One More Thing | Takeaways from LMA23 Conference with Jessica Horowitz, Torkin Manes LLP - LISI

News + Events + Resources

One More Thing | Takeaways from LMA23 Conference with Jessica Horowitz, Torkin Manes LLP

May 26, 2023 | Podcast

The LISI Podcast | All The Things

Hey podcast listeners. Welcome to this week’s episode of LISI’s podcast, All The Things. This week our One More Thing episode is my interview with Jessica Horowitz, Business Development and Events Specialist at Torkin Manes in Toronto, Canada.

Jessica and I had the chance to meet at the 2023 L.M.A. Conference last month at the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, Florida. She’s a great human being inside and out, and I can’t wait for you to hear our interview. Check it out.

Listen on Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts

Robyn:

Hi everyone. Robyn Addis, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer here at LISI. For this month’s episode of All the Things podcast we are doing our podcast exclusive One More Thing episode and I am so thrilled to be joined today by my podcast guest, Jessica Horowitz.

Hello, Jessica.

Jessica:

Hi Robyn.

Robyn:

So Jessica and I last month, April, we attended the 2023 Legal Marketing Association National Conference in Hollywood, Florida. It was the first time Jessica and I ever met and became immediate friends. I do tend to like people very, very quickly, but the bond with Jessica was immediate and so I was so thrilled to be able to invite Jessica on to have a conversation about the conference. Jessica is a Business Development and Events Specialist at Torkin Manes based in Toronto. So I also just love listening to her speak because of her fun Canadian accent. So Jessica, tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do at Torkin Manes and about the firm.

Jessica:

For sure. So I am the Business Development and Events Specialist. As you mentioned, I’ve worked at Torkin Manes for just over six and a half years now, which is pretty crazy. I started as a marketing coordinator, then worked my way up to a marketing specialist and now I’ve worked my way up to a BD and marketing specialist and hopefully will continue to grow from there. But we are a mid-size full-service law firm in Toronto. So we only have one office and we have about 120 lawyers, which is amazing. And we’re continuing to grow and for my day-to-day job. I mean, I do a lot of BD, a lot of events. I’m our sole events person, so I plan all of our internal and external events. I also help with website stuff, with scheduling photos and tickets, and everything in between.

Robyn:

Nice. Is this the first firm you’ve worked at?

Jessica:

Yeah, so it is the first firm I worked at right at a school and six and a half years, I’m still here.

Robyn:

I mean, that’s a good sign, right? That’s a good sign that you like the people and you like the firm. How big is your team?

Jessica:

So we have four and a half. We have one person that helps us here and with certain things, but we have four permanent people on our marketing team, which is great. We have an amazing, amazing team.

Robyn:

And who was the woman from your team who was also at the conference, your marketing group?

Jessica:

Yeah. That was Alison. So she’s my boss, so she’s our C.M.O. and she is amazing.

Robyn:

Yeah, she was so nice and also a lot of fun.

Jessica:

Yeah, she’s great. Yeah, we’ve gone to all of the L.M.A. conferences together, so I mean I only know these conferences going with her, and every single time we have an absolute blast.

Robyn:

That’s awesome. So not your first rodeo. How many times have you been to the L.M.A. conference?

Jessica:

So I have been to four L.M.A. conferences. My first one was New Orleans, which was amazing, and then Atlanta, which was awesome. And then last year we did Vegas, which was a lot of fun. And then this year we did Florida.

Robyn:

I can’t believe we didn’t meet in Vegas.

Jessica:

I know.

Robyn:

Although I shouldn’t say that because Vegas, it’s hard to meet anybody really.

Jessica:

Everything was very big there, so I feel like everyone dispersed. Whereas it was really nice this year in Florida we were all together in one place in the hotel. It was really nice.

Robyn:

Yeah. And next year is going to be in San Diego.

Jessica:

Which is exciting. I’ve never been to San Diego.

Robyn:

So just to go on a tangent for two seconds. San Diego, the location where the 2024 conference will be is a return to the location of the first L.M.A. conference that I attended. So first of all, I love Southern California. Second, what’s not to like about being in one of the most beautiful cities in America with like 1,400 of your best friends?

Jessica:

I couldn’t agree more.

Robyn:

Yeah. I mean, it’s a great hotel, it’s a great spot. So I’m super excited. I immediately upon hearing the dates, blocked it off of my calendar. I’m planning a vacation around it like it is must attend.

Jessica:

Great idea.

Robyn:

Yeah. Yeah. So just saying I’m going to be out there early just saying.

Jessica:

I love it.

Robyn:

So gosh, how did we meet? So you and I met because of our mutual friend, Jenna Green from JD Supra, right?

Jessica:

Big shout out to Jenna.

