AI tools are changing the marketing game for small and midsized law firms, making it easier for them to compete with the bigger players in their markets. In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Michelle Calcote King interviews Jennifer Scotton, the Chief Marketing Officer at Constangy, to discuss how AI is transforming legal marketing. Jennifer's team views AI as an enhancement of human capabilities, not a replacement, and has implemented a firmwide policy emphasizing its ethical use. In this interview, she highlights specific tools her team uses, including custom GPTs for website content and AI headshot tools for remote photography. Jennifer explains how she selects which tools to adopt, and considerations for maintaining a growth mindset and preserving institutional knowledge for long-term success when using AI in law firms.

• Why treating AI as an accelerant rather than a replacement extends human expertise and creates space for higher-value thinking and relationship building.

• Which AI tools make Jennifer's shortlist, including Aragon.ai, OpusClip, Picky and There's An AI for That

• How to develop custom GPTs that maintain brand voice consistency.

• How AI headshot tools solve professional photography challenges for remote and distributed law firms.

• How to use AI to establish historical knowledge so teams can access past decisions and processes.

• Why starting with one key pain point and conducting small pilots leads to more sustainable AI adoption than trying to implement everything at once.

• The resources legal marketers can use to discover new AI tools and learn from peers implementing similar solutions across the industry.

• How the shift in client attitudes toward AI from resistance to expectation is creating competitive advantages for firms that embrace innovation.

A relentless innovator and true change agent, Jennifer Scotton serves as Constangy's chief marketing officer. In this role, she guides the firm's marketing and business development strategy, leading a team of highly skilled marketing professionals.

With 20 years of experience in legal marketing, Jennifer has enjoyed multiple leadership positions at both the regional and international levels of the Legal Marketing Association, as well as serving on the American Marketing Association's Board of Directors. An award-winning marketing professional, she was named to Triad Business Journal's "Top 40 Professionals Under 40" list in 2022, selected as an "Unsung Legal Hero" by North Carolina Lawyers Weekly in 2018 and has led her team to win multiple "Your Honor" awards from the LMA.

• Check out Constangy

• Follow Constangy on LinkedIn and Facebook

• Connect with Jennifer Scotton on LinkedIn

• Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn

• Use JENNIFER15 to get 15% off Aragon.ai

This episode is brought to you by Reputation Ink.

Founded by Michelle Calcote King, Reputation Ink is a marketing and public relations agency that serves B2B professional services firms of all shapes and sizes across the United States, including corporate law firms and architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms.

Reputation Ink understands how sophisticated corporate buyers find and select professional services firms. For more than a decade, they have helped firms grow through thought leadership-fueled strategies, including public relations, content marketing, video marketing, social media, podcasting, marketing strategy services, creative services and more.

To learn more, visit www.rep-ink.com or email them at info@rep-ink.com today.

Understanding the methodology behind legal rankings can transform how law firms approach the nomination process. In this "Spill the Ink" episode, Elizabeth Petit, Vice President of Research and Development at Best Lawyers, pulls back the curtain on the peer-review process that has been the rankings program's foundation since 1983.

Michelle and Elizabeth also discuss the transition path from the "Ones to Watch" list to "Best Lawyers" recognition, the role of AI in improving rankings visibility without impacting the methodology itself and critical action steps firms should take before the December 12 nomination deadline to ensure their lawyers are positioned in the correct practice areas.

• Strategic considerations for nomination decisions, including experience thresholds and practice area selection approaches.

• The distinct pathways and requirements for lawyers at different career stages, from emerging talent to established practitioners.

• What law firms should understand about the relationship between the "Ones to Watch" list and "Best Lawyers" recognition.

• Critical timing and accuracy considerations for the nomination process to avoid common classification pitfalls.

• The methodology that distinguishes Best Lawyers' peer-review process from popularity voting and client satisfaction measures.

• The ways Best Lawyers incorporates AI technology while maintaining the integrity of its quantitative ranking methodology.

Elizabeth Petit gave serious consideration to pursuing a legal career, but a twist of fate brought her to the research department of Best Lawyers' parent company in 2010. She remained with the organization and has led the Research and Development department since 2012.

Guided by the long-respected transparent methodology of Best Lawyers, Elizabeth has established the consistency of the quality of research throughout the organization's platforms and services, most notably its three institutional programs: Best Lawyers, Best Law Firms and Lawyer Directory.

Elizabeth initiates many Best Lawyers products and plays a pivotal role in guiding their execution. She has found it particularly rewarding to have maintained the original mission of the company while enhancing it in new and creative ways.

Elizabeth earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Tulane University before receiving her Master of Arts from the University of South Carolina. Additionally, she holds certificates in Project Management (2019) and Non-Profit Management (2009) from the University of South Carolina, where she also served as adjunct faculty member from 2009-2020.

• Check out Best Lawyers

• Follow Best Lawyers on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram

• Connect with Elizabeth Petit on LinkedIn

• Say hello to Michelle Calcote King on LinkedIn