Peer to Peer Magazine

Bill Mertes is a Senior Associate and FROM A FIRM TO CONSULTING: PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS the Director of the Software Engineering Practice for Olenick & Associates. Previously, he held various technology leadership roles for over 20 years at Winston & Strawn LLP, focusing on software development, commercial system integration and architecture. Bill is an active member of ILTA, a board member of the LEDES Oversight Committee and an Eagle Scout. He can be reached at wmertes@olenick.com. Kate Cain is Director of Market Intelligence Bill Mertes: There is no question transitioning from a position within a firm to consulting was a challenging, if not an outright scary, proposition. The biggest change I experienced was the switch from being part of a "cost center" to being a "revenue earner." Fortunately, I soon realized the skills that made me successful in my internal role were my greatest assets as a consultant. The key to success in this type of role change was to stay true to what I'm good at. I think there is a tendency for new consultants to jump on any project that comes their way, rather than taking stock of where they have the most to offer and to wait for those opportunities. My advice would be to focus on finding opportunities that play to your strengths and that you will truly enjoy. I found that helped establish a great reputation, and in consulting, reputation is everything. FROM ONE FIRM TO ANOTHER: EXTEND YOUR NETWORK at Sidley Austin LLP. She has worked for large law firms in the Chicago market for nearly 14 years in a variety of roles, including trainer, training and support manager, project manager and business analyst. Kate currently serves as the Vice President of ILTA's Professional Services Peer Group, and she has been a frequent contributor to publications and a conference speaker. She can be reached at kcain@sidley.com. In her 27th year with Sidley Austin LLP, Joy is responsible for firmwide audiovisual, presentation, Kate Cain: In the last 14 years, I have worked for four different law firms with roles ranging from trainer to business analyst, support manager to project manager and pricing analyst to marketing professional. I have always been fascinated by the many similarities and subtle differences from one firm to the next. When I left my previous firm after eight years to join Sidley Austin's marketing team, I was both excited to start something new and anxious about venturing into the unknown. My new role involved building a team of direct reports as well as forging relationships with key resources in other departments. Being the "new guy," I had to make these connections without the safety net of familiar friends and colleagues with a shared history. I sought out opportunities to interact with as many different people as I could, asked lots of questions, listened to what was said (and what was not said) and observed how people interacted with each other. I also went out of my way to solicit opinions and advice from others, always before offering my own. I had to curb my natural instinct to plow full-steam ahead to get things done and focus on relationship-building. The process has been a marathon, not a sprint, as relationship-building requires a much more deliberate pace — slow and steady wins the race, as the saying goes. More than a year into this role, I continue to be excited about what each new day brings. I now have an extended network of new friends and colleagues upon whom I can rely for advice and support as we work together to benefit the firm. collaboration and videoconferencing technology. She serves on ILTA's Desktop and Application Services Peer Group Steering Committee and as the Strategic Relationship Liaison for CHANGING ROLES WITHIN THE SAME FIRM: EMBRACE THE REWARDS Autonomy iManage. Joy was named the 2011 Communications Technologies Champion by ILTA and 2008 IT Champion of the Year by Law Technology News magazine, and she has been recognized for world-class leadership by Legal IT magazine in the U.K. She can be reached at jheath@sidley.com. 46 Peer to Peer Joy Heath Rush: Forget the conventional wisdom about old dogs and new tricks. Taking on a new role in an existing organization, your initial reaction might be one of fear — fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of change. However, this opportunity might carry less risk and reap more rewards than moving from one firm to another. Embrace the rewards, and choose a different emotion … the positive side of fear — anticipation. Anticipate you'll be able to:

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