Robyn:

Yes, Jenna. She’s the best. I love her.

Jessica:

I love her too. Yeah.

Robyn:

So tell me about your conference experience overall.

Jessica:

Oh my goodness. Overall there was so much. I mean it was amazing, the content, the networking, everything was… I couldn’t have asked for a better conference. I think really for me though this year, it was the networking and the reconnecting that was the most impactful. I mean, there’s nothing better than seeing old friends and meeting new ones like you.

Robyn:

Yes.

Jessica:

It’s just amazing. I also think the energy and just the people and the inclusion, the variety of content that was shared, and the best practices, there was so much. And I know a lot of people say that the best part of a conference is the networking, but it really, really was. The conference just felt so energizing and vibrant and electric. For me, the highlight of the conference was Roy opening up the show to Miss Athena Dion singing Born This Way. I will just… I’ll never forget how powerful and impactful and beautiful that moment was.

Robyn:

Yeah, yeah. That’s awesome. And you know, so I was talking with somebody else about this the other day too. For people who are in L.M.A., sometimes it can get a little bit of a bad rap because it can feel like a very insular organization. And part of that is when you don’t know somebody or you don’t know the group and then you see 100 people running, screaming, hugging each other, it feels like, “Oh my god, they all know each other. I’m on the outside of it.”

So I think that Roy deserves such an amazing shout-out because both just because of his presence and because of starting the conference that way and so many just little things that he and the conference planning committee put together, it felt… You said the word, it felt incredibly inclusive. And the proof is in the pudding, reportedly 40% of the attendees were first-time attendees. So that means that to me, the data nerd in me, the takeaway is that so many people felt like there was really a place for them this year to go. And there’s a lot coming out of COVID and the numbers changing and industry trends, a lot of that stuff. But still that really percolates to the top, in my opinion, 40% of the people brand new, reportedly across the board, the energy was just top level the entire time. Everybody was super excited to be there. So I got to tell Roy, you did an amazing, amazing thing.

Jessica:

Yeah. And I think with the new attendees too, it’s just so important to be sending these juniors who are going to be the ones carrying through everything for us throughout the years. And I mean for me, I started my L.M.A. volunteer journey about five years ago and I got to give credit to one of my friends, Gary Kalaci from Alexa Translations. I remember I was at our first summer social I went to, five years ago, brand new L.M.A. member, had no idea what was going on. He goes up to me and says, “You’re joining the events committee. You’re just going to do it.” I didn’t even have time to say okay. I was just like, “Okay.” But it was the best thing to ever happen to me because five and a half years later, here we are.

Robyn:

Yeah. And that is not to get on a soapbox about L.M.A., but I will say that I think that when people do tap junior or whoever, first-time attendees on the shoulder to say, “Hey, come with us. Come be with us. Come join us.” It does make a huge difference. And we had the regional leaders conference at some point this year, maybe end of last year. And that was one of the things that a lot of the leaders who have been in the organization 10, 15, 20 years said they got involved because somebody… Just like Gary did with you… Somebody said, “Come do this. You should be on this committee, come offer your opinion here there, whatever.” And that makes a difference. That’s like a turning point because you could have… What did you study in college?

Jessica:

So I did psychology as my B.A. and then I did a post-grad program in sport and event marketing. So that’s how I got into this.

Robyn:

That’s amazing. So I was a political science major and it’s funny because I really do see the connection for marketing professional services, specifically lawyers, I see the connection to political science and psychology. But also that’s not necessarily what we set out to do was to be a legal marketer. So however you got into it.

But you could have spent a couple years in this role, it’s your first job out of college, and then pivoted off to do something else, but somebody really helped root you in the industry, which is great.

Jessica:

Oh, 100%. And I think another really important thing about these conferences is if you’re able to take advantage of the mentor/mentee programs, that’s what I’ve been trying to do for the past two years. I’ve been a mentor to some juniors and it’s just so nice to be able… My first year that I went to my first conference, I signed up for it and I had a mentor, it was actually Debra Farrell, she was my mentor.

Robyn:

Oh wow. Oh, lucky you.

Jessica:

Amazing. This was, I mean, four or five years ago, but it’s just incredible to be able to have someone to talk to. And so now that I’m a mentor to these people, it’s amazing. I think it’s a really special program that they have and they should continue to do it forever.

Robyn:

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So to get back to the conference, because we’re just on a tangent about just a love letter to L.M.A. here for a second. So what was the session that you attended that you had really felt was the most impactful, either just for you in general or for what you do for your work?

