Farewell, For Now: I'm Cheering You On!

If serving as Editor of this publication has taught me anything, I've learned the importance of competitive intelligence to inform and compel lawyers to make different, more educated choices on how to approach their business development efforts.

Contrary to their law school education of relying upon precedent and what their local competition may be doing, for a lawyer to become a market leader requires him or her to be forward focused. The next time one of your lawyers pushes back on an innovative idea that you propose, try using that thought to affect at least a pause of different consideration.

Your Role Matters

When I served as CMO for several regional law firms, I often thought that I was invisible in some ways. Numerous lawyers did not understand my role nor the value my team and I could bring to growing the firm's footprint, reputation and, at the end of the day, a sustainable enterprise. And, as a “non-lawyer” (don't you just hate that derogatory term?), I was not part of the “club” and neither part of the “staff.” The C-suite concept had just begun to take hold, so my role as CMO was sometimes a lonely one.

The lesson I learned, in the rear view mirror, is that I helped make a difference in people's lives without implicitly knowing it. I encouraged women lawyers as they struggled with workplaces that were — and some are still not — accepting of working mothers. I coached lawyers struggling deeply with self-confidence issues. In these seemingly benign ways, what we “do” extends beyond our professional expertise and likely makes a lasting impact on the lives of others.

Your Career Transcends Your Job

While firm loyalty was, at one time, rewarded and revered, we have seen a significant shift (not in a good way) with so many technological advancements and in how law firm leaders struggle to sustain a prosperous firm. Studies inform us that many women, especially, view job security through the lens of doing an exemplary job. It is not, at all. At the end of the day, law firm leaders are fixated on profits. Human capital can be fungible.

As is often the case in law firm life, advancing professionally often means transitioning out and up. Be your own advocate and do not wait to be “discovered” by law firm leadership or one of your partner allies. Leverage all your business development and marketing expertise for your own professional journey.

What's Next?

It's an exciting time for legal marketers. Substantive areas such as public relations have revolutionized, the Internet of Things (IoT) has changed everything about how law firms build success. For a handful of the AmLaw 100 and 200 firms, they are riding a prosperity wave, thanks to visionary leadership who actually understand and value the discipline expertise of legal marketing professionals. Yet, research shows that the legal services demand is shrinking in certain legal practices. So we must be evermore strategic in our business development and service delivery models.

For those who keep looking forward, there is opportunity. If your firm is not forward thinking, you can likely resign your position and land a new one tomorrow. A year-end report published by ALM showed that many national firms are investing more in business development and desperately need your seasoned skills to lead them forward. Negotiate yourself into a progressive leadership role that will satisfy your professional calling. What's next is always what's next: change.

It has been one of my greatest professional pleasures to lead this publication for nearly a decade, to work with a formidable editorial board and many phenomenal contributors. As I pass the baton along, please know that you, our esteemed readers, have always been my paramount focus, to provide you with valuable thought leadership to make your jobs easier and more fulfilling. With that, I wish for you the greatest professional rewards that you can imagine, and beyond. I'm cheering you on!

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Kimberly Rice, Editor-in-Chief of this newsletter, works with forward-thinking law firms and legal professionals to help them realize their goals, of greater revenue generation and a more fulfilling career. She may be reached at [email protected] or via LinkedIn.