NEW FOR 2010 – LAW FIRM CMO Roundtable Discussions

Day one of the 2010 Annual Conference, Thursday, March 11, features additional breakout sessions designed for and facilitated exclusively by law firm CMOs (or their equivalents). As part of our Reunite theme, we’re welcoming our more senior-level members back to the LMA Annual Conference with the opportunity to participate in working group roundtable discussions with industry peers. We’ve polled CMOs from firms large and small to identify the issues you would like to explore with like-minded colleagues. This sessions will be invaluable in helping you focus your strategic thinking.

Attendance is limited to in-house law firm attendees who are their firm’s top marketing or business development executive, and who pre-register. One participant per firm. If you are interested in attending, please e-mail LMA2010conference@americanconference.com and add CMO Roundtables in the subject line.

2:30-3:30
Choose one of the following three discussions to participate in for the duration of this session

Adapting to the Realities of Your World in 2010

  • Adjusting to the changed economy and pricing models
  • Creating a client service culture — based on how clients want to interact with their lawyers — within your firm
  • How are people utilizing the explosion of information on the web?
  • Are the old tools of business development — the lunches, the conferences, the newsletters, the golf outings — still valid?

Proving ROI – Is it Measurable?

  • How can you measure ROI when it’s not an exact science?
  • How do you track, measure, report and promote the validity and return on investment?
  • How to handle challenging requests when the ROI just isn’t there?
  • Is there any low-hanging fruit that is a true win for ROI?

Elevating Your Profile

You have a key role in the firm, you have a staff dedicated to developing business and marketing, but does your firm really understand and recognize what you do? Is the CMO role being challenged in this economic downturn? How can you demonstrate your value and the strategic guidance that you bring to the table as a means of gaining more authority and visibility within your firm? This discussion will include participation by managing partners to ensure a full discussion ranging from the true value of a CMO to how marketing can better assist marketing partners to meet firm goals and metrics.

4:00-5:30
Choose one of the following three topics to participate in during the course of this session

GC and CMO Working Group (presented with the Association of Corporate Counsel)

This working group roundtable will include GCs and LMA members strategizing how law firms and clients can work together more effectively. Two of the most widely used communication tools are client surveys and RFPs; and participants will explore these devices, looking for ways to refine them to become more useful to both law firm and client.

Specifically, we will discuss:

Working with a GC on Client Surveys

  • What does the GC want to see in a client survey? What are the important factors about which the law firm wants to hear? What is the best way to craft a survey and who should conduct it — someone within the firm or a third party consultant? Do GCs see a benefit to law firms conducting a client survey? How do we ensure that both parties have similar expectations of the survey experience, outcome and follow through?
    RFP Responses
  • Occasionally RFPs are written for outside service providers other than law firms. They may not ask the best questions, limiting the amount and type of information that a law firm can submit in its response. Use this opportunity to ask GCs why they ask the questions they do. In addition, the discussion will focus on ways in which you can proactively find new legal work for your firm. Learn how to work with GCs to find new opportunities to provide legal services to preempt the need for an RFP that would go to other
    law firms.

Creating and Leading Teams within your Group and Across Functions

How to work effectively with your colleagues in other departments — from accounting, professional development, the library, finance, and HR. In today’s demanding legal market, it’s more important than ever for marketers to work with professionals in other departments to solve firm problems. Learn how to finesse power struggles between departments, how to motivate your staff when projects are stalled due to lack of resources and how to foster an environment of enthusiasm when
the market dictates salary cuts and bonus reductions.

Life after Law Firm CMO

Often, professional development is overlooked at the CMO level.
Join other CMOs to discuss next potential career steps including how to start a consulting business and the unique challenges faced by small business owners.