Our Legal Marketing Association – LMA International board met this week. My last in-person meeting as president. I told them all this, and I will repeat it here. This will truly be the honor of my professional life. It has been such a gift to serve alongside such a dedicated, creative, fun, thoughtful group of human beings.
It was truly affirming to see how aligned we are in working toward the continued growth and evolution of this organization and community that we all love very much. The October meeting is always a transitional one, as we welcome our incoming board members to listen in on the conversations in which they will soon take active part. It’s a really wonderful group. And I will be also sad to see some exceptional voices roll off the board as is the natural way of these things.
Our incoming 2024 president Kevin Iredell did a fabulous job laying out his vision and approach for next year – and we alongside 2022 prez Brenda Plowman gave our 2025 president John Byrne his commemorative prez cap. #40! I don’t think he’s much of a baseball cap kind of guy, but it was nonetheless a great honor to be able to hand this ceremonial object to such a good, longtime friend, who cares so much about our profession.
In addition, these pandemic years kind of derailed much opportunity for us to bond beyond meeting times and the occasional dinner or conference. Being fiscally responsible, we did squeak in a group Chicago architectural boat tour. It turned out to be such a glorious sunny fall day in Chicago and we had a delightful time learning about the rich history of this city.
And, yes, my 1997 gogo boy, club kid pleather Ricky Martin pants emerged from the back of my closet for our board dinner. My colleagues might wish those pants would go back in that closet never to be seen again. But I felt quite chic.
And finally the board gave me the most heartwarming present. Back in April at the #LMA23 annual conference, they collected sand from the beach and objects from the event that reminded them of me and of our work together. The items are all held in a beautifully engraved apothecary jar, which will be proudly displayed in my home, alongside “Bed Bugs Bunny.” (Thank you for the perfect name, Laura Gassner Otting!) Some of you might recall that I rescued a wet, muddy, stuffed rabbit that I found on the sidewalk in Florida before the event.
These amazing folks know me well. And I love them.
P.S. I rewarded myself with a martini, blue cheese olives, and french fries. I’m such a nerd.
P.P.S. And then ANOTHER martini and mac and cheese with my boo at Seva Restaurant, Ann Arbor. 😅🍸
My Legal Marketing Association pals Sarah Minjoe and Amy Trevino absolutely made my day with this arrival a few weeks back! At our #LMASW23 conference they had included me in a presentation that also referenced Ted Lasso. Fine company in which to be!
They mailed me some of the materials, as I was not able to attend, and included this beautiful letter. Their kindness means the world and their contributions to our community are joyous and profound.
In return, I framed all of this, placed it all on my office wall (which dangerously is starting to resemble the decor of a Ruby Tuesday restaurant), and sent a photo along with this note: “I told you I’d frame these! You are now proudly alongside the boys of 98 Degrees in my Detroit Clark Hill office!”
WHICH … in turn, prompted them to ask: 98 Degrees?! And I replied …
As for how this 98 Degrees thing came to be, it’s a long and sordid story. Not that you need to read these posts but somewhat captured over years on my blog:
In short, my hubby is CRAZY for them – I was always like, “meh.” (I was more of a 90s diva gay – Madonna, Janet, Whitney, etc.) That said, I took my hubby to see them in 2000 at the height of their … fame. My husband, who is a gentle soul, was embarrassed that we were the only dudes and the only people over 12 in attendance, so we left after one song.
Years later, I took him for his birthday to a NKOTB/BoyzIIMen/98 Degrees package tour and paid a ridiculous amount for a meet and greet. John was less embarrassed this time. Everyone was … older. And gayer.
Interestingly, in a twist on inclusion, our VIP package included two … women’s t-shirts. Nick Lachey seemed particularly befuddled there were boys in the VIP line to meet them. Jeff Timmons (who we’d met a year or two prior at a Ferndale Pride event) couldn’t have been lovelier.
And then, a few years later (tracking against where their popularity now is), they were playing the Motor City Casino. We saw them twice in two successive years. I sprung for the VIP meet and greets again. John is now at this point giddy to meet them. They “get” that their audience is far more diverse. I suspect Jeff helped with that. Drew is also lovely. And they couldn’t have been kinder the last few times we saw them. Genuinely appreciative.
I mean, they are all basically my age. I think it helps that I’m just like “hey guys, good to see you again” (while my hubby melts). And looking at these pictures you’ll see how comical that is.
