Tag Archives: lgbtq

“Hotter than July.” The Legal Marketing Association is fired up this summer ― plus more playlists! #lmamkt #lma23

11 July 2023

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“Hotter than July.” That’s not just a kickass Stevie Wonder album, but is a phrase that could also be used to describe all of YOU! LMA is en fuego this summer. I’m inspired by all of the amazing content you are generating these days: thought leadership, webinars, social media, in-person presentations, social outings, conference planning, on and on. I try like the Dickens to keep up with it all, and am happy to report that is humanly IMPOSSIBLE. So kudos to y’all!

I was fortunate enough to make a trip to Toronto in June to join one of the Canada Region’s summer socials. And it was off the chain. Eighty attendees, vibrant dialogue, so much connection and just great fun. Kudos to Jessica Horowitz and team for all the hard work and planning! Thank you to Canada President Hans Chang for extending the invite AND for treating me to an incredible lunch the next day. You may or may not know this, but Hans was tapped as president-elect this year, but stepped up to the prez role in quick fashion when this year’s original president left our wonderful industry for another great opportunity. (A testament to how in demand you all are BTW!) Hans pivoted like the champ he is and quickly immersed himself. Didn’t skip a beat. He has led with heart and authenticity, and he shared with me that he sees himself as a steward, adding to what has come before and simply hoping to leave things a bit better than he found them. I’d say he’s doing very well at that mission! That’s all we can ask of ourselves as leaders.

While I was there, Canada Board Member Sara Short (communications) said these magical words: “I love your playlists! I’m going to miss those!” So you can blame her for this…another playlist to round out your summer fun. Hopefully as good for a glass of wine on the patio as a raging house party. You’re welcome! Here on iTunes and Spotify 🎵. And, yes, my beloved theater peeps Idina Menzel and Billy Porter are well-represented…but these ain’t no show tunes. You’ll see!

 

Roy July Pres mssg_canada 2 photo
Roy July Prez mssg_canada 1 photo

Shout out to the Midwest Region who is killing it with a series of meet-ups across the region. I was able to join the Michigan Architecture tour here in Detroit – thanks to John Reed and Andrea Oleszczak and team for planning such a thoughtful, inspiring, engaging afternoon. And I see you Kate Shipham, Amie Allison, Jason Klika, Rich Marsolais, Jennifer Shankleton, Tanya Riggan and other Midwest Board members getting your miles (and steps) in touring our Midwest LSCs. 

Midwest Michigan Architecture

 

The photos of these meet-ups are such great fun to see!

Kudos to our Northeast Region and Mid-Atlantic Region for following a similar model on socials AND launching some incredible educational content this summer. I know a recent client-service education event in the Northeast had over 115 attendees! Way to go, Northeast President Jay Linder, Mid-Atlantic President Kathryn Burke and respective teams!

(Sidenote: I worry when I start going down this path of shout-outs that I’m leaving someone out. Please know that this is all offered just in the spirit of celebration and that we are grateful for ALL of the efforts at play this summer!)

Speaking of the Midwest – thank you to Ashley Defay, Kate Harry Shipham, Lauren McNee, Sara Pierson and Rob Kates for this opportunity to reflect on being a gay man in this industry, my mid-year reflections on this wonderful role I get to carry, leadership lessons generally, and…The Little Mermaid. If you missed the interview, you can catch it here. It’s a pretty candid chat and all comes from the heart.

21DAY SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGE

Kudos to Jennifer Forester, Jacob Eidinger, Erika Galarneau and the Social and Digital Media SIG team for their exceptional work on June’s “21-Day Social Media Challenge,” (login to view) in its second year. 

I didn’t think they could top themselves from last year…but they did. The conversations were robust and provocative and actionable. If you missed it this year, do NOT miss it in the future. It exemplifies what is so incredible about LMA: community: sharing knowledge and insight and connecting through learning. 

And as robust as our LMA community is, I must admit that we had a “shoot for the moon” goal of 4,500 members in 2023 as an International Board. Truth be told, the eddies of a shifting economy among other issues have conspired and we’re more likely to hit 4,100. Still growth from last year, but not as big as we’d hoped. And that’s ok. (For those ready to hit the “I told you so” button, I’m pre-empting you!) That said, the International Board is hard at work in a series of sub-teams looking at membership, regional growth, education and revenue diversification toward the end of yielding nuanced, achievable goals for next year. More to come on that. But that’s the job we signed up and we’re happy to support the continued evolution of this marvelous association. (Know someone who should be a member? Invite them to join LMA with our special Mid-Year Membership Offer!)

