Hello, 2023! It’s the beginning of a new year and it’s a time when one is expected to offer words of hope, inspiration, aspiration. Yet all I feel is perspiration. Don’t get me wrong. It is the honor of my CAREER to be tapped on the shoulder to serve you all as LMA’s international president, but I’d be lying if I didn’t fess up to a healthy amount of anxiety and imposter syndrome. Cue anyone in the bleacher seats to start whispering: “HE’s the president? Oh boy.”

BUT I should add that from my theater life, nerves on opening night are REQUIRED to give it your all on stage. It’s when I’m NOT nervous that I get, well, really nervous. And you should too! Nerves show we care, want to honor our commitment, and hope to not let anyone down. And that is assuredly what I’m feeling as I look ahead at the next 12 months. (That and the worry that there will be 4.5 existential crises to navigate – tempests in a teapot that will likely be forgotten before they even begin!)

You know what else I’m feeling, though? Gratitude. Gratitude for all of you – you incredible thought leaders, doers, culture changers, a**-kickers (can I type that?) for all you do for this industry and for our community. LMA is something special, something to treasure and something to evolve. It’s a community that has enriched our careers and our lives with advice and friendship, challenges and knowledge.

And we have robust goals for 2023 to continue our growth trajectory as THE authority for legal marketing. What are those goals you might be asking? Well, let me tell you!

• Membership: Advance LMA value proposition through strategic engagement channels to strengthen inclusive member and volunteer retention and engagement, grow member recruitment and attain pre-pandemic membership levels. Focus on exceptional member value delivery and overall experience to reach 4,500 members in 2023.
• Advocacy: Explore public policy initiatives to support and expand existing LMA advocacy channels to further position the association as “the” authority and voice for legal marketing.
• Finances: Develop and deploy one- three- and five-year financial modeling to help inform future investments and expenditures that align with long-term strategic goals.
• Education: Review and effectuate educational analysis on the desired future state of LMA educational offerings across LMA.
• Regions: Assess and streamline operational practices with Regions and Local Steering Committees (LSCs) to determine and strengthen efficiencies and achieve greater alignment with LMA Headquarters (HQ) to the benefit of LMA membership.

Our committee co-chairs, Shared Interest Group (SIG) co-chairs and regional boards are all hard at work on their respective goals in support of these opportunities, and we will be sharing more of that info in upcoming communications. I do want to take this moment to express my appreciation for that incredible group of leaders as well as our HQ team and the International Board. They put in long hours to keep LMA moving forward, and without them, none of this would be possible. So please take a moment and thank a volunteer or HQ team member today for all they are doing!

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t put in a plug for our 2023 Annual Conference in Hollywood, Florida, in April. Register now and watch for more info, including an announcement about our fab keynote speaker, but I’m so grateful to our co-chairs Lee Watts, Jen Dezso and Megan McKeon, our HQ team, our incredible Annual Conference Advisory Committee (ACAC) and Pre-Conference Chairs for all of the heart and energy and hard work they are putting into this. The 2023 conference theme is AMPLIFY – amplify you, your career, your voice, your impact. This is a vibrant community, rich in creativity and innovation, and this event promises to be an incredible platform for you all. Our hope is that this content becomes instrumental for you in achieving your career and industry aspirations – so take a look at the incredible, impactful agenda and start marking those sessions that get you jazzed to attend! 

One final note – a few months back I was procrastinating on household chores (apologies to my hubby), and I put this playlist together – “#LMA23 – AmpliMix.” 🎵Music was omnipresent in my home growing up (show tunes, jazz, pop, La Streisand…ALL of it) and listening, singing, dancing and carpool karaoke have always been my core therapy. So this playlist is a collection of songs that motivate me, lift me up and get me moving. (It’s on iTunes because I’m a dinosaur, but HQ’s wonderful Jennifer Weigand also ported to Spotify here.) I hope you enjoy some or all of it and possibly discover (and like) a song or artist that may be new to you.

View playlist

open.spotify.com

Here's to 2023. Excuse me while I dance my jitters away in my living room.

Love you all!

Roy

President, 2023 LMA International Board of Directors

Roy E. Sexton
Director of Marketing
Clark Hill