategic growth and take advantage of new or emerging markets and what those activities look like on a practical level
• The key success factors that indicate if a merger will be successful or not
• Advice for marketing BD professionals looking to successfully influence mergers and capitalise on growth opportunities

Episode 91 - Beyond Borders: An alternative approach to legal BD with David Kaufman of Nixon Peabody

Steeped in tradition, many successful law firms have been built on a name and an individual’s connections. In a global market, extending those networks at scale, whilst retaining a personal approach, can be key to the success of a modern-day firm.

On this episode of the CMO Series podcast, Eugene McCormick is lucky to be joined by David Kaufman, Director of Global Strategies at Nixon Peabody, who, although may appear unconventional, successfully crosses borders and time zones to build relationships and win business.

David joins the series to discuss his alternative approach and why embracing globalisation has benefited his career.

Eugene and David explore: 

• David’s career journey to his role at Nixon Peabody
• Developing a unique approach to business development and when David recognised the opportunities that globalisation presented to law firms
• The critical success factors of doing business internationally and how to nurture connections regardless of geography
• How marketing and BD professionals can replicate this career path or take the next step
• The importance of personal branding and authenticity in this role 
• Advice for professionals looking to take a more alternative approach to business development

Episode 90 - Christy Walsh of Drew Eckl & Farnham on the move from CMO to COO as a legal marketer

We've seen marketers in law firms get used to wearing a number of hats. One legal marketer who has come to wear a rather unique hat is Christy Walsh, Chief Operating Officer at Drew Eckl & Farnham.

Today, Ali Bone welcomes Christy to the CMO Series to discuss the move from CMO to COO as a legal marketer and the challenges and opportunities for professionals looking to take this path.

Ali and Christy explore:

• How Christy came to her role as COO at Drew Eckl and Farnham
• When and why an operations role became something Christy was looking for and how the new position came about
• The skills crossover from marketing to operations
• The challenges during that transition and areas that took some adjustment  
• The day-to-day of a COO and how that differs from marketing
• The secret to wearing many hats and managing a heavy workload
• The potential evolution of the role of the legal CMO to COO
• Advice to others looking to make this transition