Podgorsky and Naylor Win Trip to LMA National Conference in L.A.

By Jamie Frankel

This year, our Chapter found itself with a budget surplus and decided to use it to assist our members -- specifically, those who may have wanted to attend the March 2008 national LMA conference in Los Angeles but couldn’t find the money in their firms’ budgets. We decided that the fairest way to choose the recipients would be to hold a contest, with the two winners getting a free trip worth up to $2,500 in expenses. Each applicant had to write a brief essay on why he or she was the most deserving. We left the contest open-ended to help generate some thoughtful responses apart from the standard “I want to be a better legal marketer.” We received a number of excellent entries, making it difficult for the board to select the two winners.

Carolyn Podgorsky, Marketing Coordinator at Ross, Dixon & Bell, and Kristin Naylor, Marketing Assistant at Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, emerged as the scholarship winners. Each says that she brought home with her a good deal of extremely valuable knowledge to further her legal marketing career.

Podgorsky said, “I learned that clients want more than just sound legal advice. A client wants a team of attorneys who are invested in the success of the company and who will consider the client’s needs before their own. I also learned to turn thought into action within practice groups by selecting the right leaders and creating accountability. Further, I learned to take a more effective sales approach to business development by better utilizing the firm’s resources and sharing information within client teams.”

Naylor noted that one of her goals in attending the conference was “to learn what else was out there in the world of legal marketing. Because I work for a smaller class-action firm, I have yet to be exposed to a lot of the services and ideas that are commonplace in large multi-practice law firms. Casual conversations with trade-show exhibitors and attending sessions that delved deeper into topics that I wanted to learn more about were incredibly helpful.”

Both Podgorsky and Naylor expressed interest in meeting and networking with other professionals in the legal marketing field. Naylor said, “The trivia bingo was a great icebreaker!”

Podgorsky said, “The MORE [Mentoring Opportunities with Real-Life Experts] sessions were quite valuable, providing opportunities for more intimate discussions on a range of topics. I took advantage of the Mezzo Level session and learned how I can hone my skills to forge a career path in the legal marketing industry. The keynote speakers were inspirational as they spoke about breaking new ground and taking fresh approaches. And of course, the networking was invaluable. I walked away with several conversations under my belt and business cards in my pocket, and I look forward to following up and building relationships with each of these new contacts.”

Naylor said she enjoyed meeting “professionals who have been in the business for a long time and asking them for advice -- on career path, work/life balance, challenges and rewarding experiences. I had a grand time with the Canadian legal marketers -- they really took me under their wing and showed me the ropes of the conference along with trying to convince me to move to Vancouver! Also, last summer I interned at Greenfield/Belser, so the ability to reconnect with their team was very rewarding. They really helped me find my way into the field.”

Jamie Frankel is Public Relations Coordinator at McKenna Long & Aldridge.