Spill The Ink

Landing a new client is just the beginning. For law firms working with in-house counsel, the greater challenge lies in maintaining long-term relationships that evolve beyond transactional exchanges. Candisse Williamson, General Counsel at Hartbeat, Kevin Hart's global media company, brings a unique perspective to this challenge, having worked both in Big Law and built legal departments from the ground up at two entertainment companies. In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Candisse joins Michelle Calcote King to explore how general counsels evaluate outside firms and what drives them to become repeat clients. She explains why smart lawyering beats fancy dinners, how firms can stay present without being pushy and why accepting feedback is the difference between keeping clients and losing them. Candisse also shares the trademark over-lawyering trap that ruins relationships, the creative pricing conversation that sealed a deal for her and why diversity initiatives remain non-negotiable for clients who have hiring power. Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn How in-house counsel select outside law firms to partner with and why trusted referrals from peer companies outweigh cold outreach. The proactive relationship maintenance tactics that demonstrate industry expertise and create value between active legal matters. The importance of accepting and implementing client feedback in nurturing long-term relationships. Why prioritize billing over strategic guidance can quickly erode client trust. The difference between staying present through value-add touchpoints versus self-promotional check-ins that feel transactional. What makes client events and alumni networks effective at building lasting connections. Three priorities for winning and keeping sophisticated in-house counsel clients. Why diversity initiatives and inclusive hiring practices are top-of-mind factors in Candisse's selection decisions. About Our Featured Guest Candisse Williamson is an accomplished entertainment lawyer, strategic business advisor and dealmaker known for navigating complex transactions and driving business growth. As General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Hartbeat, she leads the company's business and legal affairs strategy across film, television, audio, digital content, distribution, live events and branded entertainment. Her focus is to ensure that creative projects remain both profitable and protected. Candisse started her career in private practice, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and private equity, before moving in-house to a leading global entertainment company. She then transitioned into building and leading legal departments from the ground up, developing operational frameworks and guiding growth-stage companies through rapid expansion and major transitions. A strategic leader, Candisse drives results through trust, accountability, clear communication, and a commitment to collaboration and mentorship. She fosters high-performance teams and colleagues often follow her to new opportunities, which is evident of the impact, trust and growth she inspires. Beyond her legal and business acumen, Candisse is a bold advocate for diversity and is committed to ensuring that boardrooms, deal tables and leadership teams reflect the diversity of the audiences they serve. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Check out Hartbeat Follow Hartbeat on LinkedIn and Instagram Connect with Candisse Williamson on LinkedIn Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn Sponsor For This Episode This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink. Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms. Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more. To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at [email protected] today.

AI tools are changing the marketing game for small and midsized law firms, making it easier for them to compete with the bigger players in their markets. In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Michelle Calcote King interviews Jennifer Scotton, the Chief Marketing Officer at Constangy, to discuss how AI is transforming legal marketing. Jennifer's team views AI as an enhancement of human capabilities, not a replacement, and has implemented a firmwide policy emphasizing its ethical use. In this interview, she highlights specific tools her team uses, including custom GPTs for website content and AI headshot tools for remote photography. Jennifer explains how she selects which tools to adopt, and considerations for maintaining a growth mindset and preserving institutional knowledge for long-term success when using AI in law firms. Here's a glimpse of what you'll learn Why treating AI as an accelerant rather than a replacement extends human expertise and creates space for higher-value thinking and relationship building. Which AI tools make Jennifer's shortlist, including Aragon.ai, OpusClip, Picky and There's An AI for That How to develop custom GPTs that maintain brand voice consistency. How AI headshot tools solve professional photography challenges for remote and distributed law firms. How to use AI to establish historical knowledge so teams can access past decisions and processes. Why starting with one key pain point and conducting small pilots leads to more sustainable AI adoption than trying to implement everything at once. The resources legal marketers can use to discover new AI tools and learn from peers implementing similar solutions across the industry. How the shift in client attitudes toward AI from resistance to expectation is creating competitive advantages for firms that embrace innovation. About our featured guest A relentless innovator and true change agent, Jennifer Scotton serves as Constangy's chief marketing officer. In this role, she guides the firm's marketing and business development strategy, leading a team of highly skilled marketing professionals. With 20 years of experience in legal marketing, Jennifer has enjoyed multiple leadership positions at both the regional and international levels of the Legal Marketing Association, as well as serving on the American Marketing Association's Board of Directors. An award-winning marketing professional, she was named to Triad Business Journal's "Top 40 Professionals Under 40" list in 2022, selected as an "Unsung Legal Hero" by North Carolina Lawyers Weekly in 2018 and has led her team to win multiple "Your Honor" awards from the LMA. Resources mentioned in this episode Check out Constangy Follow Constangy on LinkedIn and Facebook Connect with Jennifer Scotton on LinkedIn Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn Use JENNIFER15 to get 15% off Aragon.ai Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink. Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms. Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more. To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at [email protected] today.

