Message From the President: Embracing Technology
 

Message From the President: Embracing Technology

By Kelly MacKinnon
May 04, 2021 | 3 minute video
Technology Management Analytics and SEO Communications Software and Platforms Content Type Article Video Additional Options Content Level: Essential Firm Size: Small Firm Size: Medium Firm Size: Large
Marketing Management and Leadership
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In this video message, LMA President Kelly Mackinnon gives her insight on how technology is rapidly being used for opportunities of innovation, the efficiency it can bring to give us hours back in our day and a reminder to still find time to unplug from it all. 

Read the transcription of LMA President Kelly Mackinnon’s message below.

This month and in June, Strategies & Voices is focusing on the Technology Management domain of LMA's Body of Knowledge. We'll feature articles on a variety of topics, from SEO management to innovative opportunities that have come up during the pandemic, what we can learn from key players in the space and so much more.

In terms of investment, technology has absolutely been put on the front burner. We've always known what the value of tech is and how our lawyers should embrace it, but that's been accelerated in the past 18 months. As a practical matter, my firm, Fried Frank, has had to pivot quickly and leverage technology in a fashion that would have taken years of change management. From embracing the world of WebEx and Zoom — which, up until that point I thought was just for LMA meetings — and leveraging tools like WebEx teams, we've had to be able to shift our approach to be able to connect with one another and our clients. And that's just the start of how we've been using technology to continue to perform for our clients and staying connected as a Fried Frank family.

So what does that mean for us now and in the future, and how will this shape our new normal? Well, I wish I had a crystal ball to give you the answer. But for now, I'm so impressed with the virtual portrait kits, the podcasts, the virtual flower arranging client events and all that our industry has done to be innovative when COVID handed us lemons. We've continued to push into the future. 

For those in our membership and in our organizations who are harnessing technology as a career path, thank you. Thank you for bringing a strategic mindset to the table so that we're not just finding solutions for challenges but we're finding opportunities for growth. 

And as we embrace technology and as it creates efficiencies that gives us hours back in our day, we want to remember that, for every angel, there's a devil. And with our offices being in our living rooms and in our hands, we need to be thoughtful to find the balance and find time to disconnect.

I want to remind everybody that Well-Being in Law Week is coming up May 3-7 and I also want to put a plug in for our LMA Well-Being Group and Wellness Wednesdays, which is the last Wednesday of each month. Programming can be found under the Well-Being page of the LMA website (legalmarketing.org/Advocacy/Well-Being).

And in closing, I want to continue to thank you for being part of our organization and our community. There are so many wonderful things that each of you do to help advance the wonderful work we do, on behalf of our collective clients and continue to drive change in this industry.

Kelly MacKinnon
Fried Frank

Kelly MacKinnon is the director of business development at Fried Frank, where she oversees the firm's business development and visibility initiatives. Previously, she held senior positions on the business development teams at Cleary Gottlieb and Paul Weiss. Preceding her legal marketing career, MacKinnon worked in the broadcast department for the National Hockey League, in marketing at Bon Appetit magazine and coached women's ice hockey internationally. MacKinnon has been an active member of the Legal Marketing Association since 2008, holding various board positions at both the international and local levels and is the 2021 international president. She received her BA from Brown University in American history and business, and was a four-year Division 1 athlete playing both field hockey and ice hockey.