Sheenika Gandhi, CMO at Greenberg Glusker prefers the Personal Touch in Marketing Legal Services

Sheenika Gandhi is a marketing, business development, and diversity initiatives leader at Greenberg Glusker. A powerhouse in the legal marketing field, Gandhi’s exceptional projects span from integrated thought leadership strategies to business development coaching programs. 

Christian had a chance to sit down with Gandhi to discuss her vision for navigating the marketing of a firm like Greenberg Glusker, whose clients range from midsize companies to LA-area celebrities.

Where to find Sheenika Gandhi: LinkedIn

Where to find Christian Banach: LinkedIn

The Legal Eagle who Became a Marketing Maven

Christian: 

Tell us a bit about growing up and some of your early influences. 

Sheenika:

I am a California girl. Born in LA, but my parents moved to the quieter, more suburban Orange County as I grew up. 

After a few years, my dad’s accounting business started to take off, so we ended up buying a home in North Orange County. From there, I went to law school in San Diego after completing my undergrad studies at the University of San Diego. 

Christian: 

You went to law school and got your license. However, you decided to pivot and move into legal marketing. Tell us about that decision.

Sheenika:

Growing up, I always loved English and history, and I felt like law really spoke to me, especially given that there is sort of a joke in South Asian households that you have three career options: lawyer, doctor, or engineer. Law made the most sense for me.

After graduating from law school, I was looking for law firm positions. It was 2011—not a great time. I started to think about what more I could do with my degree. When I was in undergrad, I worked in the technology department. I majored in business, and I had an inclination for my marketing classes. 

I ended up stumbling upon something on Craigslist of all places. It was for a business development and website coordinator role. This very prominent law firm in Orange County was looking for someone to come in and project manage the launch of a new website. And I thought, “This is a combination of business, law, and technology, and I’m good at all of those things!” I applied, and that’s how I started my career in legal marketing. 

Christian: 

You’ve been on the marketing side for about 10 years. Obviously, a lot has changed, and a lot of things will continue to change. What have you seen change in terms of legal marketing from when you first started to where things are today?

Sheenika:

Digital has really made a difference for law firms. When I started in legal marketing, no one was really doing a lot of social media, but that’s changed now. 

I’ve started to see a lot more focus on digital marketing, a lot more strategic thinking, using technology to find prospective clients, and using AI like ChatGPT to make content more efficient and in greater volume. 

We’re marketing the brains of our attorneys and their expertise, thought leadership, and so we’ve been putting a lot more time into that. The pandemic accelerated that a lot more, when we only had digital ways to reach people with activities like Zoom webinars. 

Gandhi at Greenberg Glusker

Christian: 

You’ve been with Greenberg Glusker for some time and were recently promoted to this role. Can you tell us more about Greenberg Glusker, and what has changed for you since taking on this new challenge? 

Sheenika:

We are a 100 attorney firm that serves different practice areas, including entertainment, corporate, real estate, employment, and intellectual property. A lot of our clients are high-net-worth individuals and celebrities, but we also work with companies that focus on the middle market. 

I have three members of the marketing team who help me with all the execution of strategy, whether it’s events, sponsorships, public relations, the website, or all the digital marketing.

I also work on expanding our current client relationships. We are paying attention to our clients to see what events they’re going to, what conferences they’re going to, and what charitable things they want to support. These initiatives work to solidify our connections and foster a long-term partnership with them. 

Christian: 

Some of our listeners are interested in working with law firms. I’m curious if you could share some tips or lessons on how an agency might be able to navigate the legal industry.

Sheenika:

Yeah, I would first say to get involved in the Legal Marketing Association. That’s not a plug, though I sit on various committees there, but frankly, that is how I find all of my business partners: whether it’s public relations, marketing agencies, or graphic design.  

I have a vast network of other CMOs and directors that we share information with. And people ask: “Who did you use for your website, or who do you use for PR?” If an agency is looking to network with law firms, that is where I would start because that’s where most of us spend our time and where we grab all our referrals from.

Christian: 

You mentioned earlier that you were working with a three-person team. Are you looking to build that team out anymore?

Sheenika:

I am cognizant that we are a middle-sized firm, and so I must be cognizant of resources. Our ratio is in line with other firms in terms of marketing staff to attorneys, but if I could “wave a magic wand,” I would love to explore someone who could help with public relations and content marketing. There’s always more to be done in those areas, so I would love someone to help with that piece.

Christian: 

The content engine is never-ending, so you’re not alone there. You mentioned the Legal Marketing Association and finding partners there. Are you working with any external partners now? And in what capacity?

Sheenika:

Because we operate on a lean team here, I absolutely must rely on my external business partners to help me in my role. So, we work with two public relations consultants. We have business development coaching consultants who come in and run different training courses for us. We have a website designer and a developer who help us with all our website initiatives. 

We have an external vendor who is helping us with our CRM and making sure that our CRM is healthy. They are great sources for things we don’t necessarily have the expertise for in-house.

Good Networking Makes for Good External Partners

Christian: 

And what are some attributes you’re looking for when you’re seeking out external partners?

Sheenika:

I really value their understanding of our law firm and what our attorneys do. I think we’re a little bit unique in that we represent not just companies, but high-net-worth individuals like celebrities. The dynamic for marketing and public relations is very different when you’re working with different sectors of the market. 

I value it when an agency can come in and really understand where we spend our time, what we’re doing, and the types of law that we practice. 

What really sets some of the service providers that I work with apart is their ability to be proactive with me and say, “This is what I think is a good opportunity… Can I go for it?” 

When someone comes to me with a solution, that really makes a difference and creates a better partnership.

Christian: 

Yeah, that’s great advice thinking outside the box, having that proactivity. What else can they do to build that client relationship with you and make that engagement meaningful? 

Sheenika:

This may sound traditional, but because I’m local and this works, I value people who can establish personal relationships. The strongest partners develop something beyond just the business relationship and demonstrate they are invested in clients or colleagues personally, too. 

Christian: 

I’m curious from a marketing perspective, where do you go to stay on top of the trends and what’s happening? Is it social media, conferences, books?

Sheenika:

Yes, I think I get most of my information from social media and podcasts like these. In terms of marketing, I do focus a lot on the Legal Marketing Association, but my favorite non-legal source is Neil Patel, from NP Digital. He’s a personal family friend of mine, but aside from that, he and his team do an amazing job. I was just listening to a great live webinar he did this morning on paid advertising. 

Looking within other legal resources is important to me, but paying attention to marketing outside the legal space inspires me to try things that other firms aren’t necessarily trying. 

Banach and Gandhi discussed more about how she uses event marketing to find new clients, the experience of telling your parents why you’re going into marketing after you’ve passed the bar, and how digital marketing has transformed the legal industry. You can see more of the interview here.

Edited for brevity.