On Anniversaries, and Much More
- Matt Plavnick
- Sep 8
- 2 min read
Today is my 18th wedding anniversary. But another anniversary is also on my mind.
In September 15 years ago I was interviewing for my first law firm job. I was a successful freelance writer and editor. Everything was going well, and I had no desire to do other work.
Yet my wife was miserable in a toxic job. Though I begged her, she would not quit, even though my earnings could have carried us until she found new work. We had a new baby at home, and the stakes felt high. If I wanted Jenna to leave her job, I had to find one with health benefits.
One day I read a law firm proposal specialist description and thought "Hey, I'm doing a lot of that work now for my clients."
Grant writing prepared me for proposal writing.
Editing online university courses prepared me to run quality control on RFPs.
Writing and editing web copy for small businesses prepared me to write and edit practice group descriptions.
Researching and writing for a naturopathic medicine journal prepared me to tell lawyer and practice group stories.
Though I had no experience in law, I had worked in specialized industries, dealt with subject matter experts, and told engaging stories about complex topics in compelling prose. Certainly I could do the same for lawyers. And, thanks to a couple lawyers in the family and a canny sense for client service, I could say honestly, with a wink and a nod, that I understood that lawyers require special care and feeding.
A few short weeks later I was in the door for my first day of legal marketing. I was 34 years old and in my first corporate job, terrified to give up the autonomy and satisfaction I'd created as a freelancer. What I found in a law firm quickly surprised me.
Lawyers appreciate curiosity, critical thinking, and clear communication.
Despite assumptions, there is a ton of room for creativity in law firms.
Lawyers don't want to be marketers--they just want to brag that they have the best ones.
I share this background for all the folks hustling in law firm marketing departments today. We all get here by accident. With a very few exceptions--I know one--there aren't second-generation legal marketers. No one grows up thinking "I want to sell legal services." We are all figuring it out as we go.
If you're a law firm marketer just trying to survive what's going on around you on any given day, I see you. I know:
How talented you are.
How creative you can be when supported in that effort.
How strategic you are--and how that sometimes leads to conflict.
And I know you care, you love to collaborate, and you know how to give lawyers what they are asking for--if they would only let you.
Need a partner to brainstorm with? Want a sanity check on an idea you're working through? Just want to vent for a hot minute and then get back to work? I'm here for you. Send me a note and let's chat: matt@axismarketingstrategies.com.
And happy anniversary, Jenna Farley. Best decision of my life.
