PHILADELPHIA, September 22, 2009—Duane Morris LLP today announced the appointment of Mark Messing to the position of Chief Marketing Officer. Messing will oversee all of the marketing and business development efforts of the 700-lawyer international law firm. Messing was formerly Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.
In his role as CMO, Messing will focus on Duane Morris' business development and strategic planning in close collaboration with Chairman John Soroko and Chief Operating Officer Charles O'Donnell.
"We are thrilled to have Mark lead the Marketing and Business Development Department at Duane Morris," said Soroko. "At a time when many law firms have put marketing efforts on the back burner, Duane Morris is continuing to invest in an area in which we believe the firm is a leader and which had helped us reach and serve our clients. We have an excellent team in place here, and I am excited to have Mark joining Duane Morris as our CMO."
The innovations in Duane Morris' marketing department have led to the firm's being consistently named among the top five best-marketed law firms in the United States by Incisive Media's Marketing the Law Firm newsletter.
At Weil Gotshal, Messing designed and managed business development support and strategy for all aspects of the firm's practices. In addition, he developed and implemented the firm's client feedback and business-development-training programs. His responsibilities have also included market and client research, external and internal communications, marketing information systems and branding, including a website relaunch.
Messing was formerly Vice President for Business Development & Brand Strategy for Fortune 100 retail leader Best Buy Co., Inc. Prior to this, he had a long career with major New York advertising firms, including J. Walter Thompson, Young & Rubicam, Bozell/Interpublic Group and Scali McCabe Sloves. He has managed strategic development and global client relationships in industries ranging from consumer goods, travel and retail to insurance, media, business services and diversified industrials.
Messing has spoken frequently at industry seminars and in the legal industry, including at major law schools and universities, as well as for BTI Consulting Group and Thomson Reuters Hubbard One.
Messing earned his B.A. from Williams College.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP, a full-service law firm with more than 700 attorneys in 24 offices in the United States and internationally, offers innovative solutions to the legal and business challenges presented by today's evolving global markets.