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Why your attorneys should feel like part of the marketing team

Spill The Ink

Release Date: 07/24/2024

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Spill The Ink

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Michelle Calcote King sits down with Gabe Lett, Chief Marketing Officer at Prairie Engineers, to explore what happens when technical experts dictate marketing decisions and marketing teams get buried in proposal work. According to Gabe, the results are ineffective communication, missed opportunities for business development and frustrated professionals on both sides. Gabe brings a unique perspective to AEC marketing, having grown up in the industry with a father who was a civil engineer and business owner. This background gives him deep insight into both the...

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In this episode, Michelle Calcote King sits down with Megan Senese, co-founder and principal at stage, a woman-owned legal marketing and business development consultancy, to discuss how newly minted partners can develop authentic networking approaches that generate business. Through her own journey from "networking-phobic" marketing professional to successful business developer, Megan demonstrates how connecting with people one-on-one transformed her career and led to connecting with 1,000 people in her first year of business. She identifies the two common mistakes lawyers make in business...

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Technical expertise is merely table stakes in the AEC industry. How firms approach their relationship-building is the true differentiator, with the potential to completely change the game for decision-makers. Brad Thurman, Chief Marketing Officer at Wallace Design Collective, shares his experience to help firms nurture authentic relationships — and knock cold outreach down from the top of their priority list. Brad unpacks three relationship-building principles that helped transform his firm into a powerhouse with more than 300 professionals across eight offices: prioritizing responsive...

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More Episodes

On paper, Julia Thomas is a one-woman band as Dean Mead’s marketing director. But in reality, she works in tandem with more than 100 unofficial marketers. Yep — attorneys and staff have a crucial supporting role to play as advocates for their firm and its brand, and Julia has made it her mission to empower them.

In this episode of Spill the Ink, Julia discusses how her approach to legal marketing creates a culture of shared responsibility and reveals what she’s learned about helping busy attorneys stay engaged with community-focused initiatives. And with 20 years of experience in global, national, regional and local marketing roles across the legal, accounting and construction sectors, she’s learned a thing or two.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn

  • Why Dean Mead’s marketing director Julia Thomas views all attorneys and staff as unofficial marketers

  • About Florida-based Dean Mead, a commercial law firm founded in 1980

  • What a 20-year career in global, national, regional and local marketing roles in various industries has taught Julia about using internal communications to support external communications — and surviving debates with attorneys

  • How law firms can approach strategic partnerships in the local community and engage attorneys to participate

  • Julia’s advice to busy legal professionals pursuing pro bono and community work

  • Why thought leadership doesn’t necessarily mean writing a long, in-depth article (and, in fact, that’s often less effective) 

  • The impact of reputable law firm awards and rankings in building credibility with prospects 

About our featured guest

Julia Thomas is Dean Mead’s director of marketing and business development, based in Orlando, Florida. With 20 years of experience designing, implementing and directing initiatives that support consistent internal and external communications, Julia brings a thorough understanding of marketing and business development to the firm. Leveraging her experience serving Fortune 100, national and regional companies, she is the chief marketing strategist for Dean Mead and each of its offices, departments and industry teams. Julia works closely with the president, board, department chairs and industry team leaders to develop and implement marketing and business development activities.

Resources mentioned in this episode

Sponsor for this episode

This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink.

Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a public relations and content marketing agency that serves professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms. 

Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services and more.

To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at [email protected] today.