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Marilyn Hatcher
Technology Trainer/Faculty Mentor
Introduction
Marilyn Hatcher is a seasoned professional with a robust background in training and technology within the legal sector. Her extensive expertise spans various roles that highlight her commitment to education, adult learning, and professional development. Currently, she is recognized as a former Training Specialist at Norris McLaughlin & Marcus, P.A., where she played an instrumental role in designing and implementing training programs that supported the firm's lawyers and staff. Marilyn's dedication to cultivating skills and enhancing productivity through effective training methodologies has made her a respected figure in her field.
Professional Background
Marilyn’s impressive career path includes a wealth of experience in training and technology, significantly contributing to the organizations she served. At Norris McLaughlin & Marcus, a multi-state full-service law firm, Marilyn was responsible for the design, implementation, and measurement of company-wide training programs. Her key focus was to ensure that attorneys and staff were well-equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in their roles. Through her strategic initiatives, she provided follow-up support that helped reinforce the training received.
Prior to her tenure at Norris McLaughlin & Marcus, Marilyn excelled as a Technology Training Specialist at Stark & Stark, a prominent New Jersey-based law firm. Here, she led the charge in several crucial software upgrades, including the transition from Windows 7 and various Office suites, as well as migrations from WordPerfect to Word. Her ability to effectively measure training outcomes and facilitate follow-up support initiatives made her a valuable asset during these transitions.
Marilyn's experience extends further back, establishing a diverse career narrative that showcases her skill in designing training programs tailored to the unique needs of different legal firms. She served as a Technology Trainer at White and Williams LLP and honed her skills as a Senior Trainer at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, where she coordinated comprehensive training efforts that benefitted attorneys and support staff alike.
In addition to her roles at law firms, Marilyn has also made significant contributions to the academic field. As a Part-time Consulting Faculty Mentor/Professor of Communications at Thomas Edison State College, she has shared her extensive knowledge and passion for teaching, inspiring the next generation of professionals. Her academic involvement reflects her belief in the power of education as a tool for unlocking potential.
Education and Achievements
Marilyn Hatcher's educational background lays a solid foundation for her professional endeavors. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Education from Montclair State University, where she developed a deep understanding of educational principles and practices. Building upon this foundation, she pursued an MBA in Management from Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus, equipping her with the managerial competencies required in today's fast-paced business environments.
Beyond her formal education, Marilyn has continuously engaged in professional development throughout her career. She has attained various certifications and designations, which include being a New Jersey-licensed Real Estate Broker with GRI (Graduate, REALTOR® Institute) and CRS (Certified Residential Specialist) qualifications. These credentials enhance her skill set and add value to her diverse professional portfolio.
Marilyn's contributions to professional organizations, notably her long-standing membership and service as Treasurer of the Professional Legal Trainers Group since 2008, further underscore her commitment to advancing the field of legal education and training. Her role in PLTG highlights her ability to collaborate with peers in the industry, sharing insights and best practices that can elevate training standards across the legal profession.
Skills and Specialties
Marilyn possesses a unique blend of skills and specialties that position her as an expert in training, technology, and communications. She is well-versed in distance and e-learning techniques, enabling her to reach a broader audience and adapt to the evolving needs of learners in a digital environment. Her proficiency in project management, training, and support underscores her ability to drive initiatives from conception through execution while ensuring high levels of engagement and effectiveness.
Some of her additional areas of expertise include InterAction (a legal CRM software), marketing database administration, and documentation. Her practical knowledge in software training and technology solutions adds another layer of competence to her professional profile, allowing her to support organizations during periods of technological transition seamlessly.
Achievements
Throughout her career, Marilyn Hatcher has had a significant impact on training programs within the legal field. Her successful design and implementation of training initiatives have enhanced the efficiency and productivity of numerous law firms, making a lasting difference in the professional journeys of many attorneys and staff. By developing customized training solutions, she has addressed complex challenges that arise during technological upgrades, ensuring a smooth transition and a positive learning experience.
Marilyn's contributions to the legal training community have also been recognized through her active participation and leadership in professional organizations, particularly in her role within the Professional Legal Trainers Group. Her efforts have fostered collaboration and shared learning among legal training professionals, which is essential in an industry that thrives on adaptability and innovation.
Future Aspirations
As Marilyn continues her professional journey, her aspirations likely include developing more advanced training frameworks that can further enhance learning outcomes in the legal sector. Her passion for education and commitment to excellence will undoubtedly drive her to pursue opportunities that allow her to leverage her expertise in new ways.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.