Jeff and I now have a light twitter friendship – for lack of any better term. I’m not saying there’s a strong connection, but he’s savvy enough to respond on twitter and insta and is always very gracious. And I in turn comment and share his content sometimes.
So … that’s how this happened. Welcome to my very weird world.
Nostalgia. You reach this point in life and it comes over you in unexpected waves. A week or so ago I was reminiscing with my husband about the first new car I remember my parents buying. Up until that point, they had a series of hand me downs.
But in 1984 I was so proud of myself that I called their attention to what was inexplicably Motortrend’s car of the year: the Renault Alliance.
It was affordable, rather exotic/chic/cute (for its moment), and my mother thought it looked like a MilkyWay candy bar. We had it in burgundy, and I can still remember the clean, warm, plastic-y smell it had inside.
It was the car on which I learned to drive, with which I got my driver’s license, and that I was very rarely occasionally allowed to drive around in high school when I wanted to seem … cool? Anyway, John and I found this model on eBay and of course I had to buy it.
Wendy Melton of Life on the Edge Media found these family items in an auction a few weeks back, and she was kind enough to reach out to me to see if I would like them. Of course, I said yes. What a treasure trove.
But what really strikes me is the letter I found that my grandfather wrote to his three daughters. It’s a long read, but I think you will enjoy it. I also see so much wisdom in this and find his way of expressing himself circuitously charming. And I also now completely see where I get my tendency to speak in parentheticals!
I also seem to recall legend of this letter that when it was sent, it was not particularly well received. 😅 And this might explain why it ended up in an auction. 😂
I don’t know that I ever actually read it nor saw it.
That said, at this point in my life, and with all the difficult moments we all are processing, and with what I have personally learned as Legal Marketing Association – LMA International prez this year, the letter really hits home. So sharing if also somehow helpful to you all.
Legal Marketing Association president Roy Sexton said law firms’ marketing staff often are filled by specialists who are trained in marketing or business development.
Sexton spoke after a Daily Report article on Monday detailed that some law firms are using legal assistants and paralegals to fill gaps in their marketing and business development operations.
The article attracted social media commentary, including those who asserted that law firm staff members are not fungible, particularly in light of the specialized education, training and experience so many possess.
Indeed, Sexton said marketing staff at law firms typically take on tasks that require specialized training and experience, such as in areas of digital marketing or calculation of capacity utilization, similar to law firms’ lawyers often specializing in specific practice areas. …
Sexton said a traditional law firm marketing task — event planning — now requires the marketing staffer to have enough knowledge of practice areas and the legal industry so the event can be targeted to a specific audience.
On the other hand, paralegals and legal assistants specialize in areas for law firms that Sexton said he would not be proficient in.
“I wouldn’t want to be a paralegal,” said Sexton, who is marketing director for the Detroit firm Clark Hill. “We have specialization for a reason.” …
Sexton said Arnall Golden Gregory chief marketing officer Lisa Vicine’s use of non-marketing staff to assist in some areas reflects that need.
“What is a crucial skill for marketing leaders is also to consider what resources and capacity they have available to them in their firms,” Sexton said. “What Lisa has done is an accretive use of the talent available. It’s also a great way to help develop future talent when you understand somebody has an interest in this.”
Public statements. I know for many of us that is our stock in trade as marketers. But with what feels like a never-ending stream of global, regional, local tragedies, the cascade of public statements starts to feel like a performative cycle.
If you are silent, if you respond too soon, if you respond too late, if you don’t thread the needle of compassion with enough specificity or too much vagueness, or if it seems too innocuous…you upset someone.
I’m told words matter. I believe actions when no one is looking matter more. And with so much heartache in the world, corporate statements from on high become some kind of ephemeral game, arguably helping no one in real life.
When you are in a leadership role, you feel this pressure even more acutely. And for those of us who are deeply empathetic and sensitive, it can become paralyzing.
What do I feel in this present moment? Absolute heartache. The images of innocent people trying to live their daily lives being ripped apart, physically and emotionally are horrifying beyond belief. I am bereft to be honest.
I could make a statement affirming that I abhor violence and terrorism. That would be absolutely true. But in this moment where personally my heart is at sea, I ask myself what good would my words do? Add some momentary comfort? Possibly.
