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Message from the Chair
By John S. Kirk, CLM
Chair, ALA Vendor Relations Committee
As I begin my term as chair of the Vendor Relations Committee (VRC) and Vendor Advisory Panel (VAP), I
want to extend a heart-felt thanks to Patti Lane, CLM, who completed her term at this year’s Annual
Conference. The VRC and VAP accomplished a great deal during Patti’s tenure, and we are grateful for
her leadership.
As we look back over the last several months and to the near-term future, most of us have been
and will be faced with limited resources and difficult decisions – what to buy, how to manage under
tight budgets, how to stay ahead of the curve and come out stronger. Whether you are a law office or a
business entity selling to the legal community, our challenges will be keeping our best clients and/or
business partners, while continuing to look for new opportunities.
The goals for the 2009-2010 VRC and VAP are to enhance the tools that have been developed, and
look for more solutions to educating our respective communities by enhancing the notion that we are all
in this legal industry business together – as business partners.
Look at our Web site for tools to help you manage during these challenging times. Feel free to contact
us with your ideas and suggestions for enhancing our mutually beneficial relationships.
And one final thought: The theme of this year’s Chapter Leadership Institute was
The Power of One; One World, One Association, One Connection. Know that you are a vital
part of The Power of One! Let us know how we can help each other to enhance that Power.
Welcome, Jackie Stasch, CEM,
Manager, Exhibits and Sponsorships
Jackie Stasch joined the ALA staff on April 23, 2009, as Manager, Exhibits and Sponsorships. She brings more than
17 years of industry experience to this position and to ALA. Most recently, Jackie served as the Manager of Event
Operations at BAI (Bank Administration Institute) where she oversaw all exhibits and sponsorships as well as the
overall event management for up to eight events per year. Previously Jackie served as a meeting planner and
exhibit manager at an association management firm and at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation. During her fourth week on the job, Jackie had the unique pleasure of seeing ALA’s Annual Conference
in action – she has since recovered and it settling in nicely!
Have you seen a cool sponsorship at an event recently? Is there something you wish ALA had available to you
for your overall marketing plan? If there is something you have seen done elsewhere or just something that you think
would be a great opportunity for you, please send a note to
Jackie.
It Pays to be an Exhibitor
at ALA’s Annual Conference & Exposition!
Companies that proved they stayed in one of the ALA hotels in New Orleans received a free ALA
membership list (a $2,000 value). And one of those companies won a free booth (a $2,900 value) at
next year’s event in Boston. Yes, it Pays to be an exhibitor!
Congratulations to NetSimplicity, the winner of a complimentary 10'x10' inline booth at the ALA Conference
and Exposition, May 3-6, 2010, in Boston, Massachusetts. Yes, it Pays to be an exhibitor!
Remember, it’s always better to stay in the hotels ALA books for its events. It helps the Association avoid attrition
fees so those financial resources that can be devoted to quality education for its members. Exhibitors reduce their
organization’s bottom line by securing the ALA rate for their hotel rooms and by qualifying for value-added benefits like
free access to full-member mailing list and free booth space. Everyone wins!
ALA Unveils New Logo and Tagline
ALA has once again shown its strength and leadership by being proactive and adapting to global changes that truly
reflect the nature of an evolving profession and association. While, for many reasons ALA will continue to be "The source…,"
as an organization we have chosen to look ahead – to continue our journey along an evolutionary process and transcend our
current position into one that is more in keeping of where we are headed as an organization and profession.
As many of you who attended our recent Annual Conference in New Orleans are aware, ALA is indeed looking forward
towards the future. And in keeping with this forward looking philosophy, we have adopted a new logo, new tagline and in
essence a new vitality to serve both our members and business partners.
This association-wide initiative, which couples our new logo and tagline with a dynamic brand design system, creates
a distinctive global approach and supports ALA’s brand promise of connecting members to knowledge, resources and
networking opportunities. As an ALA business partner, you are an integral component of our shared future and this strategy.
The updated tagline "Your connection to knowledge, resources and networking" reinforces ALA’s commitment to putting legal
management professionals in touch with the information, products and services they need most to successfully manage their
law firms or legal departments. The tagline truly represents a "two-way street," whereby we position both our members and
business partners in a symbiotic relationship that works towards mutual success.
