As we prepare for a festive holiday season and the beginning of an exciting new decade, I want to take a moment to share with you our region’s accomplishments over the past year. This year we were focused on delivering additional programming opportunities to our rising markets, where there is not a local group to meet with regularly; creating programming to meet the specific needs of our newest and youngest members; and connecting our members across the region through mentorship and micro-volunteering programs and opportunities.
This year we developed new programming for our members in the form of a live webinar series that kicks-off this month and our LMANext program launching in January, focused on building the skills and expertise of our members that have been in legal marketing for less than five years and providing them with one-on-one mentorship. We developed a two-day, workshop-driven regional conference in Houston, Texas with phenomenal programming and record-breaking attendance. We hosted more than 75 region members at a happy hour during the LMA Annual Conference, giving our members, who are spread out over seven states, a chance to spend time building lasting relationships. Further, our local groups in Austin, Baton Rouge/New Orleans, Dallas, Denver, Houston and Phoenix delivered more than 60 innovative, value-add programs to LMASW members and friends.
The success and accomplishments of our region are the direct result of the increasing number of members who give their time and talent to our organization. Thank you for lending our organization your time and talents. Thank you for your creativity and grit. Thank you for your leadership, and thank you for your friendship.
As we look toward 2020, the Southwest Region will continue to bring you more programming and opportunities to connect with our incredible network of professionals. I wish you extraordinary success in the coming year, and I can’t wait to see the amazing things you’ll do in 2020.
Cheers!
Morgan Horvitz 2020 Immediate Past President, LMA Southwest Regional Governing Board Business Development Manager, Jackson Lewis, PC
August 15, 2019 – "Marketing the Marketing Department: Tools & Strategies for Positioning Your Marketing Department & You for Success" with Jessica Aries, Executive Director at Peek & Toland
The Austin Local Group met in August for a luncheon program focused on marketing ourselves through performance tracking and developing value statements. Jessica took us through a deep dive workshop on writing compelling value statements based on the data and metrics that matter to our firms. We also discussed strategies for using this information to position ourselves and our marketing departments for success.
Key themes included:
What performance tracking is and why it’s important.
The numbers and metrics every marketer should be tracking, and when to start tracking.
The basics of writing compelling value statements that get you and your department noticed.
How to use value statements in meetings, key conversations, performance reviews, etc.
Developing ongoing habits for consistent performance tracking and value statement development.
September 24, 2019 – LMA Southwest Regional Conference Recap and Happy Hour!
The Austin Local Group members met for an interactive happy hour at Allensworth and Porter to share their key takeaways from this year’s regional conference while enjoying a glass of wine and charcuterie.
October 10, 2019 – “How to Get the Business Development Bang Out of Your Marketing Buck with Tasneem Khokha from GrowthPlay
The Austin Local Group met in October for a luncheon program focused on determining how to utilize our marketing efforts as an investment in business development.
Key themes included:
Evaluate marketing opportunities to determine how they align with business development objectives.
Create a preparation plan, including individual and team objectives.
Execute activities to maximize business development results and measure ROI using simple and practical tips and tactics.
Develop a follow up protocol to cultivate relationships over time in ways that produce business opportunity.
November 12, 2019 – “Demystifying Marketing: How Leveraging the Media and the Web can Build Business" with Clare Chachere, COO at Slack Davis Sanger and Aaron Bramwell, CEO and Founder at Monkee-Boy
The Austin Local Group met in November for a luncheon program where Clare Chachere and Aaron Bramwell guided us through the process of leveraging the press to maximize our firm’s website to help grow business.
Key themes included:
What do I say to a reporter who calls the office? Why would talking to them be beneficial?
How can I use earned media (aka public relations) to get free visibility for my firm and position my attorneys as experts in their field?
Why isn’t my website showing up on Google?
What type of maintenance does a website require to remain effective?
Does the firm need to be on social media?
November 16, 2019 – Austin LMA and the Austin Young Lawyers Association joined forces for a November Community Service Event with the Green Corn Project
Members of the Austin Local Group joined the Austin Young Lawyers Association for a “Dig-In” at Landford Elementary in southeast Austin. The Green Corn Project is an Austin non-profit that educates Central Texans on organic vegetable gardening. They teach volunteers how to install and maintain an organic vegetable garden for individuals or organizations with limited access to good, nutritious food. We helped clean up a couple of overgrown gardens, and then we replanted a garden for the elementary kids.
Upcoming
December 11, 2019 | 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. LMA Austin’s Holiday Happy Hour and White Elephant Gift Exchange at Peche.
