Murtha Cullina, a law firm with Connecticut offices in Stamford, Hartford and New Haven and Massachusetts offices in Boston and Woburn, recently held an “Amazing Race” marketing challenge for associates.
In early 2014, Alena Gfeller, a partner in Murtha Cullina”™s litigation department and a member of the firm”™s executive committee, was named as the firm”™s marketing partner. Her first initiative was to encourage the associates to expand their marketing skills.
“We know that our attorneys can practice law, but we also knew it was never too soon to encourage the associates and counsel to focus on the importance of marketing,” said Debra Sciarra, Murtha Cullina”™s director of marketing, said in a press release. “”˜The Amazing Race”™ confirmed that the associates and counsel are already doing what they should be doing, but now we are all more aware of it.”
Beginning in May, the associates and counsel for six months submitted weekly reports describing their marketing and business development efforts. To earn points, the attorneys had to meet criteria that included bringing in new clients, initiating meetings with prospects and referral sources, joining and attending meetings of legal and business organizations, writing articles, presenting at seminars, updating marketing plans, community involvement and lunches with partners outside their practice areas.
Points were also distributed for working with other Murtha Cullina offices. Once reports were submitted, Gfeller reviewed them and assigned points based on the impact of the activity. Deduction of points was allowable if goals were not met.
“This was not a contest to check off boxes on a to-do list ”” attorneys had to work hard for points, and we are confident that through the process they came to understand the importance of marketing and business development and that it should be a part of their daily practice,” Gfeller said in the press release. “The attorneys who participated learned how to better market themselves, learned how to better market the firm and they now fully understand the importance of continually working on business development.”
The associates and counsel brought in more than 20 new clients to Murtha Cullina in the course of the six-month challenge.
The Amazing Race concluded on Oct. 31. The awards ceremony took place at the Attorney Retreat recently in Newport, R.I. Winning gifts included new iPads.
The winners were Dena M. Castricone, Melissa A. Federico, Stella Szantova Giordano, Michael D. Goldfarb, Robert A. Heinimann Jr., Joseph B. Schwartz, Monica P. Snyder, Stephanie Sprague Sobkowiak, Lisa P. Staron and Kristen L. Zaehringer.