Understanding the methodology behind legal rankings can transform how law firms approach the nomination process. In this "Spill the Ink" episode, Elizabeth Petit, Vice President of Research and Development at Best Lawyers, pulls back the curtain on the peer-review process that has been the rankings program's foundation since 1983. Michelle and Elizabeth also discuss the transition path from the "Ones to Watch" list to "Best Lawyers" recognition, the role of AI in improving rankings visibility without impacting the methodology itself and critical action steps firms should take before the December 12 nomination deadline to ensure their lawyers are positioned in the correct practice areas. Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn Strategic considerations for nomination decisions, including experience thresholds and practice area selection approaches. The distinct pathways and requirements for lawyers at different career stages, from emerging talent to established practitioners. What law firms should understand about the relationship between the "Ones to Watch" list and "Best Lawyers" recognition. Critical timing and accuracy considerations for the nomination process to avoid common classification pitfalls. The methodology that distinguishes Best Lawyers' peer-review process from popularity voting and client satisfaction measures. The ways Best Lawyers incorporates AI technology while maintaining the integrity of its quantitative ranking methodology. About Our Featured Guest Elizabeth Petit gave serious consideration to pursuing a legal career, but a twist of fate brought her to the research department of Best Lawyers' parent company in 2010. She remained with the organization and has led the Research and Development department since 2012. Guided by the long-respected transparent methodology of Best Lawyers, Elizabeth has established the consistency of the quality of research throughout the organization's platforms and services, most notably its three institutional programs: Best Lawyers, Best Law Firms and Lawyer Directory. Elizabeth initiates many Best Lawyers products and plays a pivotal role in guiding their execution. She has found it particularly rewarding to have maintained the original mission of the company while enhancing it in new and creative ways. Elizabeth earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Tulane University before receiving her Master of Arts from the University of South Carolina. Additionally, she holds certificates in Project Management (2019) and Non-Profit Management (2009) from the University of South Carolina, where she also served as adjunct faculty member from 2009-2020. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Check out Best Lawyers Follow Best Lawyers on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram Connect with Elizabeth Petit on LinkedIn Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn

Attorneys are trained to be cautious and confidential, and these instincts often extend beyond client matters into a general reluctance to promote their own achievements. This creates a challenge for law firm marketers trying to publicize wins, celebrate successes and build the firm's reputation in the market. In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Brittany Lewis, Head of Marketing at Bell Nunnally, joins Michelle Calcote King to discuss how a 70-attorney firm transformed its internal culture from keeping accomplishments under the radar to actively celebrating and sharing successes. With 15 years of legal marketing experience, Brittany shares the specific initiatives that shifted attorney mindsets — from leveraging social media more actively to launching a quarterly internal newsletter that highlights colleague achievements. She also reveals how Bell Nunnally's annual report captures the entire year's successes in one polished publication, and why making it easy and safe for attorneys to share is the key to overcoming their natural resistance. Here's a glimpse of what you'll learn Why attorneys resist sharing their achievements and how it differs from the marketer's natural instinct to publicize successes. Three key initiatives that transformed Bell Nunnally's culture around sharing successes. Strategies for navigating client confidentiality concerns, avoiding boasting and managing time constraints when sharing wins. Training attorneys to approach social media as a natural extension of their existing work rather than something foreign. Why small, consistent changes are the best path to lasting cultural transformation within a firm. About our featured guest Brittany Lewis is a marketing and business development leader with nearly 15 years of experience in professional services marketing for law firms. Currently driving comprehensive marketing strategy for Bell Nunnally, a Dallas-based firm with 70 attorneys, she oversees all communications, business development initiatives and marketing operations. Her experience includes managing high-profile events, creating impactful marketing campaigns, developing compelling proposals and significantly enhancing firm visibility and recognition. Brittany excels at aligning programs with organizational goals, coaching attorneys on client development and elevating brand presence across digital channels. She is passionate about creating authentic approaches that showcase attorney expertise while delivering measurable results. Her work combines thoughtful planning with hands-on execution to strengthen client relationships and support firm growth. As an active member of the Legal Marketing Association (LMA), Brittany served in volunteer roles for eight years, most recently as Director of Communications on the LMA Southwest Region Board. This involvement has expanded her industry network and deepened her expertise in legal marketing best practices. Resources mentioned in this episode Check out Bell Nunnally Follow Bell Nunnally on LinkedIn, Facebook and X Connect with Brittany Lewis on LinkedIn Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink. Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms. Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more. To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at [email protected] today.

When AEC firms grant decentralized offices free rein to create their own messaging, the results can be damaging: wasted resources, confused clients, weakened competitive positioning and marketing teams that unknowingly sabotage each other's work. Yet many firms continue operating this way, treating brand fragmentation as an inevitable cost of doing business across multiple markets. In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Michelle Calcote King sits down with Amy Zelenka, Director of Marketing at Affiliated Engineers, Inc. (AEI) to explore what happens when AEC firms allow their decentralized structure to fragment their brand identity across offices, markets and practice areas. According to Amy, the solution isn't centralized control, but rather strategic alignment that preserves regional flexibility while ensuring consistent messaging. Here's a glimpse of what you'll learn Who Amy Zelenka is and her journey from Fortune 100 companies to AEC marketing. About Affiliated Engineers and how the 900-person MEP firm tackles complex building challenges. Why decentralization can create bigger brand challenges for AEC firms than for other industries. The hidden costs of brand fragmentation, including wasted time, lost credibility and weakened differentiation. How the seller-doer model can contribute to inconsistent messaging across offices. Why a hybrid approach works better than purely centralized or decentralized marketing. Why effective brand guidelines must go beyond visual identity to include strategic messaging. About our featured guest Amy Zelenka has spent 25 years building marketing expertise across diverse industries, from Fortune 100 companies to startups, before finding her calling in architecture and engineering. She previously served as Global Marketing Director at Jensen Hughes and led marketing across three business units at Johnson Controls International. At AEI, where she's Director of Marketing, she drives brand development, digital strategy, communications and marketing database management. Amy holds an MBA from the University of Wisconsin and combines strategic thinking with hands-on execution for AEI's 900-person organization. Her approach blends creativity with data-driven insights, connecting AEI's engineering talent with opportunities to tackle the industry's most complex building challenges. Resources mentioned in this episode Check out Affiliated Engineers Inc. (AEI) Follow AEI on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram Connect with Amy Zelenka on LinkedIn Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn Sponsor for this episode This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink. Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms. Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more. To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at [email protected] today.