LMA: Tell us how you felt when you found out you were an inductee for the first class in the LMA Hall of Fame.

Schmidt: I was surprised because I wasn’t aware of my nomination. I was curious because it was the first year and I didn’t know who was getting in.

LMA: Over the years, who or what do you feel has been the biggest influence on you personally?

Schmidt: I feel that my contributions, such as they are, have been influenced by so many people. Everyone has been so open and sharing of their ideas and the trends they are seeing, people working in law firms and folks on the outside.

LMA: What do you think your most satisfying achievement has been?

Schmidt: My satisfaction really comes from having built and sustained my business in this field and employing people, and I am enjoying my 20th anniversary this year. I really just still love what I do so much, and feel we are really just on the tip of the iceberg in what we might be able to influence and achieve.

LMA: What are you doing to learn more than you currently know, and keep your thinking fresh?

Schmidt: When you are outside a law firm you have exposure to so many people and cultures and environment, you really learn a lot. I thought when I left my law firm that they were all the same, and that is definitely not true. When I look, I focus on practical applications and just try to read things. For example, when I saw a research firm won the Malcolm Baldrige [National Quality] Award, I looked them up and tried to see if there was anything I could discern for use in law firms.

LMA: Tell us about the challenges you see ahead for legal marketing.

Schmidt: When you are in this profession long enough, you see the pendulum swinging back and forth. We are seeing an incredible upswing in marketing now in terms of staffing, money and internal resources. I’ve noticed over the years that this is followed by firms sitting back and saying, “What are we getting from the investment? Are we getting anywhere that we’ve not gotten before?” That whole issue of measurement, finding metrics and letting lawyers know how and why we’re measuring is terribly important.