‘Who’s On Your Board?’: Reflections From LMA26

At LMA26, inspiration showed up in candid conversations, thoughtful questions, and moments that led attendees to rethink how they lead, connect, and create impact in their organizations.

These lightbulb moments are often one of the more enduring outcomes of attending the LMA Annual Conference, second only to the connections and lifelong friendships made. In a profession shaped by rapid change, the human element remains our greatest differentiator.

The takeaways below reflect what stayed with attendees: the power of connection, the importance of self-awareness and diversity, and the value of investing intentionally in relationships. Together, these insights offer a glimpse of what can shape the second half of the year for the LMA community.

Building Your Board of Directors

I attended the Solo/Small Team pre-con, and one of the sessions that really stuck with me was about building your own “personal board of directors” — a group of people you trust to give advice, challenge your thinking, and help you navigate different parts of your career.

The biggest takeaway for me was that having a large network and having a true personal board are two very different things. Your board should include people with different perspectives and experiences who will be honest with you and push you to think differently.

The session also talked about identifying areas where you feel underinformed and intentionally reaching out to people to learn more. Something as simple as saying, “I’d love to learn more about this — what can you tell me?” can open a lot of doors.

It was also a good reminder that building these relationships requires a mindset shift: being willing to ask questions, admit when you don’t know something, and be honest and vulnerable. One of my favorite points from the session was flipping the question from “Who can help me?” to “Whose board can I be on?”

—Jen Gault, Strauss Troy

The Need for Diversity Remains Strong

Despite the transformation of many firms away from Mansfield and DEI, the underscored importance of diversity in lateral hiring, pitching and proposing, and need has not gone away, because in-house counsel demand it in one form or another. Whether at the local or international level, capability is tested by the experience, expertise, and makeup of the teams that firms put forward to handle transactions and disputes.

—Mohib Qidwai, BCLP

Legal Marketers as Connectors 

Connection is the most critical part of our role. Whether we are connecting laterals and firm attorneys, data and systems, or our own team, our goal should be to identify how we can make connections that better the firm and individuals within the organization.

—Sarah Blanchard, Jones Walker LLP

Know Thyself

Self-awareness is crucial for leaders because you can’t see how you impact others if you don't see yourself.

—Bianca Reyes, Duane Morris LLP

Attending vs. Participating  

There is so much power in community. LMA26 brought our entire legal marketing community together; the addition of the senior leaders/second chair community pre-con and additional sessions on days two and three were so impactful for those who participated.

There is a distinction between showing up and attending in community and participating in community. I appreciate the opportunity to participate with this senior leader community at LMA26 and encourage LMA to continue to foster this segment of our membership.

It was reinforced throughout that the human element remains the differentiator in our disruptive, rapidly changing world. Continued investment in this pursuit will benefit leaders in this pole position, as well as the leaders that they develop for the future.

—Amy Verhulst, Jackson Lewis P.C.

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Special thanks to the LMA26 attendees who shared their thoughts with us. Take a look back at the moments that made LMA26 in New Orleans so special in our photo album: https://hubs.li/Q04ftTS90