Join LMA president Roy Sexton, as well as members of the Annual Conference Advisory Committee, in welcoming attendees to LMA 2023!

Domains: Client Services, Business Development

In this session, outside counsel management professionals join law firm client development executives to discuss platinum client relationship management and how they define value-add. We will hear from the panelists how their teams interact with their company’s legal team, their role in the “buy” decision, the technology resources they are engaging, and how they define partnership. We will also review the various law firm departments to engage with as you develop a platinum client relationship program, what resources the law firm needs to commit for the program to be successful, and how to gather feedback to help evolve your service to address client needs and become more profitable.  

You'll learn how to:

• Develop a clear understanding of how corporations and financial institutions engage law firms
• Discuss how clients define value (tip - it isn’t about the discounts) 
• Discuss how to work with senior leadership in the firm to deliver A+ client service

Presenters:
Samara Abrams, Director, Legal Operations, Micron Technology
Michelle Murray, Business Development Director, Strategic Projects, Shearman & Sterling LLP
Chris Ochs, Head of Outside Counsel Management Practice, UnitedLex

Domains: Business Development, Marketing Management and Leadership

There is a lot of “buzz” around using Data Science to extract meaningful insights for business.  Even so, this valuable tool is not broadly understood. Why should legal marketers consider a data driven approach, especially in a time of resource constraints? In this session, we will provide an overview of what Data Science and Analytics are and what they can do. Using our own organization as a case study, we’ll highlight projects ranging from process automation to building AI models, and we’ll discuss actionable insights to take back to your firm. We will also provide resources on how to identify data-driven opportunities in your day to day.

You'll learn how to: 

• Understand differences between roles of a Data Scientist, Analyst and Engineer and the value proposition for each
• Examine various data science use cases (from basic to more advanced) and how they translate into actionable insights for the legal marketer 
• Learn to evaluate data-related opportunities in your role

Presenters:
Megan Hill, Director, Mondaq
Ruta Petraityte, Lead, Data Science and Analytics, Mondaq
Amy Wisinski, Senior Manager, Marketing Data Analytics & Technology, Winston & Strawn LLP

Domains: Business Development, Technology Management

 As firm leaders become more reliant on data yielding actionable insights, business development professionals have turned to marketing tools to analyze their brand, retain clients, and win new business. By using the right technologies and methods, professionals can influence winning communications and business strategies with confidence. This session will examine the CRM/ERM maturity model and best practices for amplifying your brand voice and increasing client satisfaction. Join us to learn what experienced industry professionals are doing to run laps around the competition.

You'll learn how to: 

• Define the CRM/ERM maturity model and explain the business case for managing client relationships to law firm leaders
• Evaluate the benefits of leveraging technology to demonstrate results at all stages of the maturity model 
• Develop strategies for winning new business and retaining clients  
• Establish measurable goals to amplify your impact and influence firm strategies 

Presenters:
Oscar Buitrago, US Chief Business Development & Marketing Officer (CMO), Linklaters
Laura Galeano, Chief Marketing Officer, Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP
Aja Hendrix, Marketing Technology Manager, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Pamela Tobias, Strategic Relationship Manager, LexisNexis

Domains: Business Development, Technology Management

Ever wondered what separates your best partners from the rest in driving client growth? Or how to enable more of your partners to become high BD performers? In this session, we’ll preview the fascinating results of the world's largest scientific study of more than 1,600 partners aimed at answering precisely these questions. You’ll learn about the different profiles of business developers found in the data, how they perform relative to each other, and the skills, behaviors, time spend, and use of technology and tools that make the top performers unique amongst their peers. We’ll even give you a sneak preview of the playbook that you can use to start shifting the performance curve of your firm right now!

You'll learn how to:

• Develop and refine the skills needed to impact behavioral change in lawyers
• Utilize the data and technology needed to achieve impactful outcomes 
• Assess data points from a recent study of business development effectiveness

Presenters:
Lavinia Calvert, VP, Legal Industry Principal of DealCloud, Intapp
Ted McKenna, Founding Partner, DCM Insights

Domains: Communications, Marketing Management and Leadership

Join us as we guide you through the Legal Marketer’s Inferno of brand building. Like Virgil guiding Dante, we’ll take you on a journey through the depths of the inferno and the sea of sameness—uncovering critical errors firms make in their marketing efforts by trying to own the same generic value propositions. We’ll explore the startling statistics that reveal the true state of the industry. We’ll see the adverse effects of underfunding, with over half of firms spending just 1-2% of revenue on marketing and business development, and a shocking 25% not measuring brand effectiveness at all. But fear not, there is a way out of this inferno! We will share best practices for investing in building a prestigious brand. Get ready for a fiery and illuminating journey.

