It's a huge personal, yet somewhat daunting, honour to be taking on the role of LMA Europe President for 2026. As part of the team who set the region up in 2022, it's been fantastic to see our membership grow over the years, under the leadership of some truly inspirational Presidents. I will do my best to follow their example and continue to move the region forward over the coming year.
It would be remiss of me not to kick-off without extending a huge thank you to now Past President, Karen Morton for her outstanding leadership and dedication in 2025. Karen's vision and energy have set a high bar for us all – with the inaugural LMA Europe Conference last July a particular highlight. Thank you also to the 2025 Board members who are stepping down – Aoife Palaysi and Alison Cox. Your contributions have been invaluable in shaping our growth. At the same time, I’m delighted to welcome our new Board members for 2026 – Amanda Nassar, Fiona Kendall and Vanessa Montero. Your fresh perspectives will help us continue to innovate and serve our membership.
The role of Marketing & Business Development in law firms continues to evolve rapidly. In an era of geopolitical uncertainty and increasingly complex markets, our teams are under more pressure than ever to deliver strategic insight and measurable impact – often with increasingly thin resource. Layer on new and improving technologies and in particular, AI and we find ourselves at a point when change has never been more profound. While the challenges are there to be embraced, it's important we remember that to do this, now, more than ever, we must invest in the professional development and support of our people – equipping them and ourselves with the skills and confidence to navigate change and drive both personal and organisational success.
2026 will be about equipping our LMA Europe members with the platform, network, knowledge and tools to meet the challenges ahead. The LMA already offers a wide range of support, both in person and online, for professionals at every level and across all areas of expertise. Our task now is to build on this foundation and make it even better.
Importantly, LMA Europe is not just for firms with strong US connections. While we provide access to global insights relevant to those firms, our offering is tailored to the European market. We aim to deliver practical, relevant value for all our members which means region-specific programming, local networking events and thought leadership that reflects the unique challenges and opportunities across Europe.
Here’s to an exciting year ahead - let’s keep pushing boundaries together!
Peter Skinner
LMA Europe President 2026
