Are You an Outlaw? Meet Susanne Mandel
Who has redefined what it means to think outside of the law (AKA Outlaw) and is helping each of us in the process?
Meet Susanne Mandel, Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer at Lowndes, a multi-practice law firm in Orlando, Florida, since 2009. She has been a creative leader and strategic innovator for global, regional and small law firms for nearly three decades, including at two AmLaw 100 firms and has worked with law firms of all sizes around the U.S. as a consultant with Marketforce, a division of Hildebrandt International. She also brings corporate and not-for-profit perspectives to professional services, including several years on the market research team at corporate giant, PepsiCo. A founder and former president of the Metropolitan New York Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association (LMA), Susanne was featured in the New York Times as a leader in the then-burgeoning field of law firm marketing. She is a frequent speaker and author on topics relating to law firm marketing, business development, and leadership.
Enjoy getting to know this Outlaw!
Q: Where would you like to live?
A: Portugal. The Portuguese people are so kind and warm. The climate varies in different parts of the country but overall there’s plenty of year-round sunshine. A car isn’t necessary – walking everywhere is the norm, and public transportation is easy. The food is fresh and delicious, and it isn't compromised by all the chemical witchcraft the FDA allows or all the sweeteners food manufacturers tend to shovel into everything. Basic health insurance is free, but even opting for higher-coverage private insurance is less expensive than in the U.S. – with no co-pays and no deductibles. And the quality of healthcare is among the top in the world. No wonder the expat population is exploding! It’s not that I don’t love America; I just love the laidback and other distinct lifestyle benefits of Portugal.
Q: Who is your real-life hero?
A: Oh, my grandmother for sure. All of my grandparents, actually – that whole generation that had to escape all types of persecution in Russia and other parts of Eastern and Western Europe in the early 1900’s. They swam across rivers, hid in forests, survived on one loaf of bread for weeks, and still managed to trek for miles and miles across multiple countries to get to ships that would bring them to America. This particular grandmother learned the English language by listening to the radio, later watching TV, and in later years, she asked me to send back her letters to me at camp and college with corrections. Eventually, she built a business running a small summer resort and, as she was able, she gave back generously to the community and country that provided her with so much freedom and success. I think about her strength and courage, her passion and determination, and her great big bear-hugs every single day.
Q: What got you into working in the legal industry?
A: Over 30 years ago, after experiencing the less-than-satisfying corporate marketing world, a career counselor helped me identify all that was important to me in work, and how I could best contribute to a variety of businesses.
Actually, she told me I’d make a great funeral director because I was an excellent communicator, able to listen to others empathetically and capable of juggling multiple tasks simultaneously. Although she was right about those characteristics (and more), the job certainly did not appeal to me! But the new-ish field of marketing for law firms seemed to be a good fit: an intellectual environment needing creativity and innovation, where the stakeholders would need guidance in strengthening relationships and growing their business – without the corporate hierarchy.
I was so fortunate that a visionary leader at an Am Law 100 firm agreed to give me shot and, as that firm’s first marketing director, I loved every day of my 10 years there and my many firms and decades of experiences since then.
Q: What is your current state of mind?
A: Anxious, I think. Anxious that my children (who aren’t children anymore) are facing a challenging and bumpy road ahead – a crazy, mixed-up world that is overly dependent on untruths and instant gratification, that is too quick to judge others, that is an angry and often violent world. And a little guilty that this is the world I am leaving to them.
Q: Who would you have liked to be?
A: A professional tennis player.