JDs meeting at conference a big success.

• Author: Wojtalewicz, Theresa R.
• Position: Conference notes

The LMA Annual Conference engaged various new sessions and tracks for the larger community of legal marketing professionals and business development professionals. one new pre-conference session included the Just JDs: Business Development Strategies for Lawyers that took place Wednesday, Mar. 10, 2010. this one-day program is a first for the LMA Annual Conference. LMA offered this programming designed exclusively for marketing-oriented lawyers at firms of all sizes. the target audience included: marketing partners, marketing committee members, administrators and lawyers who want to build their personal books of business.

Ross Fishman, esq., Ceo, Fishman Marketing, was among the presenters of this particular session. Fishman describes the day as fast-paced with only a few short breaks, and says that the participating lawyers were actively engaged, start to finish.

From all accounts, the program was high-level, thought-provoking and interactive. James Durham, chief marketing and business development officer at McGuireWoods LLP says, "As a presenter for this program, I found the audience to be sophisticated, interested and engaged all day. they represented firms of all sizes, and I thought the presenters did a great job of making their content relevant to them all."

Initially, the session attracted 25 scheduled attendees, which as Fishman explains was almost exactly the number they'd predicted and hoped to achieve. However, during the conference, the buzz spread about the effectiveness of the program and the presenters had to quickly add tables. By lunch time, attendance had grown to 50 people who had migrated in from other pre-conference sessions.

"I can't speak more highly of the speakers, or the interest of the attendees. Many said they wish they'd have brought their entire marketing committee to the program," Fishman adds. "Most of the lawyers volunteered that they'd like to be on the invitation list for next year. Many also said that they liked having me assist with the Q&As at the end of each presentation, offering one more experienced perspective to the topic, and highlighting what I thought the most important takeaways were."

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The overarching theme among the responses is that this session added continuity to the day. they described it like having a host at the Oscars that ties the program together, so it's not just a series of one-of presenters.

Durham adds, "I have been in this business for 20 years, but have...