Karie Trujillo is the Marketing and Business Development Director of Markowitz Herbold PC, a boutique litigation firm headquartered in Portland, Oregon. As a solo marketer, she manages all marketing and business development activities including lead generation, website, advertising, public relations, community involvement, client satisfaction, content development and attorney coaching. Karie has been in professional services marketing for nearly 30 years.
She is a former Northwest Chapter Legal Marketing Association Board Member and currently serves on the board of Farmers Market Fund, an organization that provides matching incentives to SNAP shoppers at farmers markets throughout Oregon. Karie is also a volunteer for the Portland Business Alliance and a member of Ninety-Nine Girlfriends, a collective giving organization.
Learn more about her in this Women Who Wow profile.
Why did you choose your profession?
My profession actually chose me! I attended the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism in the mid- 80s. My dream was to be a writer for Rolling Stone magazine. However, the economy had other plans for me. I graduated amid a terrible recession with student loans I needed to repay. No one was hiring. I ended up working for a non-profit organization which allowed me to develop marketing skills that led to my career in professional services marketing.
What do you love most about what you do?
I love the challenge of legal marketing. I don’t think we legal marketers give ourselves enough credit for how hard our jobs are. Selling legal services is so much more difficult than selling a product. I enjoy celebrating small victories like when I see a light bulb go off for an attorney who’s struggled with business development, or when a prospect becomes a client, even if it’s a small matter.
Tell us about a woman you look up to and why.
I am a huge fan of Michelle Obama. Her poise, grace and kindness are inspiring.
Do you have a mentor?
I am lucky to have had many awesome mentors in my life. A former boss, Marjory Morford, was probably the most influential. She taught me everything I know about business development and continues to inspire me today.
Any advice to young women about succeeding n the workplace?
I would tell young women to develop their own personal brand. Be known for something. And always do what you say you’re going to do.
What do you wish you could tell your younger self?
I would tell myself to not stress so much about the future. It’s all going to be okay!
What is the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Always try to deliver more than what was asked for.
How do you achieve work/life balance?
It’s been easier to maintain a balance while working from home. I see that changing as we begin to open up our office and host events again. I try to work as little as possible on the weekends which provides a much-needed break.
What do you think is the key to success in a role like yours?
You need to believe in your product. I truly believe my firm is the best at what it does. If I didn’t think that, it would be very hard to do my job.
What advice would you give to women in your field?
Work hard, take care of yourself, be kind and don’t take any shit.
How has the pandemic changed you?
Stephen Covey once asked, “Are you too busy driving to stop for gas?” That is how I’ve felt my entire career. The pandemic has given me time to not only stop for gas, but to rotate the tires, clean out my trunk and do an oil change. It forced me to take a look at our marketing priorities and analyze what was working, what wasn’t and how I could do things better. It gave me time to slow down, take a deep breath, and look at marketing and business development holistically.
Personally, I’ve been able to pick up some hobbies that I never would’ve had time to consider before. For example, my husband and I started growing mushrooms!