Practice what you preach: professional development for legal marketers.

• Author: Hoffman, Nancy L.

As a member of your firm's marketing department, as a legal marketing professional with industry-specific experience and, most importantly, as a member of the Legal Marketing Association, it is time for you to step up to the plate and practice all that you preach to your attorneys on a daily basis. In order to succeed in this complicated industry, to be victorious in your career and all the while seek a bright future, there is no better time than the present to establish yourself as an expert. A legal marketing expert, that is.

In the legal marketing industry, establishing your attorneys as industry-specific specialists is one of your largest responsibilities. For example, when clients have a highprofile litigation matter, it is your job to be sure that they pick up the phone and call your attorney. In case your human resources manager neglected to mention it when you were hired, let me be the first to tell you: Part of your job description includes being part miracle worker and part mind reader.

As an aside, note that in some U.S. states, bar rules forbid using the words "expert," "expertise," "specialist," "specializes" and the like when marketing attorneys. Nonetheless, it is still your job to establish your attorneys as experts. Just use different words, such as "skilled," "focuses," "concentrates," "recognized" and "experienced."

You have invested both time and budget dollars to establish your attorneys as credible resources in their industry. Now, you must flip the switches and establish yourself as an expert when it comes to legal marketing. You know how to do this because you are already doing it.

Pick Your Practice Area

First, you must determine an area of interest or a "practice area" within the legal marketing realm. What is your passion? Is it public relations, branding, advertising, design, business development, communications? Are you technology-driven? What parts of your job are the ones you look forward to most?

Next, you must prove yourself to be an expert in that particular practice area--taking this step requires a great deal of time and serious dedication. Fortunately, you can use your lawyer-friendly tips and apply them to your own career, using all the resources that are available to you.

First and foremost, you should build 30 minutes into your schedule each week and begin to research your practice area in great depth. The LMA Web site offers articles, reports, listserv entries and other helpful tools within the...