You'll learn how to:

• Develop a strategy for differentiating your firm’s brand by Identifying and promoting unique value propositions
• Implement measurable metrics to track the effectiveness of marketing and business development efforts
• Drive new business by utilizing top-of-funnel marketing techniques rather than relying on return customers

Presenters:
Kathy Grunditz, Senior Manager, Brand Strategy, One North
Kalev Peekna, Managing Director, Chief Strategist, One North

Domains: Technology Management, Business of Law

Law firms are facing numerous challenges, such as intense competition for top talent, emergence of game-changing AI technologies and clients who demand high-value services for a lower cost. What can legal marketers do to stand out and achieve success in this environment? The 2023 Hinge study revealed that high-growth firms are outpacing No Growth firms by 4.5x, even in the face of uncertainty and risk. Join industry experts for a deep dive into the latest trends on firm growth strategies, high functioning talent teams and automated workflow.

Presenters:
Elena Cutri, Director, Client Education Services, LexisNexis
Tom Smith, Account Executive, Business Development Tools, LexisNexis

Domains: Marketing Management and Leadership, Communications

Content marketing is a key element of almost all marketing & business development strategies, yet law firms of all sizes often struggle to set up an effective program that helps their firm to stand out in the market. Exploring four key steps for success, from activating your lawyers, to publishing and distributing content and delivering personalized feedback, this session will distill best practices from leading law firms, providing you with all the insights you need to demonstrate how your firm can establish itself as the stand-out choice for your clients.

You'll learn how to:

• Empower your professionals to create up-to-the-moment content that gets published quickly
• Determine how to ensure that your content reaches the audiences that matter via targeted distribution 
• Demonstrate the impact of content marketing with personalized metrics 

Presenters:
Julia Bennett, Chief Marketing Officer, Brown Rudnick
Freddy Dobinson, Head of Client Experience, Passle
Kelly Harbour, Chief Business Development Officer, Goulston & Storrs PC
Eugene McCormick, SVP, Passle Inc

Over the past three days, you’ve been armed with new connections and a suite of ideas that will amplify your work, voice and impact at your organizations – and maybe even in life. But where to start?

New this year, LMA has organized a conference retrospective panel that spotlights various viewpoints within our community. These thought leaders will discuss themes from #LMA23 and how they plan to amplify key takeaways and empower their teams and colleagues to do the same. Come prepared to reflect on your own experience, turn ideas to actions at your organization and leave energized to become a change agent.

Don’t miss this opportunity to put a capstone on your time at #LMA23.

Presenters:
Simone Hughes, Director, Business Development and Marketing, Gowling WLG
Mohib Qidwai, Senior Marketing Manager, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Alycia Sutor, Managing Director, GrowthPlay
Laura Toledo, Chief Communications Architect, EM Dash Consulting
Lee Watts, Founder/CEO, ashby & co. consulting

Domain: Business of Law

Whether we’re talking new clients, new pieces or work or new talent, everyone wants to know what it takes to win big in today’s legal market. And there might be no metaphor more apt than the classic television game show, so in this homage to the form, we are putting legal marketing and business development in the hot seat. Join our esteemed panel of General Counsel contestants as they compete to determine which MBD tools and tactics earn firms the Grand Prize — and which are total whammies.

Join our live, studio audience to be a part of the action: 

• What’s My Line? Explore the top ways to stay top-of-mind with legal buying decision-makers
• Match Game: we put legal marketers and buyers to the test to determine how well they know each other’s preferences
• Win, Lose or Draw: which of your firm’s marketing and business development strategies are winners—and which need to go

Our host with the most Jen Dezso will channel her best Gene Rayburn/Bob Barker to help our panelists share behind-the-curtain insights you won’t find anywhere else. Don’t miss this entertaining—and informative—twist on the General Counsel panel discussion.

Presenters:
Aarash Darroodi, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Fender
Jennifer Dezso, Director of Client Services, Thomson Reuters
Peter Nguyen, SVP, Legal, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, The Descartes Systems Group Inc.
Jodi Trulove, General Counsel and Chief Client Relations Officer, Bates White, LLC