We’re halfway through this year and already we’ve had so many great events and impactful educational offerings. To date across HQ and regions, we have offered 100+ educational opportunities with thousands of attendees — in addition to the 1,100+ attendees at the 2023 Annual Conference (recordings available here)! And there are many more events happening now and planned for this year.

As you have likely seen on social media and beyond, we have a number of great regional conference offerings in the queue for this fall. Check out the schedule for your region and make sure to join one (or more!) to continue your growth and development as professionals. One last shout-out to our Southeast Region and President Laura Hudson. Not only are they planning a fab conference for THIS fall, but they are also already ahead of the curve, securing NEXT YEAR’S dates with a very thoughtful approach. Love seeing that collaboration, hard work and embracing of best practices. Go, team!

And while you may have a little downtime, consider sharing your expertise and submitting an educational session idea for the LMA 2024 Annual Conference Call for Content which is open only through July 17. You can alternately submit your name for consideration as a possible speaker or panelist.

Keep taking time for you where you can – and keep connecting meaningfully with each other! That’s why we joined this LMA club and what makes it all worthwhile!

Love you,

Roy

President, 2023 LMA International Board of Directors

Roy E. Sexton
Director of Marketing
Clark Hill

 

Save the Date! #LMA24 I April 3-5 I San Diego

Add Your Expertise! Call for Content Open Through July 17

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“It was not just for the performance itself, but for his courage.” Angela Giampolo with Gina Furia Rubel … On Record PR

26 June 2023

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Thank you, Gina, for this lovely shout out. I’VE now got chills. 😅🌈✨ Thank you for your friendship and consummate allyship. And tremendous kudos to your guest here – Angela Giampolo – for the leadership, courage, heart, and moxie to do what she’s doing with Caravan of Hope. Utterly inspiring – and so essential.

Listen here: https://www.furiarubel.com/podcasts/ensuring-access-to-legal-services-for-the-lgbtq-community-throughout-the-u-s/

EXCERPT:

Gina Rubel: I’m so happy to hear that. Now I got chills. I mean literally just made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It’s all I can wish for you. I was thinking when you mentioned Florida, I’m a member of an organization called the Legal Marketing Association. And our president, Roy Sexton, is an out member of the LGBTQ community. It was really hard having our conference there and being an inclusive organization with everything that’s been going on. Roy opened the conference. He’s also a thespian, so he’s a phenomenal singer and actor.

He opened it with Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, but he comes out and he’s in sequins and he is singing and dancing. Then all of a sudden after the first verse, he brings in this beautiful woman in drag and she’s in this incredible rainbow costume. What was so beautiful though, was not just the performance, but the fact that just about every single person, over 1,200 attendees, were standing up and just screaming in joy for this moment.

This is how we opened our Legal Marketing Association International Conference. To see that level of inclusion and spirit and love, and not just equality, but a sense of belonging. ‘Cause we always talk about creating that sense of belonging. It was just amazing. I was in tears, I just was in tears.

Angela Giampolo: I got chills when you were describing it. We’re just going back and forth on chill-worthy moments. To your point, everybody talks about inclusion and the history of DEI, right? Diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s like a moment where it’s more than about being included. You include someone, wonderful, thank you. It used to be back in the day, it was like, we should play music for all when you’re having an inviting party. But it’s like music that the person can dance to, wants to dance to.

And that’s a moment like that where everybody’s standing up. It was not just for the performance itself, but for his courage. There’s so much happening in that moment that everybody is feeling. It’s honoring and acknowledging his courage, honoring and acknowledging who he is and loving him for it. The stance, honoring and acknowledging the statement that he’s making for the entire LGBTQ community, the political statement that he’s making doing it in Florida, knowingly. There’s so many layers there in him having done that. I feel like everyone’s standing up in tears and all of the things, it’s like all of those nuances were hitting you.

“…people say, ‘Could you turn it down a little bit?’ NO!” LMA Midwest Region #Pride Spotlight #lmamkt #lma23

21 June 2023

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VIEW HERE: https://fb.watch/ljbqSOsQi6/?mibextid=v7YzmG

AND HERE: https://youtu.be/MeSFyOI3LeI

“Get to know our 2023 Legal Marketing Association – LMA International President, Roy Sexton in a special edition of the LMA Midwest Region Pride spotlight where he talks about reactions from the LMA 2023 conference, what allyship means to him personally, and how LMA members can stay energized in their careers post conference.”