Marketing (Exhibiting) Investment Is Vital to Profitability
History has shown that those companies that invest more in their marketing and trade show efforts during challenging times remain profitable. Now is the time to keep your name in front of your
target markets. Consider these facts:
- There is substantial savings by doing business under one roof.
- Exhibitions allow you to make contact with multiple new — and potential — customers in a single trip.
- 82% of attendees are interested in products/services marketed at exhibits, according to the Center for Exhibition Research (CEIR).
- Over 80% of ALA attendees are decision makers, and the rest recommend products and services for their law firms, according to ALA research.
CEIR also reports the following decision makers' perceptions of exhibits:
- 89% of attendees say that exhibitions keep them up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in their industry.
- 88% say that exhibitions save company time by bringing many vendors under one roof at the same time.
- 86% say exhibitions help their company make decisions about what products/services to buy.
- To decision makers, exhibitions continue to rank in value above sales calls and trade publications as one of the most useful sources of purchasing information.
- On average, it takes only 1.6 sales calls to close a sale from an exhibition, compared to 3.7 sales calls to close a sale without an exhibition lead.
ALA’s 2009 Regional Educational Conferences & Expositions
Fall seems like a long time away, but the ALA Regional Educational Conferences & Expositions are right around the corner. Take advantage of these events – there is a low dollar investment in your table top exhibit, a short time out of the office,
and a unique opportunity to interact with ALA members in an intimate setting.
Regional Conference Exhibit Space is filling fast! Check table top exhibit availability and sponsorship opportunities.
Exhibit Space Deadline Approaching!
ALA’s 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition in Boston
The 2010 ALA Annual Conference & Exposition early bird exhibit space deadline is August 15, 2009. Don’t delay!
Complete your exhibit space contract and
remit with your payment before the deadline expires. Prices will increase by $300 beginning August 16.
Diversity Statements
ALA’s Vendor Relations Committee is teaming up with the Committee on Diversity to increase diversity among ALA’s
business partners. Do you have a diversity statement on your Web site that you would like to promote? Send us the link,
and we will share it with ALA members. Are your law firm clients incorporating diversity components on their Requests for
Proposals (RFPs)? Let us know that as well. Please send your responses and forward Web links to
Debbie Curtis.
Quarterly Question
This section of the newsletter features a question relevant to the legal vendor community and three answers to it: from an
ALA member, an ALA business partner and an ALA staff member. We hope this approach will help you gain a larger appreciation for
topics and issues facing the vendor community.
In addition to ALA’s award-winning publications and Web site, what resources do you use to gain a
better understanding of the legal management profession and its current issues and trends?
An ALA Member’s Perspective:
In my effort to stay informed on matters related to legal management or the legal industry in general, I rely primarily on
Web sites or email newsletters. Due to the over abundance of potential sources, my challenge has been to identify the fewest
number of sources that provide the largest volume of relevant information. Here is a run-down of what I use presently:
- For information on significant events within law firms and corporate legal departments: Hildebrandt Headlines e-newsletter.
- For a broader view of the legal industry:
- For information on activities of our local bar association (I am an associate member):
Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association e-newsletter. (Visit www.clemetrobar.org for more information. Membership required.)
- For very current published information on specific issues or organizations:
Google News Alerts. (Visit www.google.com for more information. Google account required.)
- I also have several Web sites and e-newsletters that I use to stay current on local, national and international business news and current events as well as regional economic development news, as these have both a direct and indirect impact on our practice and industry.
William D. Mech
Office Administrator
Squire Sanders & Dempsey, LLP
A Business Partner’s Perspective:
The Internet has become a primary source for timely information on the legal industry. Most of the resources are free and easy to
subscribe to. The challenge is wading through the excess of information we receive electronically every day. Some preferred sites
include:
Publications from The National Law Journal and The American Lawyer providing daily updates on major happenings in the
Legal Industry across the United States. www.law.com The College of Law Practice Management site offers knowledge, dialogue and a blog for practice management
professionals on excellence and innovation in law practice. Additionally there are sources for many Web site links to
organizations and publications related to the legal profession. www.colpm.org Law Firm Consultant Web sites provide yet another resource. Sites like Hildebrandt cover professional services
firm management solutions with a global prospective. The Hildebrandt weekly Headlines include "Office Openings and
Closings," "Comings & Goings," "Firm Management and Governance" and my favorite, "Trends." www.hildebrandt.com Altman Weil offers a library of resources for law firm and law department managers and leaders, adding new
material regularly www.altmanweil.com Need to find a lawyer? Directories like http://lawyers.findlaw.com, http://legalrecords.findlaw.com,
http://www.lawyers.com, and www.martindale.com are all good resources for researching attorneys. Lastly, individual law firm Web sites besides providing an enormous amount of information about individual
firms and profiles on attorneys that are informative, have news and access to recent publications of interest.
