Meet Jaimie Field, a trainer and coach to lawyers. Jaimie teaches lawyers and firms how to take all of the legal marketing strategies that exist (and some you may not know about) to create the practice you love by turning them into “Rainmaking Tactics.”
As Jaimie’s tagline says: “Rainmakers are not born, they are taught.” She works one-on-one with lawyers, provides live and virtual group training, works within law firm settings to provide bespoke training to attorneys which meshes with the culture of the firm and provides workshops and on-site rainmaking seminars with Ethics CLE.
Learn more about her and what she does.
Why did you choose your profession?
I really didn’t choose this profession; it was suggested to me by my father. No matter what job I had during my early career, I was constantly doing both law and marketing.
At the time I began my company, I was an attorney working in marketing for an advertising agency that had to let me go after 9/11 because they lost most of their billings.
My father, also an attorney, suggested that I take my knowledge of marketing and my experience and love of the law and start a company that provided marketing and business development for law firms.
Over the past 20 years, I have morphed from being a fractional CMO to solely doing attorney business development training and coaching.
How has social media helped you build your business/brand?
It has taken me national. And, it has provided me a platform to share the information that I think every lawyer needs to become a Rainmaker. I love teaching – whether it’s on a social media site or via webinar/seminar, I just want to help as many lawyers become great business developers.
Any advice to young women about succeeding in the workplace?
Don’t be afraid to use your voice. Speak up when you need to say something. Don’t be afraid to take credit for something; you have to learn to toot your own horn. And give 100% of yourself to the job when you are doing the job. This is not to say you should become a workaholic. What I mean is when you are at work, work. When you are off, take the time off.
What is the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Learn to actively listen. It is the one thing that has helped me more than anything. Most people listen only for a place where they can chime in. But when you listen actively, you can usually figure out what someone else needs and then find a way to help/answer them.
How do you achieve work/life balance?
I don’t believe that there is such a thing as work/life balance. When I first started, you worked at an office and when you left, even if it was after a 16-hour day, you left work behind. You could have what we call work/life balance. Now, because of the little computer that is in our pockets at all times (smartphones), you could be on call 24 hours a day.
What I think most women need to do is create boundaries. Setting boundaries in all aspects of your life will allow you to carve out both work time and personal time.
What advice would you give to women in your field?
When I was growing up, there were only so many spots for women in any field. As a result, competition was fierce amongst women. Now, the competition isn’t between women but it is about getting equitable treatment. This is when you really need to have many women who are there to support you, cheer you on and fight for you. Join organizations with like-minded women who will be there to do just that.
How has the pandemic changed you?
The pandemic really didn’t change me. I was already working from a home office for the past dozen years. But what it did change was my network.
I have met people through virtual networking that I probably never would have met had it not been for this time in our history. And many of these people are becoming good friends and colleagues.
What is a surprising/fun fact about you?
Many people know that my first job out of law school was working and an in-house associate for a startup company owned by the Jackson Family (yes, the Jackson Five family), all 11 members. But what most don’t know is that I love performing. I love to sing, not just in the shower or car (although I am usually heard belting out toons when I am driving down the highway.)
During law school I hosted karaoke shows and sang in a rock-n-roll cover band. Now, I sing whenever my friends with bands will let me get on stage.