Thank you for this opportunity – incredibly grateful for this community and for the candid conversations we get to have. Thank you, Ashley Defay, for your exceptional talents, for your heart, and for your thoughtful moderation of this chat. Thank you, Rob Kates, for your generosity and your wonderful video support and counsel. Thank you, Kate Harry Shipham, Lauren McNee Doherty, Sara Pierson, for your friendship and leadership and grace.

Cloud 9, part three: Sequins, Inclusion, Innovation, and Community … #LMA23

5 May 2023

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Something extraordinary happened in Hollywood, Florida, at the recent 2023 Legal Marketing Association Annual Conference.

[Original post with hyperlinks here: https://tinyurl.com/3mnd59mx]

As the saying goes, people support what they help create. Now that the dust (and sequins – more on that later) have settled and we’re back at it at our firms and organizations, I’m reflecting on what was extraordinarily created at LMA’s recent 2023 Annual Conference in Hollywood, Florida…abundant COMMUNITY. Nearly 1,200 of us coming together in person to network, learn ― and sometimes commiserate! But the energy and sense of community at this conference was unique, motivating and palpable. In addition to the many standing-room-only sessions taught by leadership and thinkers on top-of-mind issues in legal marketing, there was a widespread feeling of community, shared experiences and belonging – always LMA’s “special magic” and never more on display than at #LMA23.

True to our conference theme of “Amplify” (our voices, careers, teams, work), the stellar education sessions covered everything from how law firms are or are not using ChatGPT, what works/doesn’t work/needs fixing in the eyes of General Counsel (spoiler alert – they’re FOR using AI!), the crucial value of storytelling and narrative in client connection, how DEI can and must be a pillar of firm culture and evolution, the latest vistas in martech, how to develop and retain talent, and the crucial role of client teams in the engagement and growth continuum among myriad other hot topics.

One of my favorite a-ha moments came from Aarash Darroodi, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation General Counsel and Executive Vice President, and a compelling and provocative “contestant” on our GC panel “game show” (expertly moderated by conference co-chair Jennifer Dezso). He said, and I paraphrase, “Wining and dining is fine, but don’t take me to a football game. Come visit me AT my company and see our culture firsthand and learn what we do. THAT will show me you care.” He and the other panelists *might* have also noted (accurately) that marketing and business development ARE key differentiators in a firm and are crucial to clients’ understanding of capability and connection. You can take that to the bank! 

And getting back to sequins, our 2023 conference theme, Amplify was kicked off with a highly-caffeinated, strobe-lit bang in our opening session. In a move to underscore LMA’s inclusivity and encouragement to amplify ourselves, we opened the conference with yours truly singing – well, big old community theatre-style belting –  Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” and sharing the stage with renowned drag queen and community activist Athena Dion. With a crowd on its feet singing along and cell phone cameras aglow, we kicked off the conference with an “everybody say ‘love’!” wake-up call (sorry/not sorry to those whose coffee hadn’t yet kicked in)! Sequined suits, rainbow chiffon and all.

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Athena, Laura, yours truly

The message (I hope) was clear – each of us is born to be special and we should bring our authentic selves to our work and lives every day. And as my mama taught me, and I offered to the beautiful assembly: “Tell others what they mean to you IN THE MOMENT when it will mean something to THEM.” (You can watch the full opening production here on Facebook; Thank you, Kates Media and By Aries, for the excellent video support!) Just after that, fabulous, motivating and authentic-badass-wrapped-in-a-warm-hug best-selling author Laura Gassner Otting, delivered a rousing keynote address about how each of us can and should live limitlessly and, well, get out of our own way, removing boundaries and inhibitions to achieve our true potential: Conquer Doubt. Dream Bigger. Be Limitless. Perfect for our Amplify theme!

(In what I think is an unprecedented move, our keynote wrote about her experience at the annual conference on her blog – it’s a lovely Valentine to all of us, so give it a read here.)

All of this would not be possible without the leadership of our outstanding 2023 LMA Annual Conference Advisory Committee (ACAC) Co-Chairs, Jen Dezso, Megan McKeon and Lee Watts, along with the entire ACAC. They fueled innovative thoughts and formats, brought together top thought leaders to share insights and knowledge, and helped more than 115 speakers share best practices and approaches to successful law firm marketing and business development with nearly 1,200 attendees. For those who couldn’t attend, attended but missed a session, or want to relive and review a session you attended, the CONFERENCE RECORDINGS will be available later this month, so watch your inbox. The recordings are included in the Conference registration and are also available for purchase if you weren’t able to attend.

