In this episode of Spill the Ink, Ellen Jones, Senior Editor of Expert Analysis at Law360, pulls back the curtain on what actually gets attorneys published in one of legal media's most widely read outlets. Law360 distributes newsletters to more than 3 million recipients every business day, and its Expert Analysis section is where attorneys can reach the GCs, compliance officers and business leaders who rely on it for substantive analysis. Ellen walks through what separates a strong submission from one that goes straight to the slush pile, how the 90-day news hook works in practice, what the editorial collaboration process looks like and how legal marketers can position their attorneys to succeed.

• How Law360's Expert Analysis section differs from its breaking news coverage and why that distinction matters for legal marketers

• The 90-day news hook rule and what options exist when a topic doesn't fit neatly into that window

• Why submissions that simply recap what happened get rejected and what editors want instead

• How to pitch in 150 words and what the collaborative editing process looks like from there

• How AI is changing the visibility equation for law firms and why expert analysis matters more, not less, because of it

Ellen Jones is an experienced legal content strategist with a strong background in writing and editing. She serves as a senior editor for Law360's Expert Analysis vertical, where she works directly with attorneys and marketing and communications pros from AmLaw200 firms and beyond to create guest bylines for a premiere legal news brand that reaches more than three million readers across law, business and government daily. Her journalism background, relationship-building skills and keen understanding of legal industry trends guide her approach to curating thought leadership content that connects with audiences. With a passion for helping lawyers and firms spotlight their knowledge and capabilities, she collaborates with world-class legal experts to distill can't-miss business news into compelling analysis for busy decision-makers. She is a member of the American Society of Business Publication Editors and holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication and information sciences from The University of Alabama.

• Check out Law360

• Follow Law360 on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram

• Connect with Ellen Jones on LinkedIn

• Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn

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 info@rep-ink.com today.

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Michelle Calcote King talks with Katrina Dewey, founder of Lawdragon, and Alison Preece, director of rankings and content, about how the Lawdragon 500 actually works. They cover the selection process behind Lawdragon's 36 guides, what separates a targeted, journalism-style submission from a weak one, how AI is changing the way lawyers get discovered, and why Lawdragon sees a ranking as the beginning of a relationship — not the end of one.

• How Lawdragon selects lawyers across its 36 guides and why nominations, peer review and editorial research all play a role

• What makes a strong submission and why firms should write like journalists

• How AI is changing the way lawyers and firms get discovered and how quality rankings factor in

• How to leverage Lawdragon recognition once you have it

Katrina Dewey is the Founder and CEO of Lawdragon. She is a drop-out lawyer, dedicated legal journalist and has been creating lists of lawyers since 1989. With the Lawdragon team, she has created a vital voice in the legal profession that allows legal professionals to share their stories with the world. She views legal recognition as the beginning of the journey, not the destination.

Alison Preece is Director of Rankings & Content at Lawdragon. She is a core member of the Lawdragon Guides research team, highlighting the work of the most elite lawyers and legal professionals in the nation and globally. She oversees editorial content and assists in the strategic direction of the company. She is particularly interested in how the leadership of female lawyers is reshaping the profession, and enjoys speaking with the many incredible lawyers who wrangle with complex and relevant topics daily.

Alison previously managed strategic communications at Cravath, Boies Schiller Flexner, and Shearman & Sterling. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto.

• Check out Lawdragon's website

• View Lawdragon's editorial calendar and guide methodology at lawdragon.com/guides

• Follow Lawdragon on LinkedIn and Facebook.

• Connect with Katrina Dewey on LinkedIn

• Connect with Alison Preece on LinkedIn

• Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn

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 info@rep-ink.com today.

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Steven Gallo talks with Barbara Stiles, FSMPS, CPSM, senior consultant in the Strategic Growth Advisory practice at Stambaugh Ness, about why institutional knowledge is one of the most valuable — and most vulnerable — assets an AEC firm has, and what marketing and business development leaders can do to capture it before it walks out the door.

• What gets lost when an experienced employee leaves an AEC firm — and why it goes beyond technical knowledge

• The difference between explicit and tacit knowledge, and why tacit knowledge is where competitive advantage lives

• How marketing and BD teams can make the business case for a knowledge transfer initiative to firm leadership

• Practical first steps for firms that want to start capturing institutional knowledge before it becomes a crisis

Barbara Stiles, FSMPS, CPSM, is a Senior Consultant in the Strategic Growth Advisory practice at Stambaugh Ness. With more than 35 years of experience in the AEC industry, she is a proven leader in strategic planning, business development and marketing. A former vice president and shareholder at WGI, Inc., she has worked with firms ranging from 200 to 80,000 employees.

Barbara has been presenting on business development, leadership, communication and strategic planning topics for more than 20 years at the local, regional and national levels. She is a longtime member of SMPS, has served on the SMPS National board and the SMPS Foundation board, and was recognized as a Fellow of SMPS in 2016. She also holds the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM) designation.

• Check out Stambaugh Ness

• Follow Stambaugh Ness on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram

• Connect with Barbara Stiles on LinkedIn

• Say hello to Steven Gallo on LinkedIn

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 info@rep-ink.com today.

