Passle CMO Series Podcast

Passle CMO Series Podcast

By PassleBusinessMarketing
Download on the App Store

Passle CMO Series Podcast episodes

  • Episode 99 - Behind the scenes of a legal rebrand with Erica Roman of Cole Schotz

    Rebrands. They can be some of the most exciting and challenging projects a legal marketer can take on.


    On today’s episode of the CMO Series, we’re lucky to welcome someone who has recently completed a law firm rebrand. Charles Cousins sits down with Erica Roman, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Cole Schotz, to discuss the project, its challenges, successes and how it all came about.

    Charles and Erica explore: 

    • How Erica came to be the CMO at Cole Schotz and at what point on the journey she recognised a rebrand was needed
  • How to approach early conversations about the website and the need for redesign
  • The process from start to finish and the type of internal resources required for the project
  • How to involve the wider firm and the approach to getting feedback
  • Where the direction of "Lawyering is our Art" came from
  • The biggest challenge of the project and the biggest success
  • Advice for others looking to be successful in leading rebrands within their law firm






    • 21 min
  • CMO Series REPRESENTS - Born This Way: Roy Sexton of Clark Hill on Inclusion, Community and the Role of Leadership

    On this episode of CMO Series REPRESENTS, Yasmin Zand is lucky enough to sit down with Roy Sexton, Director of Marketing at Clark Hill and 2023 Legal Marketing Association President, to discuss his journey both inside and outside of the professional services marketing industry. 


    Roy discusses how his formative experiences as a gay man have impacted his approach to leadership and why finding safe and inclusive communities that allow him to be his authentic self have become so central in his career. 

    The conversation delves into Roy’s childhood, passions, and why his headline performance at the 2023 LMA Annual Conference in Florida was so poignant in supporting the LGBTQ+ community at that moment. 

    Listen in full to hear Roy’s story and his advice for others looking to be comfortable and authentically themselves in their professions.

     

    26 min
  • Episode 98 - Suzie Williams of McMillan on The Client Experience & Differentiating the Firm’s Brand

    It’s often challenging to fully illustrate what differentiates a law firm from others in the market. Being able to articulate the unique value a firm offers is a key element of the role of the CMO.


    Today on the CMO Series, Charles Cousins is lucky enough to dive into this topic with Suzie Williams, National Director, Marketing & Business Development at McMillan.

    Suzie and Charles discuss:

    • Suzie’s journey to her role at McMillan and the specific moment differentiation became a key consideration
  • The importance of client listening and feedback
  • How to demonstrate the talent and experience within your firm in an authentic way 
  • The role of the marketing team in building diverse teams
  • Advice for others trying to build a point of difference for their firm
    • 27 min
  • Episode 97 - Jennifer O’Donnell of Segal McCambridge on Walking in the Shoes of a New Legal CMO

    The first few days, weeks and months as a legal CMO are critical in establishing yourself in the business, assessing what is needed in the firm and building an understanding of the landscape at the firm.


    Today, Alistair Bone welcomes Jennifer O'Donnell, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer at Segal McCambridge, to the series to discuss her first steps as legal CMO and her advice for aspiring marketers new to their roles.

    Jennifer and Ali discuss: 

    • Jennifer’s career journey leading up to joining Segal McCambridge as CMO
  • The plan for the first day, week, month, quarter as a CMO in a new firm with a new team and how to prioritise activities
  • The biggest successes of the first few months as a CMO
  • The challenges faced when joining a new firm in the early months
  • The resources, people or communities that have helped along the way 
  • The previous experiences from former roles Jennifer has leaned on the most as a CMO
  • Advice for others taking on new and challenging legal marketing roles
    • 27 min
  • Episode 96 - Mariana Loose of Alston and Bird on The Intersection and Positioning of Marketing and Business Development within a Law Firm

    Although often considered synonymous with one another, the Marketing and Business Development functions occupy quite different spaces within a law firm. No matter how those functions operate within the firm, there is always a need to ensure they are aligned to successfully meet the objectives of the firm.


    On today’s episode of the CMO Series Podcast, Charles Cousins is lucky enough to dive into this topic with Mariana Loose, Chief Marketing Officer at Alston and Bird.

    Mariana and Charles discuss:

    • Mariana’s journey to CMO at Alston and Bird, and the point on that journey she realised how important Marketing and BD alignment was
  • The consequences of a misaligned marketing and BD structure
  • How marketing and BD should work together and the roles they both play
  • How Alston and Bird are aligning these two key functions
  • The importance of diagnosis and applying the right resource to benefit the firm
  • How to define what "good" looks like for both the functions within the firm
  • Advice for other legal marketing professionals on their career journey 

    •  

    23 min
  • Episode 95 - Angela Pandolfo Roy of Gibbons Law on Content Management: The Linchpin of Legal Marketing & BD

    Being able to demonstrate the knowledge of your firm is at the heart of professional services marketing. 


    On this episode of the CMO Series Podcast, Ed Lovatt is lucky to explore this topic with Angela Pandolfo Roy, Chief Marketing Officer at Gibbons Law. Together, they delve into Angela's background, how her firm approaches content management, and what firms should consider when it comes to the role of content in their marketing efforts.

