The Passle Podcast - CMO Series

Episode 113 - Will Brewster of Clyde & Co on The Journey Of A Law Firm Merger Through a Communications Lens

The pivotal role of marketing and communications in successfully launching the news of a law firm merger cannot be underestimated. Striking the right balance between client-centric narratives, internal messaging, brand management, and PR is a fine art.

Today on the CMO Series, Will Eke is excited to welcome Will Brewster, Head of Communications at Clyde & Co, who has first-hand experience of doing just that. Will joins the CMO Series Podcast to delve into the different stages of Clyde & Co’s merger with BLM from a communications perspective, and discuss the challenges, opportunities, and learning for others endeavouring to do the same. 

The conversation explores: 

• The point Will was brought into the merger with BLM and the first stage of the process from a communications perspective
• The main challenges during the initial phase 
• The key factors for success ahead of launching the communications campaign and how they played out in practice
• How to keep the clients at the heart of the campaign
• The impact of the merger on the team
• Advice for any marketing and communications leaders navigating a merger

Episode 112 - Ashley Horne of Womble Bond Dickinson on Taking a Campaign Approach to Legal Content Marketing

Creating engaging content is one thing, but producing a stand-out campaign that delivers added value to your clients is the key to legal marketing success. 

Today’s guest joins the CMO Series to discuss her unique process and the success stories and learning she has taken from taking a campaign approach to content marketing. Ed Lovatt is lucky to welcome Ashley Horne, Chief Marketing Officer at Womble Bond Dickinson (US) to the CMO Series to discuss this very topic.

​Ashley and Ed explore: 

• The traditional approach to content marketing at Womble Bond Dickinson 
• The moment Ashley realized there was an alternative way of doing things and identified a campaign-led approach to content marketing
• Why an Editorial Board, that brings attorneys together, has been pivotal to this approach
• The headline campaigns Ashley is working on and what they look like at a tactical level
• How the firm's traditional business development activities align with those banner campaigns
• The highlights of taking a campaign approach to content marketing and how to measure success
• Advice for marketing leaders looking to take a campaign approach to their content marketing

Establishing Meaningful Connections: A Sneak Peek at LMA MidWest ‘23

Building relationships and establishing meaningful connections, both with clients and attorneys, is a fundamental facet of a legal marketing and business development role.

That’s the theme of the LMA’s MidWest Conference happening in October, and today, Ed Lovatt is very lucky to welcome the keynote speaker, to give us a glimpse of what to expect from the event, plus his industry experience on the topic.

Rich Bracken, former legal BD and client service Director turned motivational speaker and high-performance coach, joins us to discuss the power of personal branding, emotional intelligence, and empathy in legal marketing and BD, as well as a sneak preview of his upcoming keynote, Become Unstoppable!

Rich and Ed explore:

• Rich's career journey from legal marketing and BD to his current role as a speaker and coach
• The point at which Rich realized the important role empathy and emotional intelligence play in legal business development
• What legal marketing and BD professionals can do to better engage with their attorneys
• How marketing and BD professionals can apply EQ and mindfulness approaches to enhance their work lives and become more productive and efficient
• The opportunity for firms to encourage these behaviors
• Advice for legal marketing and BD folks looking to engage their lawyers more empathetically

Episode 110 - Delivering successful research projects: What legal marketers need to know

In this episode of the CMO Series Podcast, we dive into what it takes to deliver a successful research project; sharing top tips for professional services marketers. 

Simon Hayhurst, Director of Hayhurst Consultancy, a B2B market research consultancy, joins the series to share his invaluable insights on how legal marketing and business development professionals can get their research projects off the ground, as well as how to avoid the common pitfalls and drive strategic decisions. 

Simon and Charlie explore:

• The first step to successfully getting a research project off the ground
• The most common pitfall marketers make when designing a questionnaire and writing the survey questions
• How marketers should approach profiling and identifying the right people to survey to  give them the information they need
• The importance of having a hypothesis about the audience you intend to survey
• The key considerations marketers should be thinking about when it comes to analyzing the findings of a survey
• How marketers should approach presenting their research findings externally
• Top tips for professional service marketers undertaking a research project

Episode 109 - Alison Janzen of Torkin Manes on Building an Integrated Approach to Content Marketing

Gone are the days when a website is merely a law firm’s online storefront. Clients now anticipate a higher level of engagement. They seek tailored content, consistently delivered, addressing pertinent topics relevant to their businesses.

In the latest episode of the CMO Series Podcast, Eugene McCormick is delighted to host Alison Janzen, Director of Marketing & Business Development at Torkin Manes. Alison delves into the firm’s integrated approach to marketing and discusses how switching to a content-forward strategy has helped differentiate their lawyers in the market. 

Alison and Eugene explore: 

• The moment Alison realized the importance of content marketing and why taking a content-forward approach would be pivotal to her work at Torkin Manes
• How the landscape has changed for legal marketers with the evolution of content marketing and the changing client expectations
• How a content-first approach aligns with your other marketing activities at the firm 
• Success stories from taking an integrated approach
• The challenges of getting the lawyers and different practice groups on board with creating content and taking a content-led approach 
• Advice for other marketing leaders looking to take an integrated approach to their content marketing

Episode 108 - Deborah Ruffins of Perkins Coie on the Lead-to-Work Revenue Mindset

Every CMO in professional services approaches their role from a unique perspective.

