Kelley Lugo Email & Phone Number

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

I joined BCLP to take on a global operations role, where I help execute the Real Estate department’s strategy across the firm’s jurisdictions, including the UK, US, France, Germany, the Middle East, Hong Kong and Singapore. Additionally, I work closely with the department co-leader to help direct the US Real Estate practice, which is three times larger than the group I had previously managed.I am responsible for improving operational effectiveness, driving revenue growth and profit maximization, propelling innovation, successfully integrating new groups of lateral attorneys, driving a high performance culture, improving attorney/employee engagement, overseeing resource allocation, supporting inclusion and diversity initiatives and developing and retaining talent.

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

The firm promoted me to Director of Practice Management in April 2021 and I served the US Real Estate practice in a "COO" role. In this role, I was responsible for overseeing business development efforts and client satisfaction, leading the strategic planning process and the execution of the developed plans, managing operational effectiveness, driving revenue growth and profit maximization, driving innovation and monitoring the effectiveness of the group’s hiring, training and retention of talent. From the time I aligned with the US Real Estate practice in 2013 through my departure in late 2022, I helped drive the group’s revenue growth by 152%.In addition to my leadership role on the Real Estate team, I led the client strategy for Konexo US. Konexo is Eversheds Sutherland’s captive ALSP, providing a broad portfolio of managed services, interim resource solutions and consultancy services to in house legal, compliance, HR and corporate secretarial functions. Konexo deploys the latest intelligent analytics, automation technology and innovative operational processes to offer unparalleled flexible access to the right blend of skills and experience.I also participated in special firm wide projects for the Chief Client Service Officer and Executive Committee, including:-Conducting in-depth customer experience interviews to better understand and improve our clients' journeys.-Providing US support on a global innovation conference, which involved a legal technology training event and a hackathon.-Collaborating with the women partners on designing and executing client development initiatives.-Supporting the firm’s participation in the Move the Needle Fund (www.mtnfund2025.com), an important DEI initiative designed to accelerate diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

Greater Atlanta Area

Eversheds Sutherland (previously Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan) offered me the opportunity to grow in the area of practice management. In addition to serving as the Litigation group’s lead in business development and client service, I expanded my responsibilities to financial and operational management. In 2013 I transitioned from the Litigation practice to the Intellectual Property, Real Estate and Timber practices. Promoted from Business Manager to Senior Manager in April 2015. Key highlights include: -Collaborated with team leaders and coached partners on their annual strategic plans, advising them on best practices for raising their profiles and developing business with existing and prospective clients. Translated the plans into tactical marketing blueprints for the teams, created corresponding budgets.-Developed and implemented the firm’s first social media strategy, which included its presence on LinkedIn and Twitter. Led social media training and launched a campaign to convert attorneys to active LinkedIn users. The campaign resulted in 90% of the firm’s attorneys developing LinkedIn profiles.-Designed and directed the firm’s award-winning Emerging Leader Program, an associate-led business development initiative to engage with the emerging leaders across the firm’s entire client base. -Customized and executed the first sales training program for the US region. I teamed with the firm’s executive committee and high-performing partners to customize the existing program, tailoring it to the US attorneys’ learning styles and specific learning objectives. -Orchestrated the Real Estate Group’s integration with Eversheds to become one global Eversheds Sutherland Real Estate Practice (grew from 30 to 450 Real Estate attorneys), including developing a global strategic plan, driving client opportunities to obtain quick wins as well as developing cohesive content for the website and collateral – all accomplished without disruption to existing client service.

Greater Atlanta Area

In the role of the Business Development Manager, I supported the Litigation practice of 180 attorneys that served over 6,500 clients across the globe. During my time at Kilpatrick, I assisted the teams and individuals in the practice uncover and drive new business growth opportunities. I helped break down silos by facilitating communication between teams pursuing common clients/prospects and/or industries. Key projects include:-Managed the department’s practice budget and approved all expenses and supported the finance team’s roll out of a new expense management system. -Led the firm’s first, formalized knowledge management initiative for the Litigation practice.-Teamed with the Department Operating Officer, key attorneys, and the PR team to develop and execute the launch strategy for opening the firm’s Dubai office.I was drawn to this position at Kilpatrick because it combined three key areas of my expertise and interest – marketing, business development and training – into one role.