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The BEST conference co-chairs Jen, Megan, and Lee (with some crazy man in sparkly pants!)

There’s really nothing like being in person at an LMA Annual or Regional Conference. The connections you make, the important information imparted, the nuanced tips and tricks shared among colleagues that are immediately implementable, and meeting with and learning about the new services, platforms and technologies available to make our work better through vendor partners (90+ at #LMA23!) make for an invaluable experience. I strongly encourage each of you to plan now to attend the 2024 LMA Annual Conference that will be held next April 3-5 in San Diego. Registration will open this August (with an Early-Bird Discount) and there will be a Justification Kit available to help you gain approval to attend. I can’t wait to go “All In” at #LMA24 and hope to see you there! 

In the meantime, the party continues over the coming months in the events and get-togethers of our eight dynamic regions and more than 40 local groups. They provide of-the-moment learning, support and community year-round. Check out the upcoming events and the fall regional conferences here ― and go! You won’t regret getting involved. I’ve had the privilege of chatting with our amazing regional presidents the past few days, and I know they have BIG things planned for this fall. You won’t want to miss these unique opportunities to reconnect with your regional communities and continue the conversation begun at #LMA23.

Whether you were at #LMA23 in person or not, take that AMPLIFIED, limitless mindset, enthusiasm for our profession and all the incredible learning – (or upcoming learning through the conference recordings) – back to your firms and organizations and use your own version of “sequins” to be your most authentic, amazing, amplified and successful selves. Without authenticity, you never achieve brand differentiation – for your firms, for your companies, for yourselves. And with a “community” like LMA, anything and everything is possible.

P.S. In a wonderful and authentic moment of serendipity, GrowthPlay‘s Deb Knupp stopped me in the hall late on day one of #LMA23 and said she was so motivated by the session opening that she found her key mentors – including CLIENTSFirst Consulting‘s Chris Fritsch and Content Pilot LLC‘s Deborah McMurray among others – and told them that they were instrumental in her setting off and developing her business. And that they needed to know that. Shortly thereafter, who do I run into, but Chris Fritsch who says, “Craziest thing! Deb Knupp just came up to me and told me how important I had been to her career and her personal and professional growth!” Funny that! Don’t hesitate to tell people the positive impact they have had in your life. It makes a big difference to them. And to you.

P.P.S. Thank you to our amazing LMA HQ team – Danielle Gorash Holland, Ashley Stenger, Holly Amatangelo, Kaitlin Heininger, Ellie Hurley, Jennifer Weigand, Kelly Bache Shatzer, CPA, Sarah Logan, Sydney Janecke, Kathy Sveen, Robyn Haynes, Ashley Nunzio, Meredith Halperin, Kristin Frankiewicz, and a host of others I’m likely missing – for their consummate, loving, detailed support of this event (months and months of hard work!). And a special shout out to Lisa M. Kamen, CAE for helping corral all my popcorn ideas into the message above and for smiling and agreeing a year ago when I ran up to her and said, “Um, I’d like to sing a Lady Gaga song next year.” She calmly replied, “Will you be arriving in an egg?” And then made all my crazy gay boy dreams come true.

Thank you all for being you — it’s an honor to be part of this marvelous community!

Love you!

Roy

President, 2023 LMA International Board of Directors

Roy E. Sexton

Director of Marketing

Clark Hill Law

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Save the Date! #LMA24 I April 3-5 I San Diego

“Honor and amplify the voices that enrich our perspectives and celebrate what makes us unique”

1 July 2021

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READ HERE: https://strategiesandvoices.org/Article-Details/ArtMID/388/ArticleID/1403/preview/true

Incredibly proud (pun intended) of this on so many levels. …

My incredible teammates Alexandra France and Gloria Pak and the collaborative and creative support they offered Clark Hill’s #PRIDE leaders Ray Koenig and Toby Smith – as well as our HR colleague Lauren Sager – being featured here.

The reach, depth, and profound impact of this campaign.

The love shown by my other “work family” – the Legal Marketing Association – LMA International and the team there, including Kaitlin Heininger , Kat Seiffert , Danielle Holland.

But most of all that we’ve evolved to a moment where we in the #lgbtqiaplus community are seen, valued, appreciated so authentically. Thank you, allies and friends. Means more than I can say.