    Angela and Ed cover: 

    • How Angela came to her role at Gibbons and the point in her career journey she realised how key content management is in legal marketing
  • What content management means and why it is "the linchpin" of legal marketing
  • How the Gibbons Law team approach content management and what those processes look like in practice
  • How to keep tabs on the competition through content
  • How Angela’s background in journalism has helped her in her legal marketing career
  • Advice for legal marketers looking to succeed with content

    •  

    29 min
  • Episode 94 - Katie Munroe of Zuckerman Spaeder on Creating a Culture of Client Service Straight out of the Gate

    By shifting the business development mindset from asking for work to offering assistance with problem-solving, you will not only deepen relationships but improve your likelihood of generating new business.  


    Whether a new entrant to the associate ranks or a recent lateral hire, all lawyers have an opportunity to make a positive impact on their firm’s bottom line with this approach. On today’s episode of the CMO Series, Ed Lovatt welcomes Katie Munroe, Chief Marketing Officer at Zuckerman Spaeder, to discuss their method for cultivating a service-oriented mindset and why Zuckerman Spaeder is investing in a BD training program to shape the next generation of lawyers.

    Ed and Katie discuss:

    • How Zuckerman Spaeder brought in new work historically and how that has shifted in the last few years
  • The importance of investing in developing new firm attorneys – whether junior lawyers or lateral hires
  • The new business development curriculum for lawyers Katie is developing and how it supports good client service
  • The generational differences between junior associates fresh out of law school to those who’ve been in the role for a number of years and how to tailor business development training to meet their expectations and leverage their strengths
  • The importance of networking opportunities for attorneys early in their career and how distinct that approach is at Zuckerman
  • The ideal mix when it comes to a more traditional, in-person approach to BD in a digital-first world
  • Advice for marketing and BD leaders looking to develop the next generation of lawyers in their firm
    • 24 min
  • CMO Series REPRESENTS - Diana Lauritson of Hogan Lovells on Colour, culture and leadership: Raising the next generation of marketing leaders

    Despite the rise of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion programs, there is still a huge disparity in the representation of people of colour in professional services marketing. This under-representation is most apparent in leadership roles, highlighting that there’s still a way to go. 


    That’s why on this episode of CMO Series REPRESENTS we’re so lucky to welcome a leading role model who is paving the way in professional services marketing by highlighting issues related to colour, culture and leadership in law firms.

    Yasmin Zand has the pleasure of sitting down with Diana Lauritson, Senior Marketing and Business Development Manager at Hogan Lovells, to share her lived experiences, the role race has played in her career, and how to raise the next generation of marketing leaders.

    Diana and Yasmin discuss: 

    • How Diana came to her career in legal marketing and her current role at Hogan Lovells
  • How being a woman of colour impacted the way Diana moved forward as a Legal Marketer
  • The pressures related to being one of the few women of colour in senior marketing roles in law firms
  • Programs that supported Diana and recommendations for the next generation of women of colour in legal marketing to find support
  • Advice for up-and-comers in the industry
    • 18 min
  • Episode 93 - Maura Brandt of Crowell & Moring on Fostering a Positive and Successful Culture in Legal Marketing

    Each and every law firm has a unique culture, and a different way of working together and moving forward. Every day here at Passle we see the impact that the firm's culture has on the success of the marketing and BD approach.


    On this episode of the CMO Series, Alistair Bone has the pleasure of speaking with Maura Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer at Crowell & Moring to get her insights on how to foster a positive and successful culture in legal marketing.

    Ali and Maura explore: 

    • Maura’s career highlights and how she came to her current role at Crowell and when she first noticed how important culture was to the success of a firm
  • What makes a good culture in a law firm and more specifically in a legal marketing team
  • Crowell’s recent brand refresh and how culture played a part of the process
  • The specific elements that contribute strongly to the culture at Crowell
  • What a positive, successful culture means for someone in a marketing or BD position in a law firm
  • The role of the CMO in fostering and encouraging a positive culture within the firm
  • Advice for legal marketers looking to make a positive impact on the culture at their firm
    • 27 min
  • Episode 92 - Adam Severson of Baker Donelson on Navigating Lateral Growth, Mergers and the Role of Marketing

    Mergers can provide huge growth opportunities for ambitious law firms. Navigating a merger can also present challenges, but marketing and BD teams are well-positioned to help guide and influence a firm’s strategic direction and identify new or emerging markets.


    Someone well-versed in successfully navigating mergers and lateral integrations is Adam Severson, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Baker Donelson. Ed Lovatt has the pleasure of welcoming Adam to the CMO Series to share his insights on taking advantage of market opportunities and the key factors that influence the success of a merger.

    Ed and Adam discuss: 

    • Adam’s background and career journey to his role now at Baker Donelson
  • The point at which Adam recognised the huge potential of law firm mergers in providing business development opportunities
  • The current landscape for firms when it comes to merger activity
  • The role of  marketing and BD in influencing strategic growth and take advantage of new or emerging markets and what those activities look like on a practical level
  • The key success factors that indicate if a merger will be successful or not
  • Advice for marketing BD professionals looking to successfully influence mergers and capitalise on growth opportunities
    • 30 min

About Passle CMO Series Podcast

From the publisher's feed

The must-listen podcast for professional services marketers, featuring conversations with leading voices in business development and marketing across the sector.

More shows like Passle CMO Series Podcast

The Rest Is Entertainment by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Entertainment

785 Listeners