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Michelle Calcote King sits down with Shailyn Tirado, Global Head of Research at Legal Benchmarking Group, to discuss what it takes to succeed in the IFLR1000 rankings process. Shailyn explains the program's three-pronged research methodology, what firms consistently get wrong when describing deal impact and why the program made the decision to combine its rankings and awards submissions into a single process this cycle.

• What sets IFLR1000 apart from generalist legal directories and who it's designed to serve

• Why IFLR1000 combined its rankings and awards submissions into a single process this cycle

• How deal evidence, client feedback, and peer and market insight each factor into the final assessment

• What firms consistently get wrong when describing deal impact and what the research team actually wants to see

• Why quality matters far more than quantity when selecting client referees and participating in peer surveys

Shailyn Tirado is the Global Head of Research at Legal Benchmarking Group, where she has worked since 2020. She leads research and data analysis teams across a range of markets, with expertise spanning the legal and publishing industries. Prior to joining Legal Benchmarking Group, she was a research editor at Euromoney Institutional Investor, now known as Delinian.

• Check out Legal Benchmarking Group

• Check out IFLR1000

• Follow Legal Benchmarking Group on LinkedIn

• Connect with Shailyn Tirado on LinkedIn

• Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn

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 info@rep-ink.com today.

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Steven Gallo sits down with Nick Piteo, PE, a principal at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger and chair of the AEI Professional Project Awards jury. Nick pulls back the curtain on what the jury is actually looking for, why the collaboration between marketers and engineers makes or breaks a submission and how to make the business case for pursuing these awards internally.

• What the AEI Professional Project Awards are and why they exist

• What the jury is actually looking for in a submission

• Why the disconnect between marketing teams and engineers is one of the most common submission killers

• The business case for pursuing these awards — from recruiting to getting shortlisted on competitive proposals

• How to get started and why submitting as a full project team can strengthen your entry and reduce costs

Nick Piteo, PE, is a principal at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH), where he has spent nearly 25 years specializing in building enclosures and forensic engineering. His work spans the investigation of existing structures, rehabilitation design, historic preservation and new design, with a focus on higher education, laboratory, healthcare and museum buildings. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, North Carolina, New York and Pennsylvania and holds bachelor's and master's degrees in architectural engineering from Penn State University. Nick also serves as chair of the jury for the AEI Professional Project Awards.

• Check out the AEI Professional Project Awards
• Learn more about Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH)
• Follow SGH on LinkedIn
• Connect with Nick Piteo on LinkedIn
• Say hello to Steven Gallo on LinkedIn

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 info@rep-ink.com today.

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Michelle Calcote King sits down with John Scott, partner and virtual CFO at Anders, to explore how law firms can use financial data to make smarter marketing decisions. The conversation covers which practice areas deserve more investment and how to build the forecasting rhythm that lets firms course-correct before it's too late.

• The most common marketing-finance disconnect at law firms — and why it can go undetected for months

• How dynamic monthly forecasting helps firms course-correct marketing spend in real time

• Why not all practice areas are equally profitable, and how to find out which ones deserve more marketing investment

• How cash flow challenges influence law firms' willingness to invest in marketing

John C. Scott, CPA, AEP, CGMA, is a partner at Anders and heads the firm's legal industry Virtual CFO practice. With more than 30 years of experience in law firm financial management, he helps firms optimize processes, strengthen profitability and prepare for succession or managing partner transitions. He is the author of Judicial Dollars and Cents and works with practices ranging from million-dollar boutiques to $30 million multi-office firms.

• Check out Anders

• Follow Anders on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram

• Connect with John Scott on LinkedIn

• Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn

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 info@rep-ink.com today.

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Steven Gallo sits down with Greg Sizemore and Gregory Palmer of the Construction Users Roundtable (CURT) to discuss the organization's annual Awards of Excellence: what they recognize, how the judging process works and what AEC firms can gain from putting together a submission.

• What the Construction Users Roundtable is and why Greg Sizemore founded it 25 years ago

• The three CURT Awards of Excellence — Safety, Workforce Development and Project Excellence — and what distinguishes each one

• Why safety and project excellence submissions are data-driven while workforce development relies more heavily on storytelling

• The most common mistakes firms make when applying and how to avoid them

• Why winning a CURT award carries value well beyond the trophy, from industry-wide exposure to owner pre-qualification signals

Greg Sizemore is the founder and president of the Construction Users Roundtable (CURT) and president of Sizemore & Company LLC. He founded CURT 25 years ago with a mission to help industrial owners get more construction for their money. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati, where he teaches construction law and leadership and decision making.

Gregory Palmer is the director of events and digital programs at CURT, where he has worked for more than 25 years. He oversees the organization's awards programs and events, including the annual Awards of Excellence ceremony.

• Learn more about the CURT Awards of Excellence and access applications at curt.org/awards

• Follow CURT on LinkedIn

• Connect with Greg Sizemore on LinkedIn

• Connect with Gregory Palmer on LinkedIn

• Say hello to Steven Gallo on LinkedIn

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 info@rep-ink.com today.