“Personally, Pride is really meaningful to me because it gives an opportunity to pause and reflect on the progress our community has made, as well as celebrate with our friends and family,” says Ray Koenig, member, in the firm’s kickoff video. “It’s also exciting to celebrate with a firm that supports us for being our authentic selves and in everything we do.” …

“The activities included a video compilation of perspectives from the firm, educational content and resources, and an interview hosted by one of our attorneys with two trailblazing women in the LGBTQ+ community,” Pak and France share.

But the conversation doesn’t end here for Clark Hill. “While the month of June hosts visibility for Pride, we are committed to continually supporting the LGBTQ+ community and other diverse groups through our sponsorships with partner organizations and early planning of resources for the calendar year,” Pak and France say. “We view the various heritage months and special commemorative days not only as occasions to optimize successes and improve campaign strategies, but also as opportunities to honor and amplify the voices that enrich our perspectives and celebrate what makes us unique.”

No one left the cake out in the rain: Legal Marketing Coffee Talk – #PRIDE Edition

4 June 2021

2 Comments

Facebook VIDEO: https://fb.watch/5VdOeTARJ0/

YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PgWNbKBiX-g&feature=youtu.be

I have to say I am pretty damn proud of today’s show. Thank you, Terry Isner and Greg Griffin, for suggesting this and helping map out the approach and, Rob Kates, for being utterly amazing. In addition to Terry, we had gracious, candid, funny, loving guests in Keith Wewe and Amber Bollman. And my brilliant ma Susie Sexton is now EVERYONE’s ma. I’m so proud of her.

And our engaged and supportive commenters and friends Deborah McMurray, Heather Morse-Geller, Vivian Gorin Hood, Marcia Delgadillo, Tahisha Fugate, William Fitzgerald who kept the party going and helped us feel confident and loved every minute.

Yes, we laughed and shared deep truths. And there was singing. From I Will Survive to MacArthur Park, Don’t Leave Me This Way to Part of Your World. But, and I will only speak for myself, I suspect there will always be a part of any #LGBTQ+ professional worried about reception and approval and support. I know it felt very special to feel all of those things today. One hundred fold. #pride #loveislove #family 🌈

Our friend and fellow LMCT host Tahisha Fugate wrote, “Today’s episode of Legal Marketing Coffee Talk was one for the books. Do yourself a favor and catch the replay. The stories, the transparency, and of course the entertainment were phenomenal! You’ll also want to add a few songs to your playlist. … A special thanks to our wonderful host Roy Sexton and guests Keith Wewe , Amber Bollman, Terry M Isner and Roy’s mom (my favorite social mom).”

Terry wrote: “This was a big first for me, I am very comfortable being me, but never really discussed being me publicly like that, lol. … I love that the conversation has started and that our small community of legal marketing brothers and sisters are all in to create a community of acceptance and inclusion. … PRIDE is about everyone being proud to be themselves. 🐝 U but remember to 🐝Kind to everyone along the way.”

Happy Pride Month!🌈

Legal Marketing Coffee Talk (#PRIDE edition!) – Thursday, June 3, 3 pm ET

29 May 2021

2 Comments

Looking forward to this conversation with Amber Bollman, Keith Wewe, and Terry Isner on Rob Kates’ / Kates Media: Video Production’s “Legal Marketing Coffee Talk (#PRIDE edition!)” sponsored by Jessica Aries’ By Aries. Thank you to Terry and to Greg Griffin, both of Jaffe, for devising and helping develop the idea. Thank you to By Aries’ Katelynn McGuire, as always, for the exceptional promotional support. 🌈 Don’t miss it, THIS Thursday at 3 pm ET.

Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/155057871244919/posts/4091182347632432/?d=n

YouTube Live: https://youtu.be/PgWNbKBiX-g

Official show description: Legal Marketing Coffee Talk kicks off PRIDE month in style on June 3 with a full house. Host Roy Sexton chats with fellow LGBTQ+ legal marketing mavens Amber Bollman (Director of Client Service at Barnes & Thornburg LLP), Keith Wewe (Vice President of Strategy and Solutions at Content Pilot LLC), and Terry M Isner (Owner/CEO, Marketing & Branding at Jaffe ).

This promises to be a special episode, full of laughter, insights, hard truths, and maybe a showtune or two. Our panel will discuss what challenges LGBTQ+ professionals face in our industry, what secret superpowers set them apart, what inclusion and equity looks like from their perspective, and what our collective future may hold. Don’t miss it!

Tune in Thursday, June 3rd at 3:00pm ET.

Legal Marketing Coffee Talk is brought to you by: By Aries and Kates Media.