Jessica:

Yeah, I mean for me, one of the sessions I went to was called “The Next Five, Achieving Mid-Career Excellence,” it’s perfect for me because that’s exactly where I am in my career right now. And so the point of this session was to talk about ways to advocate for yourself and to build relationships. And I mean, it really resonates with me because I’ve earned experience and I know what I’m doing, but I still have so much room for growth and I still have a long way to go. And so this session was really great for my personal and professional development. I mean, they talked about a lot of great things. Advocating for yourself, no one knows what you do better than yourself and to know your worth. They also talked about career specialization and leveraging L.M.A. to gain knowledge. We don’t realize how many amazing resources L.M.A. provides us on their website to go on there to reach out to your network. I think that was great.

Another one was building relationships. So leaning on your go-to people in your departments that you can trust, who will have your back. And for me, I mean I have someone in every single one of my departments at my firm that I can go to. So I really… That stuck with me because it’s true, you need to have people that you can go to. Another thing they had mentioned was advancing your career smarter, not necessarily faster, which I really agree with. Another thing that I go by, again, this isn’t a motto to live by for everything, but sometimes you have to work smarter, not harder. Obviously, we need to work hard, but sometimes you can do things smarter. So I really… This session was probably the number one for me that resonated with me the most.

Robyn:

That’s interesting. So on that last point, advance your career smarter, not faster. Obviously, I’m coming at it from the other side of the table. Right? And I struggle a little bit as a leader or I did in past lives, at past firms, struggle a little bit as a leader to make sure that there’s enough growth potential to keep entry-level in junior employees engaged and feel like they’re contributing meaningfully to the organization, but also incentivized to keep moving. I am very ambitious and I was very hungry for the promotions and the raises and all the things. And now on the other side of that, I’m like, “Oh, that’s so exhausting and hard.” Right?

What would you say, coming out of that session, like “The Next Five,” what do you see your personal roadmap being? Where do you see yourself wanting to go? And also how does that fit into maybe the theme of the conference?

Jessica:

Yeah, I mean for me, I really resonated with the advancing your career smarter and just think about where you want to go and don’t rush. I know as you said, you want to just go, go and get that promotion and get to the next stage, but sometimes you need to just sit back and take a breath and really figure out what’s best for you.

Robyn:

Yeah.

Jessica:

So I think I’ll take that into account and just start really thinking about things other than the quick, quick, quick, go stuff.

Robyn:

And you know what, Jessica? The interesting point on that, again, just to go on my own little tangent, soapbox here for a second. The thing that I know that I personally benefited from in my early career journey was that I had exposure to a lot of different things. And I’m sure at a firm of your size, with the team of your size, you by very definition of those things, you have to have exposure to a lot of things. Right?

Jessica:

I’m very, very lucky. I always say this to everyone, but I’m really, really lucky being at the firm I’m at. We’re growing, but we’re small enough that I get to work with every single lawyer, I know everyone at the firm. And because our department is smaller, I get to do everything. I don’t necessarily do the higher level things as much as my other colleagues do, but I get to dip into them a little bit, which I think is really amazing to be able to learn. I don’t really work on proposals and RFPs and that type of stuff, but I get to touch it a little bit, which is really cool.

Robyn:

Yeah. And I think, so I’ve spent my entire career journey going from the biggest firm… One of the biggest firms in Philadelphia in an international AML 100 firm to a national AML 100 firm, to now a small digital marketing agency with 12 people. And that has been a very intentional journey for me. But what I find that my friends and colleagues at the big firm struggle with is that they sort of get siloed into a specific function. And it’s very hard, if they’re in business development or if they’re in marketing technology or if they’re in comms, it’s very hard to get exposure across those functions and those specialties because maybe that lane isn’t necessarily what they want to stay in, but you do get pigeonholed pretty quickly. And look, that might be the right career path for a lot of people. Many people I know want nothing to do with marketing technology or data or any of that stuff that I like love. But for the people who do want to sort of… Especially if you want to rise to the top level, you do have to be able to see across those things. So long story short, I think you’re well-positioned for career success, right? Because you have that broad exposure.

Jessica:

Absolutely, absolutely. There’s another theme I wanted to touch on, if that’s okay?

Robyn:

Yeah, of course.

Jessica:

From the conference, I mean, we’re in such a niche industry and it’s so amazing to have the network that we have and to be able to use our network to our advantage. So something that I really took from this conference was leveraging your network. I think for someone like me, being in Canada, we have a pretty tight Canadian legal marketing network here. And so to now be able to have this huge network of people in the U.S., the UK, all over the globe. It’s really, really special to be in person at this conference with these people and to talk about things that they’re doing and how they’re approaching similar business issues and struggles that we’re going through that you know what, a lot of other people are probably going through them. You’re able to chat with everyone about that.

