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NAME: Anna M. Maiuri
FIRM: Miller, Canfield, Paddock and
Stone, PLC
ADDRESS: 840 West Long Lake, Suite
200, Troy, MI 48098
PHONE: (248) 267-3260
E-MAIL: maiuri@millercanfield.com
PRACTICE AREA: Environmental Law
Interviewed By: Marisa Davies
Nominated By: Brandy Mathie
Most Successful/Favorite Rainmaking tip:
Know your target. Get educated not only with respect
to the prospect’s business but with the prospect’s
personality. Observe and listen to the prospect’s
needs. Pay attention to body language. Be attentive
and responsive. Remember, establishing a reporte of
trust and respect is vital to securing the personal
relationship, which virtually always leads to the professional
relationship.
Biggest influence on career/best career advice:
When I was choosing a career path, I was leery about
joining a large firm. I was concerned about the demands,
getting lost in a sea of associates, and not being afforded
the opportunity to do meaningful work for several years.
When I received my job offer from Miller Canfield (my
current firm of 340 lawyers), an attorney friend told
me, “you can always go down (to a smaller firm),
but you can’t always go up. Take the job.”
I did and it was the best choice I could have made.
I consider myself extremely fortunate to be a member
of this Firm and its fine attorneys and staff. Miller
Canfield has been serving the public for over 150 years.
Not many institutions can say they have been around
that long.
Percentage of time devoted to marketing:
No idea. Marketing is a constant and never-ending job.
I do it in one form or another every day.
Whether I am updating my biography, giving a seminar
on brownfield redevelopment or serving on a non-profit
Board of Directors, each activity serves as a marketing
opportunity to showcase my expertise as well as that
of my Firm.
Proudest accomplishment:
To date, serving in various leadership capacities at
Miller Canfield and in the community. Most importantly,
spearheading a Firm initiative called the Women of Miller
Canfield (WOMC). All our women attorneys meet quarterly
to share marketing ideas and develop strategies for
increasing our client base, particularly with women
clients. We have discovered that many of our women clients
prefer more unconventional practice development activities,
such as visiting a museum exhibit or taking a private
cooking class. Because of the collective efforts of
our women partners and associates, our events have been
quite successful and are beginning to create quite a
buzz with our female clients. Because the events involve
both partners and associates, they also serve as a good
training exercise in nurturing client relationships
and promoting mentoring.
Knowing what you know now, if you were starting
out as a lawyer today, what would you do differently?
I would get more business and real estate experience.
I would expand my practice area to have a more general
business transactional practice.
Tell me about one rainmaking strategy or tactic
that you initially thought would work, but it failed.
Why did it fail?
Joining certain organizations for the purpose of networking
when the activity was just not bearing any fruit. I
just stayed involved too long. It is important to know
when to cut your losses and move on to other things.
Tell me about one rainmaking strategy or tactic
that you initially thought would fail, but it was a
great success. Why was it successful?
Attending targeted industry group meetings, such as
the Original Equipment Suppliers Association or Oakland
County, Michigan’s Automation Alley. I thought
I would get lost in the crowd of industry specialists
but found that as long as I was genuinely interested
in the group’s purpose, I could connect with its
members as well as successfully market and meet those
individual’s who could help me find potential
clients.
What has been your greatest frustration about
trying to get new business or new clients?
That it is a never-ending job that requires the three
Ps--planning, patience and perseverance.
If you were mentoring a young woman lawyer,
what advice would you give her regarding rainmaking?
Find what you like to do and integrate it into your
marketing goals. If you like to research and write,
write articles in your field and publish them. If you
like to do public speaking, find a forum to do seminars
in your practice area. If you like what you are doing,
you will automatically be more successful doing it.
In addition, do an individual practice development plan
and reevaluate it every year.
Would you say you ever had a mentor that made
a genuine difference in how your career turned out?
If yes, please describe.
I have not had a single dedicated mentor but instead
several mentors. Some have helped refine my technical
skills, others have helped me to learn marketing, and
still others have enlightened me on workplace policies
and politics. I gravitate to those who I believe are
particularly skilled in a specific area and then observe
and ask them for advice on how to get better.
Think about when you started out as a lawyer.
Now think about the new female lawyers just starting
out. What is different now compared to when you started?
I believe that today’s new female lawyers are
more polished, more confident and seem to know what
they want. Many of the new lawyers have outlined a clear
career path and have a better understanding of how to
get to their goals than I did when I started out.
How would you like others to describe you:
Energetic
Intuitive
Good Listener
Problem Solver/Change Agent
Loyal/Dedicated
Sometimes Impatient
Top
ABA Women Rainmakers is a national forum enabling women
to network and develop business opportunities. By understanding
how to develop business, women can exert greater control
over their careers and integrate their personal lives
successfully with the practice of law. For more information
on LPM Women Rainmakers, visit www.womenrainmakers.org.
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