ALA Business Partner (Vendor) Contribution Guidelines

 

ALA’s flagship publication, Legal Management magazine provides education and information relating to the business of law and law firm management for legal management professionals, managing partners of law firms, sole practitioners and others with an interest in this area. The Association of Legal Administrators and Legal Management share the goal of making the publication a thought-leader magazine for these industry professionals.  

We publish 10 times a year and feature content on issues of vital importance to law firm managers. ALA’s interactive digital approach to content demonstrates our thought leadership and our goal to stay ahead of the curve when providing relevant and timely articles. Additionally, we publish LM Extras, which is timely content we produce in between issues.

At ALA, we value our business partners’ expertise and invite you to contribute in one of the ways below. These opportunities preserve our editorial integrity, while still allowing you a chance to impart knowledge to nearly 9,000 legal management professionals. 

  • Business Partner Perspective: This is a column in each issue of Legal Management. The general rule of thumb? It's educational, not advertorial. In other words, the content must be educational as Legal Management will not print case studies or anything sales-y. (But if you're interested in advertising opportunities, contact Fred Ullman at [email protected].) Also, this section cannot be purchased. Articles are assigned solely on the quality of the content pitched. There is no formal editorial calendar for this section, allowing flexibility based on timeliness and the business partner’s expertise. Note: These guidelines also apply to business partner pitches to Legal Management Talk, ALA's official podcast. 
  • Expert Interviewee: Our freelance writers occasionally interview business partners as experts on a particular topic. If interested in being interviewed, please send an email explaining your area of expertise.

Submission Guidelines

The first step is to send a pitch. Articles should be 750-800 words and should be written as a guide for law firm managers and provide practical takeaways. Use this as an opportunity to educate and build trust — not sell.

For any editorial consideration, business partners or their PR representatives must submit an article query by email to Valerie Danner, Senior Managing Editor, at [email protected]. No calls, please. If accepted, the editor(s) will work with the writer or representative to develop the required content and to assign deadlines.

Once accepted, you'll be asked to...

  • Send a brief author biography listing current position, background and contact information you’d like readers to have (email, LinkedIn, Twitter, website, etc.)
  • Send a headshot of the authors, preferably in color and at least 300 dpi, 2" x 3".

OTHER THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

  • Know Our Audience: Our publication serves our membership, which is made up of legal management professionals in the industry. We look for content that is not tailored to lawyers. Generally speaking, articles should be oriented to the needs and interests of legal administrators and other law firm business management professionals and not specifically or solely to attorneys.
  • Placement and Scheduling: We schedule articles on a first-come, first-served basis. We will try to accommodate requests for specific issues, but cannot guarantee a particular issue. 
  • Expect to Be Edited: Everybody needs an editor (even editors), and the editors at Legal Management have the right to edit the article for style, clarity and length and to make final selections on headlines, subheads and graphic treatment.  
  • Keep It Fresh and Original: With a few exceptions, we look for content that is original and hasn't been published elsewhere. Also, don't send us plagiarized copy. What would your high school English teacher say?
  • We've Got Style: We don't expect you to know all of our style idiosyncrasies, but as a general rule, we adhere to the Associated Press Stylebook and Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. ALA also has an internal stylebook; a digital copy will be provided upon request. 
  • Compensation: No payment is offered to business partner contributors, nor do we permit business partners to purchase content.
  • Agreements and Permissions: Material accepted for publication becomes the property of the Association of Legal Administrators. The Association liberally grants reprint permission.

For more guidance, check out our current issue of Legal Management.