What do I also know about public statements? Most of them go unread. After so much heartache and handwringing goes into creating them. And those that are read, never resonate in the way they are intended.
What do I know that matters? That you reach out to individuals in your life, people you know who are hurting, who are scared, who want to know they aren’t alone. My mother said tell people what they mean to you in the moment when it will mean something to them. Those words couldn’t ring truer for me right now. That’s what we all need to do.
The pressures you are all already under in your daily lives to do the good work you do, to take care of yourselves and your families, and to take care of each other, is daunting enough. But to then witness an hourly barrage of images that have us question our own humanity is too much to bear.
So, what can you do? Reach out to a friend, tell them you love them, share your feelings with them, donate to humanitarian organizations that are doing the impossible work of knitting lives back together… and most of all be kind.
Some of you will be happy with this note, some of you will be upset, some may seek commiseration online, some of you won’t read this at all. That is the nature of public statements. Public actions? Those matter.
“A Quiet Thing” by Kander and Ebb, from a musical called “Flora the Red Menace” (Liza Minnelli’s Broadway debut), is a song that has been special to me for 25 years. My mom loved it, and I sang it in my very first one-man cabaret show at Wabash College. LOOOOONG ago. Think “Just Jack!” with fewer production values.
This was captured at our recent LMA Midwest Region Conference – #LMAMW23 – by co-chair Joanna Beckett. I’m so grateful to have this clip. I know it’s a bit unusual to offer opening remarks that include a show tune at a business meeting … but have you met me? This is a song that always resonates with me in moments of reflection. I’ve just got a few months left in my Legal Marketing Association – LMA International presidency, so I’m a bit in my feels … as the kids say.
As I noted right before I broke into song in broad daylight, I never had voice lessons. I didn’t sing in high school choir. But when I was in college, I suddenly found myself craving all the music my parents Don and Susie Sexton listened to when I was growing up: Barbra Streisand, Sammy Davis, Lena Horne, Doris Day. And I would go to the Walmart or Target in Crawfordsville, Indiana (we only had two stores … lol) and grab any CDs I could find. Columbia House helped too! I may still owe them for some of those discs, come to think of it. And I’d pop the shiny objects into my Discman that plugged into a tape deck in my swanky 1986 Buick Century and sing WAY out loud as I drove. Those artists “taught” me how to sing.
A few years later, I was cast as one of the leads in The Fantasticks. My mother, who DID have formal vocal training, told me years later that she was terrified over what was about to unfold. She said that once I opened my mouth and let out a warble, she knew I was going to be ok.
And I think I love singing for the very reason that it’s always been mine. No one forcing rules or expectations on me. Just doing it the way that feels natural to me. It refills my well and brings me joy. Not sure if it does the same for the audience, but that doesn’t stop me. Everyone needs something like that in their lives.
So thank you to LMA Midwest Region President Jennifer Gessner Shankleton for letting me share the stage with her this week and to co-chairs Lexie Blaner and Joanna for the EXCEPTIONAL work on this sold out event. It meant a lot to come full circle to the region where I started my LMA life for my last public appearance as the international president. As I joked from the stage, I think I’ve only made about 3.5 public appearances in this role as I mostly just want to stay in my basement!
In this town we call home Everyone hail to the pumpkin song In this town, don’t we love it now? Everybody’s waiting for the next surprise
—“This is Halloween,” from The Nightmare Before Christmas
October: a time of crispness in the air, crunchy red leaves underfoot, scrumptious cider and doughnuts, college homecoming football games, pumpkin spice everything — and Halloween.
I was that kid whose parents crafted bespoke costumes I had to explain to everyone my age. Imagine showing up at school dressed like Clark Kent (pic #1) Charlie Chaplin, Jacques Cousteau or Schneider (pic #2) from “One Day at a Time.” Yep, that was me. Everyone else had those awful plastic superhero masks that cut into your face, and I was dressed like obscure Hollywood actors and undersea explorers.
I suspect that is why this month holds so darn much nostalgia for me. And why this playlist might be the one I’ve been most excited to create. Enjoy these jamming “Happy Haunts” on Apple Music and Spotify!
October also means we are knee-deep in our incredible lineup of regional conferences. Two down (and SOLD OUT), four to go! Way to go, Southwest and Midwest Regions for knocking your events out of the park. The momentum is mighty for our remaining offerings.
