Maybe, Let's Make a Deal - Luke Ferrandino CMO at Skadden, Previously at Paul Weiss

 Coincidence? 

The CMO at law firm Skadden, which is mulling a deal with the Trump administration, had also been the CMO at Paul Weiss, which already cut a deal. That's Luke Ferrandino. Could there have been a spill-over in thinking? 

It's speculated that Skadden is heading off an Executive Order. That could be the motivation for possible negotiations with the administration. Paul Weiss had already been hit with an EO and made the pragmatic decision to negotiate versus filing a lawsuit for injunctive relief as had Perkins Coie. 

A critical branding matter also at Skadden has been that Harvard Law School graduate third-year associate Rachel Cohen resigned Skadden because she experienced that it wasn't properly supporting her notion of the right thing to do during this crisis in the legal sector. Her activism has been covered by all sorts of platforms ranging from legacy media to professional anonymous networks to Substack.

How Skadden handles these public relations issues interests me. That's partly because Ferrandino and I have history. When I was on retainer at Paul Weiss I perceived that my skills weren't being taken seriously. I quit. Get this: I was associated with a prominent law firm and the NDA wasn't prepared for me to sign. No contract either specifying my duties. No metrics for assessing my performance. 

Also, as an intuitive coach I dig for insight about the power and influence of CMOs. 

For example, how much input did the CMO at Skadden - and at Paul Weiss - have in these strategic decisions which impact everything from the brand to business development? This is at a time, when the Boathouse survey presented by O'Dwyer's Public Relations found that the credibility of CMOs is in play. Here's some of what's going down:

" ... 56 percent of CEOs said they thought their CMO was motivated mainly by personal success, with just 44 percent judging them to be more committed to the CEO/Board. Almost nine out of 10 of the CEOs surveyed (87 percent) said that the transformation strategies they have in place for their companies have not fully succeeded. Some of the top concerns they voiced were employee morale, culture and reputational risk."

When I worked full-time in the Fortune 50 and later as a consultant, the CMO role was frequently the hot seat in the organization. Much was expected. Performance was measured in concrete results.

Have to change? As your intuitive career coach/tarot reader I guide you in transitions. Clients range from lawyers to entrepreneurs to the trades to new graduates. Free confidential consultation. If we work together, fees are what you can afford. To connect: Jane Genova (text/phone 203-468-8579, janegenova374@gmail.com). In-person and remote.



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