L-R: Ioana Good, Erin Ryan and Amy Norris.

• Exploratory in nature. They are intended to remove preconceived notions and “the way we've always done things.”
• Altruistic. They solve a problem for the greater good.
• Demonstrable. They end with a formal, persuasive demonstration to peers and judges, which forces participants to think both deeply and linearly, not just conceptually.
• Measurable. A winner is crowned based on objective criteria, but success of the hackathon itself is measured by the level of participation and engagement.

• What specific pain points are you aiming to solve?
• What is the mission to be achieved by your hackathon teams?
• What diverse perspectives and roles are represented on your teams? Consider everyone inside (or outside) your organization who could help achieve the mission.
• What process will you follow? Identify the timeline, deliverables, judging criteria and the prize.
• What parameters need to be observed, including resource availability and constraints?

Ioana Good is the immediate past president of the Legal Marketing Association for the Southeast Region, and this year she is leading the R&D arm for the organization. She manages business development and communications for Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed. Contact her at [email protected]. Amy Norris is the senior business development manager for McGuireWoods' corporate practices, working closely with the firm's private equity, M&A, and financial institutions teams. She is the president of the Legal Marketing Association Southeast Region, where she has been an active member since she began her career in legal marketing. She can be reached at [email protected]. Erin Ryan is a member of the Legal Marketing Association Southeast Region, currently serving on the Regional Conference Planning Committee and former communications chair of the Charlotte local steering committee. She is a senior business development manager at McGuireWoods. She can be reached at [email protected].