Katie+Barnard.jpg — Katherine Hollar Barnard

CEO, Firesign Marketing

Katherine (Katie) Hollar Barnard, Chief Executive Officer

Firesign | Enlightened Legal Marketing

Katie started Firesign to help legal industry clients attract, win and retain business. She draws upon more than 10 years of experience at two of the nation’s largest law firms to build brands that connect and business plans that deliver.

As the chief marketing officer at Lathrop & Gage, and then Shook, Hardy & Bacon, Katie led all business development and marketing communications for the national Am Law 200 firms. She started the client feedback program at Lathrop, now in its ninth year, and launched the award-winning agribusiness practice. Her full-scale rebrand of Shook earned “Best Identity” from the Legal Marketing Association’s Midwest chapter. During her Shook tenure, she also created a business development dashboard to show pitches and wins in real time, and most relevant to Firesign clients, her department brought in eight figures of new work.

Katie’s in-house marketing teams won recognition for branding, websites, internal programs and other tactics, but she may be more proud that she outlawed stock photos of gavels, law books and the scales of justice at both organizations.

Her experience extends beyond the discipline of marketing into the business of law; she is adept at marshalling resources, staff and technology. She has advised on leadership transitions, mergers and acquisitions, and office openings and closings.

A former journalist, Katie previously covered legal issues for the Associated Press and three newspapers. As a reporter, she learned to deliver under deadline, simplify complex ideas and wield a ruthless grammar standard.

Presentations

Young Lawyer Essentials: Biographies and Social Media, Johnson County (Kan.) Bar Association - May 2018

Professional Development Workshop, Hispanic National Bar Association LGBT Leadership Summit - September 2017

Artificial Intelligence: Harnessing the Power of AI and Selling It Internally, Legal Marketing Association Annual Conference - March 2017

The Power of Brands, International Association of Defense Counsel Midyear Meeting - February 2016

Keeping it Legal on Social Media, Social Media Club of Kansas City - January 2016

CMO Roundtable, Legal Marketing Association - Kansas City Chapter - October 2015

Avoiding Public Humiliation on Social Media, Public Relations Student Society of America Summit, Kansas City - September 2014

Taking a Traditional Business into the Social Era, Social Media Club of Kansas City - April 2014

Law Firm Technology and What Clients Want: IT as a Catalyst, LEGALTECH - February 2014

Social Media for Law Firms, Association of Legal Administrators – Greater Kansas City Chapter - October 2013

Why the CMO is the CIO’s Best Friend, International Legal Technology Association Annual Conference - August 2013

Yikes! We’re a Meme, Public Relations Society of America – Greater Kansas City Chapter - January 2013

Career 2020: Take Control of Your Destiny, International Legal Technology Association Annual Conference - August 2012

The Next Sanjay Gupta? Expertise, Content and Engaging with the Media, Legal Marketing Association Annual Conference - March 2012

Client Feedback: The Essential First Steps, Legal Marketing Association’s Client Feedback Webinar Series - September 2010

**Enjoy the podcast.**

Katherine Hollar Barnard, CEO, Firesign Marketing

Picapalooza Just For Fun

Focus

As a woman in business, it's good to channel your inner Katniss. I own two recurve bows. I only shoot at targets, not living things, and I'm far from deadly, but it's a fun exercise in focus. Ava joined me for this round.

Family

I'm blessed to have a family that goes along with my crazy ideas for group photos. This was our holiday card from last year -- me, Dave and the girls: Ava, Remy and Kate.

Gold AMPS Award

Last summer, Firesign earned a Gold AMPS Award from the Social Media Club for "Best Email Campaign." I accepted the trophy with my husband/general counsel, David, at my side.

Lessons Learned

I underestimated how fulfilling it would be to launch a business with three young ladies in the house. My bonus daughters -- also lovingly referred to as the interns -- were there when the website went live, and they were there at the ribbon-cutting. They have been so encouraging, and I'm glad they get to see firsthand a woman making her own way (and learning from her own mistakes).

Wall Street

Black Swan of Wall Street....just a random visit to the New York Stock Exchange.

Happy Anniversary

Last month, March, 2019, we celebrated Firesign's second anniversary - this is our team: Katie McNeil, Erin Curtis-Dierks, me and Amy Nouri. While you CAN see my bump here, what you CAN'T see is the setting: For the anniversary celebration, we went axe-throwing, along with our husbands. And of course the tiny blonde dominated everyone.