'For the CMO, there is no typical day': a day in the life of Thompson Hine CMO Sue Brelus.

• Author: Jarrell, Jim

It's a gorgeous March day in downtown Cleveland--an oxymoron, if you will, of the typical March day in Cleveland. I'd arrived early to Muse--a well-known, yet surprisingly intimate restaurant in the heart of the city--and I was reviewing my notes and bracing for what I hoped would be an enlightening and invigorating conversation with Susan Brelus, chief marketing officer (CMO) at Thompson Hine.

For those who aren't familiar, Thompson Hine is a century-old law firm headquartered in Cleveland that offers an array of business law services--everything from corporate transactions and securities to real estate and construction. With eight offices in the United States (primarily along the East Coast and the Midwest) and approximately 400 attorneys, Thompson Hine boasts an extensive client list and an outstanding reputation.

As for Brelus, she's a veritable "rock star" in legal marketing circles, having been a featured speaker at the Legal Marketing Association's international conferences on the topics of CMO best practices in legal marketing, client and enterprise relationship management, and cross-functional collaboration. Prior to her time at Thompson Hine, Brelus spent 11 years as chief development officer at AmLaw 50 firm Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP Moreover, colleagues describe her as a "commanding and engaging presence that exudes confidence and intelligence."

Those are credentials you don't exactly come by every day in this business, so you can imagine the combination of nerves and anxiety as the maitre d' led Brelus to our table. Far from formidable, Brelus presents a gentle and laidback persona that instantly calmed my nerves and had me ready to find out what drives her day and how she copes as the CMO of one of the country's oldest and most respected law firms.

What Does it Mean to be Chief Marketing Officer?

In her position, Brelus runs the marketing and strategy department, which means that she is responsible for the business planning across the firm, practices and offices, and anything related to marketing and business development.

In the absence of a general steering committee at the firm, Brelus takes it upon herself to put together "sounding boards" for specific projects or initiatives that may benefit from feedback from the partners or other constituencies in the firm. Through these sounding boards, Brelus is able to help direct efforts that support the firm's strategic vision and lead initiatives that will have a significant...