And I think it’s so valuable to know that you’re not the only ones going through these problems. And to see how other firms are handling it, how people in the states are handling it versus Canada. There’s so many interesting things to talk about. And I think being in person at the conference was really, really great for that. I know we’re going through a website rebrand, refresh, whatever you want to call it. We’re doing that right now. There’s a lot going on with that. It’s a really, really big project. But to be able to speak to people at the conference about it and them saying, “Oh yeah, we just did that,” or “We’re starting our website refresh too,” and to talk about the struggles and talk it out with them. I think that was really, really meaningful to me.

Robyn:

Yeah. Oh god, who was it that I was talking to about this because… Oh, I know who it was. My fan favorite, Joseph Panetta. He, I think did one of the presentations with David Freeman maybe at the conference. And I know him from days past when he did some work with OnePlace and NTAP. So he and I were actually having a conversation. He and I were the ones who talked about Roy and what he was able to achieve, the inclusivity piece. But to the point you just made, L.M.A. is a community conference, whereas many are other collegial conferences and they’re sort of talking about nuts and bolts, whatever. There is great education, there’s great programming, but it is a great community. And exactly for the reason that you just articulated, because we sort of share war stories, share best practices, and that is what makes it great.

And just going back to the theme of the conference, “Amplifying Your Voice,” being able to tap into that community and that network makes it all the easier to have that solid foundation upon which to amplify. Amplify your marketing, amplify your firm’s marketing, amplify your personal brand, whatever. And so all of that really came through. There’s natural connections in and out of the conference on all the things that we’re talking about. I’m just trying to make sure that I tie it back.

Jessica:

No, and honestly, L.M.A., it’s more than an association. I know this seems a little cheesy to say, but it really does feel like family. When I go to these conferences I’ve never felt so comfortable being around all of these people.

Robyn:

Yeah.

Jessica:

It’s really special the community that they’ve created.

Robyn:

Yeah.

Jessica:

I mean the takeaways from this conference, we’re taking away more than the educational and the networking components. I feel like you’re also learning valuable life lessons too.

Robyn:

Uh-huh. Yes. Yeah, I told everybody there, don’t tell my husband I said this, but I rolled in like, I’m going to get a lot of out of this business-wise, but also I am so comfortable and at ease because these are my people. So it almost felt like a vacation. It wasn’t. I was there to do the work, but it was like emotionally a vacation. Do you know what I mean?

Jessica:

I couldn’t agree more. Like yes, it was work. Yes, we were in sessions and learning a lot. But it was so much fun too and I think that’s so important at these conferences that they make sure you have a good time and we really do with the people that we’re surrounded by.

Robyn:

Yes. So what’s next? Okay, so before we close, what’s next for you on the L.M.A. docket? Are you on the regional Canada region board right now?

Jessica:

So I’m not on our board, but I’m on our L.S.C. and so I am our events person. I do all of our events, mainly for Toronto though. It’s a bit hard because we’re split up now by regions, so there’s Vancouver, there’s Montreal, there’s Calgary, there’s Halifax, there’s all the regions. So for Toronto, I am our go-to events gal. So I’m planning our summer social and then we’ll have a winter social and all that fun stuff.

I also help out with our webinars. I’m our little tech guru. I do all the fun Zoom stuff. So I’m on there helping out with that. So I am heavily involved and it’s really nice because my boss Allison, she was the past president of L.M.A. Canada and so it’s really nice that we can both be super involved with that together. So I think that’s really cool.

Robyn:

Yeah. That’s awesome. And hey, maybe when the call for volunteers comes out this summer, maybe you throw your hat in the ring. Just saying.

Jessica:

Pick me. I love it.

Robyn:

Well, my friend, you are beautiful inside and out. Thank you for doing this with me. I appreciate it. I’m so glad to know you now and you did a great job. Hey, I don’t know if you guys can tell, I’m sure you couldn’t, but this was Jessica’s first-ever podcast.

Jessica:

I know. It’s so crazy. I’m so honored that you have had me on and it was just an amazing experience. You made it so easy and fun.

Robyn:

Oh, my pleasure.

Okay, friends, reach out to Jessica or me if you have any other questions about the conference and you’ll be hearing from us soon.

 

You have been listening to All the Things the podcast from Legal Internet Solutions Incorporated, where we bring you All the Things. Whether it’s three things we learned, hearing from a legal marketing insider, an ask me anything session or that one more thing we’ve been dying to tell you all month long but couldn’t, that’s All the Things. Our next episode will be out in a week wherever you get your podcasts. And you can join us for the live events every Friday at 12:30 Eastern on our LinkedIn channel for our livestream where we bring you All the Things live.

Be in the know

WE ARE DIGITAL ARTISANS.

Let us create a bespoke strategy for your practice.

CONTACT US