Calibrate Legal Names Chief Client Officer
April 2, 2018 – Calibrate Legal has expanded with the addition of Susan Van Dyke as chief client officer. Her background includes over two decades of legal marketing and communications experience in-house, as a consultant and in the C-suite.
“In Susan, we’ve found a fellow advocate for our marketing/BD colleagues, and a seasoned peer advisor for our clients in the C-suite across North America,” said Jennifer Scalzi, Calibrate Legal’s founder and CEO. “She has a profound understanding of the business of running a law firm, and that is the voice our industry needs right now.”
Ms. Van Dyke began her career in-house before launching a law firm consulting company called Van Dyke Marketing & Communications, which she ran for 14 years. She then accepted the chief operating officer position with her firm’s client Richards Buell Sutton. During this time, she oversaw the firm’s rebrand, restructured the firm’s marketing department and implemented a robust business development program.
Proven Skills
Over the course of her career, Ms. Van Dyke has advised on and implemented international merger communications, conducted marketing audits, restructured marketing departments, implemented robust business development programs and beyond. As an active member of the legal marketing community, she served two terms as president of the Vancouver Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) and is one of few Canadians ever elected to the international LMA International board of directors.
In her new position, Ms. Van Dyke will serve as a leadership advisor, executive search consultant and as the driver for the firm’s own operational excellence. She will focus on identifying and placing senior-level marketing and business development professionals within law firms.
“Susan’s aggregate of experience informs her role as an executive search consultant,” said Calibrate Legal. “She has a vast network of talented marketing, business development and communications connections and identifies candidates who meet specific skills requirements, but can also integrate into, and contribute to firm culture as well. At the foundation of her placement work is a deep advocacy of marketing and business development professionals and supporting their conclusive contributions to the success of their firms.”
Ms. Van Dyke said this is an exciting time to advance legal marketing professionals and law firm leadership across North America. “Whether we are incubating innovation, analyzing the application of marketing technologies, advising leaders in our field or curating high value talent, together we are moving the needle,” she said.
Legal Sector
A number of search firms that specialize in the legal sector have grown their staffs since the start of the year. Here’s a sampling from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
Lucas Group strengthened its Chicago-based legal practice with the addition of Carolyn Aberman as its new managing partner for legal recruitment. Ms. Aberman practiced law for more than a decade in the greater Chicago area before transitioning to legal recruitment in 2011. Before joining Lucas Group, she served as legal recruiting director at the Partners Group.
Special Counsel, a full-service provider of legal staffing and eDiscovery solutions, announced that its executive search division, Parker + Lynch Legal, has named Lisa Goldstein as managing director of retained search. She focuses on helping corporate legal departments improve business processes, functionality and diversity by filling key positions.
Executive search firm Mlegal Group expanded with the additions of Natasha Innocenti, Carter W. Brown, Suzanne Kane and Karina Robles in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ms. Innocenti has over 20 years of experience in placing law firm partners across most practice areas and has helped open California offices for nine AmLaw 100 and 200 law firms.
Debbie Tang has joined New York-based Bridge Partners, LLC as a partner in its Washington, D.C. office. She recruits diverse senior executives across all functions, including general counsels, chief legal officers and regulatory leaders, in a wide variety of industries. Ms. Tang previously worked for Major, Lindsey & Africa, where she spent 6-plus years as managing director, in-house practice group.
Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA) recently expanded with the addition of George J. Hittner in its Houston office as a managing director in the firm’s partner practice group. Mr. Hittner previously spent seven years as general counsel, corporate secretary and SVP for government relations at American Traffic Solutions.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
