Spill The Ink

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Michelle Calcote King sits down with Shailyn Tirado, Global Head of Research at Legal Benchmarking Group, to discuss what it takes to succeed in the IFLR1000 rankings process. Shailyn explains the program's three-pronged research met...

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Steven Gallo sits down with Nick Piteo, PE, a principal at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger and chair of the AEI Professional Project Awards jury. Nick pulls back the curtain on what the jury is actually looking for, why the collaboration between marketers and engineers makes or breaks a submission and how to make the business case for pursuing these awards internally.

Here...

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Michelle Calcote King sits down with John Scott, partner and virtual CFO at Anders, to explore how law firms can use financial data to make smarter marketing decisions. The conversation covers which practice areas deserve more investment and how to build the forecasting rhythm that lets firms course-correct before it's too late.

Here's a glimpse of what you'll learn

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Steven Gallo sits down with Greg Sizemore and Gregory Palmer of the Construction Users Roundtable (CURT) to discuss the organization's annual Awards of Excellence: what they recognize, how the judging process works and what AEC firms can gain from putting together a submission.

Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Michelle Calcote King speaks with Molly Huie, team lead for rankings, surveys and awards at Bloomberg Industry Group, about the Leading Law Firm Survey and Data-Driven Departments programs. Molly walks through how Bloomberg Law scores firms across four pillars — finance, talent, growth, and tech and innovation — shares what the data is already revealing about AI adoption ...

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Steven Gallo speaks with Sonya Bohmann, Executive Director of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention, about the mental health crisis hiding in plain sight across the AEC industry. Suicide claims more than five times as many construction workers' lives each year as on-the-job injuries, yet many firms still aren't talking about it. Sonya breaks down the risk factors ...

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Michelle Calcote King sits down with Barnaby Merrill, US editor at Legal 500, to unpack everything legal marketers need to know about one of the industry's most established rankings programs. Barnaby walks through what makes a strong submission, how referee feedback actually influences ranking decisions and why firms new to the process may be closer to a strong ranking than they thin...

Why AEC Firms Keep Getting Client Experience Wrong and How to Fix It 

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Steven Gallo sits down with Jerry Gennaria, president and CEO of TOKY, a full-service branding and design consultancy, to unpack why most AEC firms treat client experience and culture as separate problems — and what that disconnect is actually costing them. 

They dig into h...

In this episode of Spill the Ink, Michelle Calcote King talks with Michael Rafalowich, Managing Editor and Head of Research at Benchmark Litigation, the leading intelligence platform dedicated to identifying and ranking top litigators and litigation firms across the U.S. and Canada. He shares what's new for the 2027 cycle, including expanded local market coverage and a newly built research team, and offers candid advice on what sep...

As design-build project delivery methods continue to gain ground in the U.S. construction industry, the DBIA Project and Team Awards have become one of the most coveted — and most misunderstood — recognitions in AEC. In this episode of Spill the Ink, host Steven Gallo sits down with Praful Kulkarni, director of integrated services at CannonDesign and chair of the National DBIA Awards Committee, to pull back...

The Chambers and Partners guide is one of the most trusted resources in the legal industry, used by in-house counsel worldwide to find and evaluate outside counsel. With roughly 350,000 legal professionals interviewed globally each year across 1,800 practice areas in the U.S. alone, the rankings carry significant weight in how firms are perceived and how work is awarded.

In this episode of "Spill the Ink,"...

In Steven Gallo's inaugural episode as Spill the Ink co-host, we're launching a new series diving into the premier awards and rankings programs across the AEC industry.

First up is Engineering News-Record's (ENR) prestigious top lists and survey rankings. Emell Derra Adolphus, Senior Editor of ENR Top Lists and Survey Rankings, joins Steven to demystify the submission process and share key takeaways for fi...

As AI search engines grapple with hallucinations and unreliable information, people (and AI systems themselves) are doubling down on trusted "sources of truth" like peer-reviewed rankings to deliver accurate recommendations. In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Phil Greer, CEO of Best Lawyers, explains how law firms can use legal directories like Best Lawyers to position themselves as the trusted service providers. Phil also shares ...

Inside midsize law firms, things can get loud. They're often in a stage where they're in constant motion, frequently hosting events, updating websites and sponsoring conferences. But when asked about the end results, the answer isn't always clear. Erika Steinberg, founder of CMO2Go, says the problem often starts with how firms think about strategy itself.

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Erika joins Mic...

Landing a new client is just the beginning. For law firms working with in-house counsel, the greater challenge lies in maintaining long-term relationships that evolve beyond transactional exchanges. Candisse Williamson, General Counsel at Hartbeat, Kevin Hart's global media company, brings a unique perspective to this challenge, having worked both in Big Law and built legal departments from the ground up at two enterta...

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...

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 Wa...

Attorneys are trained to be cautious and confidential, and these instincts often extend beyond client matters into a general reluctance to promote their own achievements. This creates a challenge for law firm marketers trying to publicize wins, celebrate successes and build the firm's reputation in the market.

In this episode of "Spill the Ink," Brittany Lewis, Head of Marketing at Bell Nunnally, joins Mic...

When AEC firms grant decentralized offices free rein to create their own messaging, the results can be damaging: wasted resources, confused clients, weakened competitive positioning and marketing teams that unknowingly sabotage each other's work. Yet many firms continue operating this way, treating brand fragmentation as an inevitable cost of doing business across multiple markets.

In this episode of "Spil...