On today’s episode of the CMO Series Podcast, we welcome a guest to discuss an area of focus that we’re yet to explore in detail, and that’s how to develop a revenue mindset in legal marketing. 

Alistair Bone is very lucky to welcome Deborah Ruffins, Chief Marketing Officer at Perkins Coie, who joins the podcast to share how a revenue mindset and approach can enable marketers to become central to the growth of their firm.

Deborah and Ali discuss:

• Deborah’s career journey to her current role and why a revenue-generating mindset was central to that journey
• What it means to be revenue focused and why it is something that marketers in law firms need to adopt
• The moments in Deborah’s career that shaped her focus on revenue 
• What being revenue minded means for the team in practice
• The resources and infrastructure essential to this approach
• Advice for others trying to be more revenue focused in their roles

 

Episode 107 - Shade Vaughn of Akin on The Role of Changemaker for Legal CMOs: Driving Actual Change

The last few years have accelerated the need for CMOs to be changemakers. More than ever, CMOs are able to drive much-needed transformation both within the marketing team and across the wider firm.

This week on the CMO series, Alistair Bone is fortunate to be joined by Shade Vaughn, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, to discuss the role of the CMO as a changemaker and what driving change looks like in practice.

Shade and Ali discuss: 

• Shade’s career journey and how he came to his current role at Akin
• The point in that journey that driving transformation became integral 
• The importance of ‘intent’ and Shade’s previous experience in this area
• How that approach translates in Shade’s work at Akin and how that aligns with the marketing efforts at the firm
• The next technology Shade has set his sights on
• The biggest mistakes CMOs make in driving change
• The sub-skills and experience that marketers looking to become CMOs should develop now
• Advice for others looking to be a changemaker across their legal marketing career

Episode 106 - Jennifer Becker of Marshall Dennehey on keeping busy lawyers engaged in business development

Building a book of business is crucial for lawyers, but engaging them in business development can be a challenge. Many lawyers receive little to no exposure to marketing and business development during their education, making it difficult to naturally embrace this vital aspect of their careers.

Today Cam Dobinson is lucky to be joined by Jennifer Becker, Director of Marketing & Business Development at Marshall Dennehey to discuss how to engage busy lawyers in the critical function of business development.

Jennifer and Cam discuss:

• How Jennifer came to her role in legal marketing & business development and the moment she realised the importance of engaging lawyers in BD
• The attitude and approach that lawyers have to marketing & business development 
• How to successfully approach engaging lawyers in BD
• How to cater to different personalities and approaches across a large number of lawyers
• Key programs that have engaged lawyers and produced good results
• Advice for marketing and BD leaders looking to engage their lawyers in business development 

 

Episode 105 - Megan Senese of Stage on taking a client-first approach to legal business development

While understanding the client's needs is a fundamental skill in legal business development,  traditional protocols and precedents can inadvertently hinder business growth.

On this episode of the CMO Series podcast, we explore the challenges that professionals face in building successful client relationships with someone well-versed in doing just that both in-house and now as a consultant. 

Ed Lovatt is lucky to sit down with Megan Senese, Co-founder of Stage, to share her journey of transitioning from Big Law to entrepreneurship. Together with her former colleagues, she founded Stage, a marketing and business development company aimed at assisting busy lawyers in expanding their practices.

Megan reflects on the lessons learned from starting a new venture in the legal industry, offering valuable insights and practical tips that in-house business development teams can apply to enhance their strategies and drive growth.

Megan and Ed discuss: 

• Megan’s unique career in professional services from KPMG to legal, and now setting up Stage with her former in-house team
• The importance of a client focus in business development 
• The different approaches to BD Megan discovered after starting her own company
• The key opportunities for BD that law firms could take advantage of, based on her in-house career experiences
• The significance of understanding the clients and how you go about learning that information and delivering value 
• Advice for in-house BD professionals looking to take a more client-focused approach

 

Episode 104 - Andrea Burke of WilmerHale on Charting your Career Progression in Legal Marketing

There’s no clear path to a successful career in legal marketing, but there are emerging trends and development opportunities that professionals can lean into to progress in a legal marketing career.

Someone able to offer guidance for others looking to take a more direct route to a role within the profession is Andrea Burke, Director of Client Development at Am Law 50 global law firm, WilmerHale. 

Ed Lovatt welcomes Andrea to the CMO Series to discuss her career journey and top tips for professionals looking to advance in the industry. 

Andrea and Ed explore: 

• Andrea’s 10-year career at WilmerHale and her journey to her role now
• The key approaches to developing a legal marketing team
• The important considerations in terms of professional development opportunities when it comes to recruiting and retaining team members
• How legal marketing professionals can recognise the right time to make a move
• The key criteria legal marketing candidates should be looking for when assessing a firm
• The questions candidates should be asking a prospective firm that would indicate if they are the right or wrong fit
• How candidates can make themselves more marketable to law firms
• Advice for those Legal Marketing professionals looking at their career paths