The sustainable CMO.

• Author: Manton, Jennifer

The tenure of the law firm chief marketing officer is on the rise According to the 2011 ALM/LMA Roles & Compensation Survey, the average is 4.9 years. Perhaps this is an indication that law firms have evolved and matured and know how to utilize and leverage the experience and skill set of their CMO like they never have before. Perhaps it is also because today's market demands and client-driven realities have forced law firm leaders to recognize and, dare I say, embrace the value of marketing and business development and, more importantly, the value of those officers and directors responsible for it.

Having finally earned a seat at the table, how do CMOs sustain their motivation, their passion and their drive for five, six, seven, eight (and more) years in this very challenging role? As I marked my own seven-year anniversary as the CMO at Loeb & Loeb LLP, I queried some well-respected and highly regarded CMOs from around the country looking for advice and counsel. What follows is their consolidated responses, comprising insights, tips and techniques that allow them to remain fully engaged and vital in the course of navigating between 50,000 feet and the ground-level, tactical grind--all while actively sustaining the macro-level focus and perspective necessary to cultivate the next "big idea."

Defining the Role of Today's CMO

The CMO wears many hats: change agent, provocateur, thought leader, cheerleader and mentor. Aleisha Gravit, CMO of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld, defines herself as a point guard. "In basketball, a point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position--essentially running the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it gets to the right players at the right time," Gravit said. As Akin Gump's CMO, Gravit describes her role as ensuring that the company's business development, marketing and communication efforts are strategic and well-executed to facilitate business development by the lawyers. Gravit added, "I also view my role as being the one person, aside from the chairman, who maintains a 35,000-foot view of the work we do for our clients and business development in order to ensure all dots are connected."

All of the CMO respondents agreed upon that theme, including Dave Bruns, the director of client services at Farella Braun + Martell in San Francisco. He expressed that one of the most important aspects of his role is to reiterate the messages and goals of the firm chair and serve as...