LMA Dallas hosted a “Meet the Press” event on August 20th where publishers, editors, and reporters from the Dallas Business Journal and Texas Lawbook shared best practices for utilizing their publications and how to make the most of award nominations, advertising opportunities, and article placements.
For awards and recognition, the DBJ suggested highlighting differentiators in nomination submissions, such as:
How quickly has this person grown their business?
How are they disrupting the industry?
What is their involvement in, and impact on, the local community?
Texas Lawbook noted it welcomes ideas on new trends in the law, interesting developments in business lawsuits, corporate deal updates, and other stories in the legal industry that need to be told. The publication’s content is focused on lawyers representing businesses in litigation, transactional, and regulatory matters throughout Texas.
October – Coffee and Conversation
The Dallas group met for coffee and breakfast to answer questions and chat all things legal marketing.
November – "Selling Value to Sell Premium" with Tasneem Khokha, Managing Director at GrowthPlay
Tasneem Khokha, Managing Director at GrowthPlay, presented “Selling Value to Sell Premium” to LMA Dallas in November. In this program, Tasneem shared techniques to help firms sell value in ways that deepen relationships and help differentiate them from their competitors. Among the techniques shared, lawyers are encouraged to sell rationally and emotionally, and to create opportunities with the four Cs: Concern, Curiosity, Confidence, and Connection. Using stories to connect a client’s experience with your own can be valuable. An effective story should include the following elements: situation (what situation was the client in?), action (what did we help them do?), and impact (what was the result?). Possessing the competence, conviction, and courage to close with confidence is also important for success.
October – "How to Get the Business Development Bang Out of Your Marketing Buck" with Tasneem Khokha, Managing Director at GrowthPlay
Members of the New Orleans/Baton Rouge Local Group gathered during their October luncheon for a presentation by Tasneem Khokha with GrowthPlay titled “How to Get the Business Development Bang Out of Your Marketing Buck.” The group learned tips to create a preparation plan, evaluate opportunities, and execute business development activities that maximize results. The event was hosted by Kean Miller LLP and catered by 12 Seasons Catering.
November – What Marketers Need to Know About Google Analytics
The New Orleans/Baton Rouge Local Group met in November for a luncheon program focused on what marketers need to know about Google Analytics. Matt Preuett of Converge offered practical guidance on using digital analytics with your campaigns, how Google Analytics works, how to set up an account, and the first steps you can take to earn your Google Analytics Individual Qualification.
Key themes included:
Measuring the right data to answer business questions
Reporting on data to make important strategic decisions
Analyzing data to identify trends and set benchmarks
Members from Houston's Local group met for an engaging and enlightening workshop by Jennifer M. Reddien on diversity & inclusion in the workplace titled 'Implicit Bias in the Legal Profession." It was an amazing presentation with a safe space for open and honest dialogue.
LMANext – LMA Southwest Introduces the LMANext Program to Region
Imagine transforming your legal marketing career in one year through one-on-one mentorship and specialized training from experts in the legal marketing industry.
Does it seem too good to be true?
It’s not! The LMA Southwest Region’s LMA Next Program is a first of its kind program focused on building your skills and expertise while giving you one-on-one mentorship from senior leaders in the industry for an attainable price point.
The LMANext Program was designed to provide professional development to newly minted legal marketers (less than 5 years of experience) through a year‐long training and mentorship program. This program will include regularly scheduled trainings six-times per year via videoconference and webinar series (as well as live presentations in select cities in the Southwest Region) and one-on-one mentorship and protégé matching with senior leaders in the legal marketing industry. This inaugural program will feature topics ranging from marketplace trends, relationship building, best practices, professional development and much, much more!
Senior Consultant Holly Barocio and Principal Consultant Briana Leung at GrowthPlay lead this year-long program along with mentors selected from the LMA Southwest Region’s former boards and leadership.
LMA Southwest Region members can participate in this program for $100 and non-members can participate for $150.
If you’re interested in refining your skills, growing your professional acumen, and gaining traction in your firm so you can become the valuable leaders that this industry really needs, thenjoin now. The deadline to join is December 31, 2019!
As we prepare for a festive holiday season and the beginning of an exciting new decade, I want to take a moment to share with you our region’s accomplishments over the past year. This year we were focused on delivering additional programming opportunities to our rising markets, where there is not a local group to meet with regularly; creating programming to meet the specific needs of our newest and youngest members; and connecting our members across the region through mentorship and micro-volunteering programs and opportunities.
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