Do NOT miss out on the fellowship, education, and fun ahead — click here to register for Northeast (October 19-20), Mid-Atlantic(October 26), Southeast (November 8-10), and West (November 13-14)!
As a sidenote, a few people have asked me if I am planning to attend XYZ regional conference. The answer? Nope. I did attend the LMA Midwest Region conference, but the truth is we have an incredible international board, beautifully geographically distributed. They all will be appearing — many even speaking — at their home region conferences. In my opinion, the celebratory focus needs to be on our incredible regions and all they do.
(Plus, I do have a day job, hubby and cute puppies who need me. 😉)
October 2-3 in the Windy City was grand. I joined my pal and LMA Midwest Region Prez Jennifer Shankleton on the mainstage to welcome everyone — no, no drag queens or disco showtunes THIS time! But there was a low-key musical surprise [CLICK TO VIEW “A Quiet Thing”] — right before phenom keynote Rich Bracken wowed us all.
This post from member Casey Harrison about the Southwest Conference (September 13-15) is a great reminder of why we do what we do. Give it a quick read, and I think you will smile. The Southwest Region kicked off our regional conference season in incredible style. SOLD OUT event, vibrant and so engaging. Whether you were there in person or saw the fantastic array of posts on social media, I think you will agree.
Let’s get ALL of these conferences sold out and end this year like the fireworks finale at Disneyland! Kudos to our regional presidents, regional boards, conference chairs and conference planning committees for their exceptional work and their dedication to the mission. You all inspire!
And thank you to HQ’s Ashley Stenger and her colleagues Ashley Nunzio and Eric Himsel for their hustle, heart and grace, burning the midnight oil behind the scenes to support it all so beautifully.
We work in demanding environments and this TED video resonated. For me, there were some a-ha moments of reflection regarding how I conduct myself as a leader at work and at LMA. I suspect you will feel similarly and hope you find this as helpful as I did. This video frames how we treat each other impacts the bottom line and how our well-being drives our behavior, all in one smart three-minute clip. And yes, there’s data to back it up.
A lot of heart, hard work and brilliance has gone into our regional events. We are so grateful to our volunteer leaders for everything they are doing. I’m excited to see the social media posts that will follow — truly a party that never ends!
Finally, I want to acknowledge the passing of industry legend Burkey Belser. In terms of design and positioning, he challenged the status quo and, quite frankly, rocked the legal world in the way we thought about advertising and imagery. You no doubt saw countless posts from leading lights who were influenced by him and whose careers he positively impacted. We must always honor those who came before us, as we are privileged to stand on the shoulders of giants.
I’ll share this link to one such post — the way Deborah McMurray framed her tribute spoke to me professionally and personally. She writes, “A visionary, pioneer, icon and iconoclast, he was a mentor to many legal marketers, including me. The positioning strategist that I am today is because I got to work with him, watching not what he did, but how he thought.” And that’s what true community is about.
(Don’t miss the P.S. below for the “suit” reference!)
Love you,
Roy
President, 2023 LMA International Board of Directors
Roy E. Sexton Director of Marketing Clark Hill
P.S. A tale of a tailor found
A few weeks back, I went a-wandering to grab lunch at this Indian food truck I’ve spied a few times — Paradise Street Eats & Biryani. I love Indian food and, given my recent bout of COVID and the rampant increase of cases, I’ll be eating outside for a while until it snows. And then I’ll be in my basement.
Anywho…I walked back to the office on a different path and passed a store, Hot Sam’s Detroit.
This suit was on a clearance rack out front. It spoke to me. Love the color. Love a bargain. Love… being impulsive. I grabbed it and walked inside. I was in AWE of this place. Every bit of clothing was pure joy. I’ll likely go back, a lot.
I walked up to one of the dapper gentlemen running the store, and said, “How much is this?” Happy with the price, I said, “I’ll take it.” As I waited to check out, we made some small talk. And here’s where my exuberance failed me.
I said, “This is such a cute store!” “Cute store,” he replied with a tone that suggested that wasn’t a desirable adjective.
“Oh, I’m my mother’s son. That’s a high compliment for us!” Now feeling like I stepped in it, I added (unhelpfully), “How long have you been here?”
He replied drily, “Since 1921.”
