| Consulting services you provide: |
| Greenfield/Belser is a brand design agency, specializing in professional services, particularly the legal market. Over 30 years, we have grown to become a full-service agency delivering all the services we feel are critical to brand development-brand strategy and positioning, identity and collateral design, advertising, Web design and market research. |
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| How did you come to hold your present position (specifically, what led you to become a legal recruiter, marketing consultant, etc.)? |
| Right place at the right time. The Bates Decision allowing lawyers to advertise occurred the same year our business incorporated. My lawyer/wife saw the opportunity and I endured the early pain of working with reluctant lawyer/marketers to flourish. Rest is history. |
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| What is the best thing about working with lawyers? |
| They are great students. They're intelligent, quick learners-and they recognize the value of "doing the thing right." They may be left-brain types, but they can be taught to appreciate great ideas, great strategy and great design. |
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| What is the worst thing about working with lawyers? |
| "Doing the right thing" in contradistinction to above. After all, marketing asks that lawyers set aside the culture of the law requiring discretion and "tell all." Marketing also asks lawyers to abandon precedent in the rush to be first. Thus, those that have done the right thing, from a marketing point of view, deserve a medal for their heroics of courage under fire. |
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| What has been the most satisfying moment of your career thus far? |
| Certainly being given the only Lifetime Achievement Award by the Legal Marketing Association ranks high among the "highs." But every little victory-great work being accepted and realized-still thrills me. I love the work; I love the opportunity to do more great work; I'm a lucky guy. |
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| What are your favorite activities outside the law? |
| Before my knees failed me, I taught taiji ch'uan for 25 years. Today, I love to garden but not on my knees. Tending to bonzai is more vertical. My children, Mikell and Lauren, delight me as they grow up and older. Ideas inspire me so I read a lot and listen to Teaching Company tapes to and from work. And I enjoy fixing things and straightening up my room. |
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