Greater Atlanta Area

In the role of Key Account Manager, I managed MapleLoft’s largest account and increased it 45% by expanding the training program to additional departments and regions. In addition, I was responsible for new business development. In this capacity, I developed and executed a sales plan targeting C-level executives of small to medium-sized organizations ($50-500M revenue) in the business services and technology markets. I built a pipeline of opportunities through cold-calling and emailing efforts.I first worked with MapleLoft, a B2B provider of outsourced training solutions, to design and deploy Recall’s sales training program. I left Recall to join MapleLoft in order to get direct sales and account management experience. MapleLoft also allowed me to work part-time and remotely when my children were infants.

Greater Atlanta Area

After graduating from Emory's MBA program I accepted a position as Marketing Project Manager with a global provider of information management solutions, Recall Corporation, serving 80,000 clients in 23 countries. At the time, the industry was going through intense consolidation in the North American market. We acquired 41 businesses between 2001 and 2006. In my initial role I teamed with the Director of Marketing to roll up the acquisitions and help create structure so that all locations operated under one consistent brand. As a marketing team of two supporting a 180-person sales force, we drove all marketing and sales support initiatives for the region, from direct marketing campaigns to advertising to sales training. Through the efforts of Recall North America's leadership and M&A team, supported by a lean sales, marketing and operations team, the business grew from $150M (in 2001) to $500M (in 2006), an increase of 233%.

Greater Atlanta Area

Motorola selected me as a marketing communications summer MBA intern for the Energy Systems Group, part of the $2B Integrated Electronics System Segment. The summer position was a hybrid role focused on both internal and external communications projects. During my time at Motorola I primarily focused on designing and proposing a new internal communication system for the business unit by assessing and documenting the existing system, conducting multiple in-depth interviews, benchmarking, and performing gap analysis. The new system leveraged Motorola’s existing IT infrastructure to increase internal awareness of marketing and strategy initiatives, streamlined communication processes, and eliminated redundancies.

Greater New York City Area

In 1998 I migrated toward a more corporate, though still artistic, environment when I joined the Human Resources department at Sotheby’s Art Auction House. Starting out assisting the Director of Human Resources, I had the unique opportunity to observe the Sotheby’s leadership team in action. Often attending key C-suite leadership meetings to take notes and assist with the meeting, I had an opportunity to learn about the complex strategic decisions a corporation must make as well as how leadership resolved challenging problems. This was invaluable to my development in understanding high level corporate strategy and issues that every organization faces. My professionalism and good judgment allowed me to be quickly promoted to managing human resources processes and the temporary workforce of 40+ floaters (workers who “floated” between departments to assist as needed). I continued to grow my skills and level of responsibility at Sotheby’s until leaving in the summer of 1999 to pursue my MBA degree at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

New York City Metropolitan Area

Through my role as an assistant to a talent agent, I became acquainted with a writer/producer who was trying to get his feature film script into production. Once the film got the green light for production, the producer offered me the opportunity to be his assistant and participate in the making of the film from start to finish. In this entrepreneurial environment, I directed a variety of tasks, including: assisting the casting of the film, organizing logistics and schedules and cold-calling businesses to secure product placement. Hit and Runway was an independent film with limited resources so the ability to roll up your sleeves and do any job or task was critical to the production’s success.

Greater New York City Area

Following my undergraduate education, I moved to New York City, where I worked as an assistant to a talent agent at the former mid-level talent agency, J. Michael Bloom and Associates. In the theatrical department, the agency represented actors in film, television, Broadway and Off-Broadway theatre. Talent agents work with casting directors, directors and producers to advance the careers of the agency’s clients. Assisting a top agent in this high-paced and demanding industry allowed me to develop the ability to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously as well as adapt my communication style to the different personalities of the agency clients, casting directors, talent managers and other industry contacts with whom I had daily interaction.

Mba, Decision & Information Analysis; Organization & Management

Activities and Societies: Goizueta Marketing Strategy Competition, International Business Association, Buddy Program for International.

Ba, Anthropology

Activities and Societies: Anthropology National Honor Society, Tri-Delta SororityDean’s List; Emory Summer Scholar; Summer internship.

Mba-Semester Abroad, Information Technology & International Business Courses

Hong Kong, China

Undergraduate Semester Abroad

Sydney, Australia