To understand the culture of a private law firm, the recruiting section of any law firm provides insightful resource.
Barbara Dunn, FIIDA
Principal
Gensler Architecture, Design & Planning Worldwide
An ALA Staff Member’s Perspective:
Any list of resources that help in understanding the legal profession has to start with Legal Management and ALA News… I
almost didn’t mention them because they’re so obvious, but a friendly reminder never hurts!
My favorite non-ALA source is Law.com, a Web site that aggregates legal industry news stories from a number of
Incisive Media (formerly American Lawyer Media) publications. The Newswire option provides a daily e-mail spotlight of
what’s happening in the industry – you’ll get articles on Washington affairs, significant court cases and news on the
most recent law firm mergers or dissolutions. You’ll also learn about industry trends in technology, issues specific to
small or large firms, and how the business of law has been affected by the economy. You can even get the latest gossip
straight off the most widely-read legal blogs. Free registration is required; just sign up at www.law.com.
For more in-depth management information, I check out the Web site of consulting firm KermaPartners,
www.kermapartners.com (free registration required). Their topical articles are excellent, and their quarterly update offers
strategic insights on how current events impact professional services firms.
Sue Umbdenstock, MSLS
Sr. Legal Management Information Specialist & Research Librarian
Association of Legal Administrators
Approaching Advertising Deadlines for ALA Publications
ALA strives to make your relationship with legal administrators a successful one by providing you an array of opportunities to
reach them. In 2009, ALA continues to offer highly visible – and affordable – ad positions in its flagship publications
Legal Management (print and digital editions) and ALA News. In addition, the twice-monthly e-newsletter
ALA Currents features multiple, high-impact banner ad positions.
And, coming soon, don’t miss the third annual edition of Professional Legal Management Week (PLMW) Magazine.
Published in the fall, this special magazine reaches not only members of ALA, but also members of several other legal organizations,
including the ABA’s Law Practice Management Section. Learn more at www.plmw.org.
For more information about all advertising opportunities with ALA, contact Mohanna Sales Representatives:
Phone: (972) 596-8777
E-mail: info@mohanna.com
Or visit ALA’s Web site to download the 2009 Media Kit
(Note: ALA’s 2010 Media Kit is slated for release in early October 2009.)
Legal Management journal, September 2009 issue:
Ad space reservations due: Friday, August 7, 2009
Ad materials due: Friday, August 14, 2009
Legal Management journal, October 2009 issue:
Ad space reservations due: Friday, September 4, 2009
Ad materials due: Friday, April 10, 2009
ALA News magazine, October/November 2009 issue:
Ad space reservations due: Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Ad materials due: Wednesday, September 23, 2009
ALA News magazine, December 2009/January 2010 issue:
Ad space reservations due: Monday, November 16, 2009
Ad materials due: Monday, November 23, 2009
2009 Professional Legal Management Week Magazine – 40,000-plus circulation to members of 12 legal organizations!
Ad space reservations due: Friday, August 14, 2009
Ad materials due: Friday, August 21, 2009
Magazine release date: Late September 2009
2009 – Save the Dates for ALA Events!
September 25-26 Region 6 Educational Conference and Exposition
DoubleTree Sonoma Wine Country
Rohnert Park, California
October 2-3 Region 4 Educational Conference & Exposition
Crowne Plaza San Antonio Riverwalk Hotel
San Antonio, Texas
October 2-3 Region 5 Educational Conference & Exposition
The Fairmont Banff Springs
Banff, Alberta, Canada
October 5-9 Professional Legal Management Week
October 9-11 Region 3 Educational Conference & Exposition
Chase Park Plaza Hotel
St. Louis, Missouri
October 16-18 11th Annual Community Challenge Weekend
October 21-22 Intellectual Property Retreat
Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa
Savannah, GA
October 23-24 Regions 1 & 2 Educational Conference & Exposition
Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa
Savannah, Georgia
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