The MLF 50: A Spectacular Achievement

Once again, Law Journal Newsletters are on the forefront with the publication, in this month's issue of Marketing the Law Firm, of the Third Annual MLF 50 ' the premier listing of the top law firms in marketing and communications.And that in itself is an achievement. Just a scant decade ago, very few law firms blew their own horns. It was considered 'beneath the profession.' And certainly the early Yellow Pages ads placed by some attorneys did nothing to erase the idea that any lawyer who marketed him/herself was risking the label of 'ambulance chaser.' My, how things have changed!Read about Number One, Proskauer Rose, and you are struck speechless by the sheer professionalism, the enormous effort, and the sheer ingenuity that goes into marketing in today's law firm. The same goes for the others in the Top Five ' and every firm on the list. Today's law firms are plugged into a newera, recognizing that it isn't enough to be staffed with the best legal minds in the country (and abroad) if nobody knows about it! Law firm marketers and business developers are now integral to a firm's success.That is why we are so very proud of Marketing the Law Firm. Under the able stewardship of Elizabeth Anne 'Betiayn' Tursi, we have been in the forefront of law firm marketing every step of the way.It would take another entire and very long Blog to list all of Ms. Tursi's credentials, but here is just a taste: Ms. Tursi is a past associate member of the Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association. As an advocate for women in law, she has devoted her efforts to organizations that support and promote women's initiatives. She is a past member of the Executive Committee of the ABA Law Practice Management Section Women Rainmakers and was a member of the Women Rainmakers Compensation Task Force. In 1997, Ms. Tursi was awarded the ABA Law Practice Management Section 'Golden Hammer Award,' which recognizes individuals in the legal profession who have been instrumental in helping women in law attain their goals and break the glass ceiling. In 1999, she was appointed as the marketing industry liaison to the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession and served in that capacity until 2006. At the time of her appointment she was the first person to serve on the Commission who was not an attorney. Ms. Tursi is the Co-Chair of the Women in Law Empowerment Forum, an organization created by R.R. Donnelley in collaboration with Tursi Law Marketing Management.I could go on and on, but I'll conclude by saying that, like all our Editors-in-Chief, Ms. Tursi is at the height of her profession. Take a look at the November Issue of Marketing the Law Firm and you'll see why.