Are you an Outlaw? Meet Jon Mattson

Are you an Outlaw?

Well, here at Society 54 we believe that Jon Mattson is one of the original Outlaws. He is a leader in the legal marketing industry who constantly draws outside the lines and challenges the status quo. That is why, in addition to his day job, he co-founded Law 2.5 - a best practices roundtable that focuses on the future of law.

So, to get to know this Outlaw a little better we asked him a few questions:

Q. Where would you like to live? A. The Lowcountry region of South Carolina

Q. What is your motto? A. To be successful you should work half days. It doesn’t matter which 12 hours you work but if you love what you do, you will work them and be successful.

Q. Share something that you’ve done in the past that set you apart from your peers? A. My background includes timekeeper experience as an accountant, coaching, geography marketing and client facing business development.

Q. Always paying attention or do you daydream? A. Daydream

Q. Who are your favorite authors/ what are your favorite books? A. I like non-fiction that helps me in my career and life. I am currently reading the – “Glass Half Full – The Decline and Rebirth of the Legal Profession” and “The Snowball - Warren Buffett and the Business of Life”.

Q. If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why? A. Ronald Reagan – Incredible, self-made leader who was humble and had a great sense of humor. He also reminds me of my grandfather.

Q. What got you into working in the legal industry? A. I worked at three of the Big Four accounting firms. I could have gone to the fourth and, perhaps, written a book but I thought I’d try my hand at legal instead.

Q. Your favorite musician/ band? A. If I have to put one, Eric Clapton. If I can add more: The Beatles, The Band, Little Feat, Zac Brown, George Strait and Toby Keith.

Q. What is your current state of mind? A. Anxious. Work is very busy and I am about to go join up with good friends at our CMO Roundtable semi-annual meet up. It always works itself out.

Q. Your favorite virtue? A. Empathy. The more we can help coach our “internal clients” (attorneys) to “put themselves in their clients shoes”, the more successful we all will be.

Q. What would you consider your greatest achievement? A. Raising two fantastic daughters

Q. Finish this sentence- if I won the lottery tomorrow I would... A. finish the two proposals we are working on, teach the business development class scheduled and have my final two attorney coaching sessions before giving ample notice. Just kidding, please mail the personal items in my office to the beach.

Jon Mattson serves as Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Tucker Ellis, a full service law firm with almost 200 lawyers practicing nationwide out of offices in Cleveland, Columbus, Denver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.  In the CMBDO role, Jon is responsible for revenue growth, new client generation, brand awareness, and instilling a culture of client service and business development throughout the firm. In addition, Jon is co-founder of Law 2.5, a best practices roundtable focused on the future of law.

Prior to joining Tucker Ellis in 2010, Jon spent most of his career in Big Four accounting serving in a unique blend of roles including external business development to some of the firm’s largest clients, a geography marketing leadership role, and a client service/timekeeper role within a state and local tax practice.

Jon is a frequent guest speaker to the LMA International Conference and LMA chapters, bar associations, and other organizations on business development within professional services organizations.  He received his BA in Economics from Eastern Illinois University and his MBA from Wake Forest University.

Jon lives in Chagrin Falls, OH with his wife Jerrel Lynn and daughters Emily (15) and Ashley (11).