Fox Rothschild has hired a new chief marketing officer, bringing in a local legal marketing professional after a nearly yearlong search and one short-lived match earlier this year.

Holly Lentz Kleeman, who has held marketing positions at several Philadelphia-based law firms, will be taking on the CMO role at Fox Rothschild, the firm confirmed Wednesday. Most recently, Kleeman was the chief business development officer at Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg, which she joined last year.

Firmwide managing partner Mark Morris said Kleeman will officially start in just over two weeks.

“We think she's got a fresh perspective. She's exhibited the ability to promote innovative ideas, client service strategies,” Morris said, highlighting her work at previous firms on client satisfaction programs and attorney business development coaching.

The Philadelphia-based Am Law 100 firm had mostly been without a CMO since May, when Trish Lilley left for Stroock & Stroock & Lavan.

Before Klehr Harrison, Kleeman was at White and Williams for seven years, where she was the firm's first CMO. She also worked in Duane Morris' marketing department for eight years. Between Duane Morris and White and Williams, she spent three years outside the legal industry as CEO of the Center for Emerging Visual Artists.

“Fox is a firm I've known for a while and one I've always admired,” Kleeman said. “Growth is not always that easy to do, and they've been doing a wonderful job of it.”

Just over a month ago, it seemed Fox Rothschild had already filled the CMO position.

The firm confirmed last month that it had hired former Manatt, Phelps & Phillips CMO Jodie Collins to serve as its CMO, but she quickly departed. She had accepted the position and was employed at Fox for a few days in early February, but then left the firm. According to Morris, she decided she did not want to move to Philadelphia.

Fox Rothschild has grown considerably since it last had a new CMO, in 2008, when it had 440 lawyers. It now has over 900, according to the firm.

Kleeman said she thinks the firm has been thoughtful in its growth. As to her role in that process, she said, “There's a lot to integration and certainly business development is a part of that.”

Last year alone, Fox Rothschild completed four acquisitions, ranging in size from a five-lawyer family law boutique in San Francisco to a 130-lawyer North Carolina-based regional firm, Smith Moore Leatherwood. The latter was the firm's biggest merger to date.

“There is a need to brand the firm in new markets and try to gain brand recognition,” Morris said. “For a new marketing director it's a pretty exciting time to be able to spearhead a group and really be a pioneer almost.”

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