WASHINGTON, DC--January 8, 2001--Sugarcrest Development Group, Inc., the legal industry's premier business development partner, announced today the results of a program survey it conducted in association with the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association.The survey was designed to discover those issues most important to legal marketing professionals and to develop the program curriculum for 2001. Surveys were sent via email to the 402 professionals on the Mid-Atlantic Chapter's mailing list on October 17, 2000 and 88 people (approximately 22%), responded by the October 31,2000 deadline.

Who Responded? The survey respondents represented a core group of active LMA participants as 58% of the respondents said they had attended more than four or more LMA programs in the past year and 93% said they had attended at least one LMA program in the past year. Not surprisingly, most respondents worked for law firms (78%). And, 44% of the respondents had over 500 people working in their organizations while the rest of the respondents were spread evenly throughout incrementally smaller organizations. The range in experience in the legal marketing profession was represented fairly evenly. 33% of the respondents had 0-2 years of experience; 28% had 2-5; 23% had 5-10 and 16% had over 10 years of experience.

The Past Looks Bright. The Future Looks Brighter. 73% of the respondents said they were satisfied and 23% said they were extremely satisfied with the local Chapter's programs. Only 4% of the respondents were unsatisfied with the programs. According to Wagner, "these satisfaction levels propel us into 2001 on a positive note. In fact, every respondent said they were either very likely or absolutely likely to attend at least one LMA program in the next six months."

Examples of popular improvement suggestions included:

• Keep the membership informed of programs and events.
• Combine 101 level courses with more in depth programs or senior marketing roundtables to accommodate the needs of more experienced members as well as those new to the profession.
• Consider having more LMA members present the programs rather than consultants. And, include law firm partners in the programs since they are the legal marketer's client
• Provide more in-person and online networking opportunities.

What Do Members Want? "Based on the responses, the theme for 2001 is a focus on core skills and strong dose of technology," noted Wagner. Following are the programs that drew the most interest:

• 64% Measuring the success of your marketing efforts
• 61% Strategies for improving existing client relationships
• 56% Identifying and measuring target market segments
• 55% Scenario-based strategic planning
• 53% Data mining and analysis for law firms
• 53% Maximizing marketing results with technology
• 53% Effective marketing to high-tech, emerging growth companies
• 51% Conducting market research
• 49% How the new economy is changing law firm clients
• 49% Preparing and delivering presentations
• 49% Writing successful business plans

In addition, several of respondents said that they would like to see more media and branding related programs.

What Don't They Want? Following are the 10 programs that drew the most disinterest:

• 21% How to Build Law-related Subsidiaries as Adjuncts to Your Firm's Practice Area Specialties
• 20% Negotiating Complex Contracts
• 19% Creating In-house PR Divisions
• 16% Inside Counsel Dynamics (alliances, associate rotation programs, etc.)
• 15% Creating an Annual Report as a Marketing Tool
• 15% How to Leverage Technology into a New Legal Compliance/Preventative Law Practice
• 14% Alternative Firm Structures/Business Models
• 13% Strategies for Combining Marketing & Recruiting Functions
• 13% Establishing & Defending Your Firm's Marketing Budget
• 12% Recruiting & Hiring of Marketing Personnel

How and Where Do You Want to Learn? Washington, DC is the most convenient location for LMA meetings (87%) and Northern Virginia is a distant second (10%). 62% of respondents prefer luncheons, 23% prefer breakfast; 13% prefer half-day sessions and only 2% were interested in a full day program. Despite this strong preference for the luncheon format, 67% of the respondents did express interest in participating in a program if it was offered over a period of time (i.e., one evening a week for six weeks or a two-day weekend program). Finally, if technology assisted programs-such as online chats, conference calls or videoconferences-were available, 24% of the respondents said they would absolutely participate and 42% said they would very likely participate. Although this willingness to participate is encouraging, there is a strong minority (34%) of respondents who said it would be unlikely that they would participate. As is usually the case with technology, it appears that our efforts in this area will need to be more evolutionary than revolutionary.

How Will Your Board Respond? According to Wagner, the Mid-Atlantic LMA Board is responding to the results of the survey in several ways. First, virtually all of the programming for 2001 is based on the results of the survey. Second, in response to the interest expressed in the survey, the Board will conduct at least one long-term program this year which will take place on three nights over three consecutive weeks. Third, the Board is also committed to including more Marketing Directors in the substance and planning of the 2001 programs.

Finally, to ensure the continuing satisfaction of potential and current members, Wagner said Mid-Atlantic LMA will be instituting an online program evaluation process. Immediately after the presentation of a local LMA program, all attendees will receive via e-mail an online survey regarding their satisfaction with the program they attended. The results of the evaluations will form the basis for future programs and will help the Board to accurately assess the success of every individual program. "We are confident that 2001 will be an outstanding year for LMA's Mid-Atlantic Chapter," said Wagner.

Sugarcrest Development Group is a professional training and consulting firm focused on helping law firms and legal service providers win new business and build long-lasting, revenue producing relationships with their clients. The company offers a suite of sales and marketing training programs and management consulting services designed exclusively for the legal industry. Sugarcrest is widely recognized both for its experienced management team and its innovative programs, including its provision of dynamic face-to-face training and ongoing learning via the Internet.

Lynn M. Janczak
Marketing Director
Sugarcrest Development Group, Inc.
lynn@sugarcrest.com