Are You an Outlaw? Meet Emily Gallagher

Who has redefined what it means to think outside of the law (AKA Outlaw) and is helping each of us in the process?

Meet Emily Gallagher, Director of Business Development & Strategic Pursuits at Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP. In her role, Emily leads a team responsible for driving key business development strategies and enhancing client services. With over 15 years of experience in legal marketing, she has worked closely with AmLaw100 and AmLaw200 firms, gaining valuable insights and expertise. Emily's unwavering passion for people and process, combined with her extensive experience in legal marketing, positions her as a valuable resource for driving strategic initiatives, fostering innovation, and making a meaningful impact in the industry. Throughout her career, Emily has successfully managed hybrid and decentralized teams, covering the full spectrum of legal marketing and business development initiatives. She takes a collaborative and inclusive approach, fostering work environments that prioritize psychological safety, well-being, and productivity. As a self-professed "data geek," Emily is always looking at the intersection of data and strategy – finding ways to turn insights into action, improve the client service delivery model, and demonstrate impact through metrics.

Emily also enjoys sharing with and learning from the legal marketing community. In 2020, she received an LMASE Your Honor Award in the Client Services category for “Establishing a Strategic Process for Formal Pursuits.” She moderated a panel at the 2023 LMA Annual Conference titled "Lifting the Veil: The Marriage of DEI, BD & LegalOps," where she explored ways to amplify the impact of legal marketers on improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal industry. Additionally, she co-presented sessions on management and well-being at the LMASE Regional Conference titled "Toxic Positivity vs. The Vortex of Negativity: The Importance of Balance in Management & Motivation" in 2023 and "Mindfulness in Marketing" in 2017.

Enjoy getting to know this Outlaw!

Q: What is your idea of happiness?
A: My idea of happiness is spending time and sharing experiences with the people I love. The happiest moment of my life so far may have been on a perfect beach day this past fall. By way of background, sea turtles are my absolute favorite animal and I have always wanted to swim with one of them. A few years ago, I was at the beach with my family, reading my book snug in my chair, when my daughter called out from her paddleboard that there was a turtle in the water. Well, if you know you me you know I do not run. Ever. But, that day I took off sprinting into the water like David Hasselhoff in Baywatch. And, promptly learned how difficult it is to run in the water. Needless to say, I didn’t see the turtle and my 2-yard dash in the ocean became family lore. Fast forward to this past fall break, when I was out in the water at the same beach with my husband and both my girls. We were doing our usual hermit crab hunting (don’t worry we always put them right back in) when all of a sudden a giant sea turtle came meandering past us. I was in my happy place, surrounded by the people I love most in the world, and got to experience a bucket list item by pure kismet. My family and I swam with the turtle all the way down the beach. When I get stressed or worried about the small stuff, I relive that epic moment and remember what is really important.

Q: What is your motto?
A: Let’s put the FUN in dysfunctional. We can be honest here, right? I have worked for law firms since my first “real” job at 19. I have never worked at a law firm that is not some form of dysfunctional in its own way. And, judging by the stories of my friends, it’s not just law firms that have this issue. In fact, it’s pretty much an epidemic across all aspects of my life – work, family, kid’s schools, etc. I can’t control the chaos, but I can control the way I react to it. I figure if I have to deal with some crazy situations, at least I’ll get some good stories out of it. So when vacillating between laugh or cry, I choose laugh every time. Life is too short to do otherwise.

Q: Who are your favorite authors or what are your favorite books?
A: I hate this question as it is absolutely impossible for me to answer. I read about 100-150 books a year, mostly fiction with some juicy celebrity memoirs thrown in there. Reading has been my go-to favorite activity for as long as I can remember. I am working towards having a library, which I am told is 1,000 books. For now, though, I think it’s just considered a horde at 787 physical books in my house. I am not a book worm, I’m a book dragon. Some of the names you will see most often on the spines: Jesmyn Ward, Anthony Marra, Jonathan Tropper, Ann Patchett, Amor Towles, Octavia Butler, SA Crosby, Abbi Waxman, Peter Heller, Helen Hoang, NK Jemisin, Emily Henry and Jesse Sutanto. I just switched tracking my reading on Goodreads to The StoryGraph (a non-Amazon, Black woman-owned business), and need some friends there – hit me up at emilyegallagher. I will also give a shout out to the most impactful book I read this year: This Naked Mind by Annie Grace. It’s a good read for anyone sober-curious or seeking a better understanding of their relationship with alcohol. I’ve been alcohol-free since I read it in July ’23 and have never felt better!

Q: If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
A: Oh, gosh, this is embarrassingly superficial. It would be my second favorite Ryan - Ryan Gosling. For the record, my husband is my first favorite Ryan. It’s just… The Notebook scene and then the Crazy, Stupid, Love lift scene and now Kenough. I have this feeling he would be just like the Grand Canyon – pretty in pictures but so much better in real life. And, he was in the Mickey Mouse Club with JT, Britney and Christina – he has to have some good stories!

Q: Finish this sentence: “If I won the lottery tomorrow I would…”
A: First, buy an island where I would build a house with secret passageways and a replica of the library from Beauty and the Beast. I would also build houses for all of my friends and their families on that island. Then, I would buy another nearby but not-too-close island, where I would build houses for my non-nuclear family. I would finally write that book of all my disFUNctional stories and not even bother to come up with aliases because everybody would still want to be my friend. The rest of my money, time and resources would be dedicated to providing resources to nonprofit organizations, particularly those focused on  education, literacy, criminal justice reform, and domestic violence.