Now I’m feeling the flop sweat on my brow and kicked into overexplaining mode. “Well, I was just trying the Indian food truck.” He added, “It’s really good.” I replied, “So I don’t normally come down this way. And I’m from Indiana originally. But I’ve lived here for 25 years. I do live in Ann Arbor though. But I come to Detroit a couple days a week.”
At this point, he was getting pretty amused at this nut buying the suit in his store. He handed me his card. It read: “Tony Stovall, CEO/Co-Owner, Hot Sam’s Detroit.”
He added with grace and good humor, “Check us out on social media. And learn about who we are and what we do.”
I said, “I sure will!” and took my Indian food and beautiful new suit, exclaiming, “I’ll be back.”
And then I did what he asked and realized how sometimes we know absolutely nothing. Sometimes we should pause and listen and learn to appreciate the history and good work around us. Similarly, I’ll leave you to it to learn more. But DO take a moment and check out their website: https://hotsamsdetroit.com/.
Elegance personified. Community engagement. Leadership. Authenticity.
Ain’t nothing “cute” about that. That’s pure fire. And I’m proud to be a transplanted Detroiter — even if I do say well-meaning stupid things sometimes!
File under: well-meaning things we say/do that land with a thud!
REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR LMA24 April 3-5 San Diego
File under: well-meaning things we say/do that land with a thud!
So today, I went a-wandering to grab lunch at this Indian food truck I’ve spied a few times. Paradise Street Eats & Biryani. I love Indian food and, given my recent bout of covid and the rampant increase of cases, I’ll be eating outside for a while. Until it snows. And then I’ll be in my basement.
Anywho, I walked back to the office a different path, and passed this store: Hot Sam’s Detroit. This suit was on a clearance rack out front. It spoke to me. Love the color. Love a bargain. Love … being impulsive. I grabbed it and walked inside.
I was in AWE of this store. Every bit of clothing was pure joy. I’ll likely go back. A lot.
I walked up to one of the dapper gentlemen running the store, and said, “How much is this?” Happy with the price, I said, “I’ll take it.”
As I waited to check out, we made some small talk. And here’s where my exuberance failed me.
I said, “This is such a cute store!” “Cute store,” he replied with that tone that suggested that wasn’t a desirable adjective. “Oh, I’m my mother’s son. That’s a high compliment for us!” Now feeling like I stepped in it, I added (unhelpfully), “How long have you been here?” He replied drily, “Since 1921.”
Now I’m feeling the flop sweat on my brow, and I kicked into overexplaining mode. “Well, I was just trying the Indian food truck.” He added, “It’s really good.” I replied, “So I don’t normally come down this way. And I’m from #Indiana originally. But I’ve lived here 25 years. I do live in Ann Arbor though. But I come to Detroit a couple days a week.”
At this point, he was getting pretty amused at this nut buying the suit in his store. He handed me his card. It read: “Tony Stovall, CEO/Co-Owner, Hot Sam’s Detroit.”
He added with grace and good humor, “Check us out on social media. And learn about who we are and what we do.” I said, “I sure will!” and took my Indian food and beautiful new suit, exclaiming, “I’ll be back.”
And then I did what he asked. And realized how sometimes we know absolutely nothing. And that we should pause and listen and learn to appreciate the history and good work around us.
Similarly, I’ll leave you to it to learn more. But DO take a moment and check out their website: https://hotsamsdetroit.com/.
Elegance personified. Community engagement. Leadership. Authenticity.
Ain’t nothing “cute” about that. That’s pure fire. And I’m proud to be a transplanted Detroiter … even if I do say well-meaning stupid things sometimes!
YES! #LMA23 Legal Marketing Association – Regional Conference Season is in FULL swing! #LMASW23 just wrapped their phenomenal SOLD OUT conference this week, complete with live music and a traditional NOLA second line! EPIC!
Now, our attention turns toward our next event – #LMAMW23 (that’s Midwest, y’all!) – on October 2-3 in the Windy City. I’ll be there – hope you will be too! I’ll be joining my pal LMA Midwest Region Prez Jennifer Gessner Shankleton on the mainstage to welcome everyone – no, no drag queens or disco showtunes THIS time … but there may be a low-key musical surprise – right before phenom keynote Rich Bracken wows us all.
And, then, I will also join Vikram Nair, Director & Head of Partnerships, Pitchly, on day two for a panel discussion: “You Bought It, Now What? Best Practices for Successful Software Implementation and Adoption.”
