Nina McCann, Forchelli, Curto, Deegan, Schwartz, Mineo, Cohn & Terrana LLP

Name: Nina McCann Title: Director of Marketing Company/firm: Forchelli, Curto, Deegan, Schwartz, Mineo, Cohn & Terrana LLP Nina McCann is the director of marketing at Forchelli, Curto, Deegan, Schwartz, Mineo, Cohn, & Terrana LLP. Ms. McCann has over 14 years of experience in both the public and private sector. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. McCann was the regional marketing manager at Nixon Peabody LLP and Communications Manager at the global firm Fried Frank. She is a member of many business and professional organizations including the New York Chapter Legal Marketing Association (LMA) and Public Relations Professionals of Long Island (PRPLI) and several Long Island business and legal marketing groups on LinkedIn. McCann holds a Bachelor's Degree in Communication from Queens College and an M.B.A. from Hofstra University. How do you contribute to your company and /or the industry? I am often asked what a law firm marketing person does because "lawyers don't advertise." But the reality is - a law firm is a business and in this economy all businesses need to have a multi-faceted marketing program in place in order to continue to grow and thrive. Forchelli, Curto, Deegan, Schwartz, Mineo, Cohn & Terrana, LLP is a full-service law firm with a particular focus in the real estate industry. The industry is still in recovery from the recent downturn. My role in a nutshell is business development-to assist the attorneys at my firm, build, retain and enhance relationships. As the in-house marketing person, I am heavily involved in the strategic planning and ongoing client relationship initiatives. I oversee many firm-wide activities which include public relations, response to proposal (RFP) submissions, online marketing initiatives and coordinating networking events. I identify and evaluate suitable projects and opportunities. In my role, I also attend many of the events with the attorneys. Clients and contacts are often loyal to a firm that they feel has a strong sense of community and friendliness. Allowing me to attend the functions does a lot to enhance and maintain effective working relationships. I believe, you often work better with connections whom you have developed personal relationships. On a professional level, attending these events has given me a great opportunity to enhance my networking skills. What was your most notable project in 2010? The move to the top floor of The Omni Building in Uniondale, NY during the summer of 2009 was a tremendous endeavor for the firm from a logistics perspective. From an employee perspective, it did wonders to boost morale and our work environment. I handled an award submission for 'Lease of the Year,' which the firm won in 2010. In a year where there was not the same level of deals, projects or transactions in the real estate industry, the award and ceremony was a great event for the attorneys who attended. I was very happy to be part of it.