Lowenstein Sandler announced that three professionals with deep legal industry experience have joined the firm’s senior management team. Victor Barkalov has joined the firm as its Chief Innovation & Information Officer (CIIO), Kevin Iredell is the firm’s new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), and Mikhail Makarovsky is the firm’s first Director of Pricing & Profitability.
“Ensuring the multifaceted skill set of our senior-level executives is an integral part of Lowenstein’s mission to constantly improve and maintain an upward trajectory,” said Chief Operating Officer Joseph J. Palermo. “The transformational thinking and collective business acumen of Victor, Kevin, and Mikhail, working in tandem with our other C-suite members Chief Financial Officer William B. Farrell and Chief Human Resources Officer Donatella Verrico, create a management powerhouse dedicated to innovation overall and to integrating technology and other business disciplines into the practice of law.”
“When we hired Joe Palermo as Chief Operating Officer, it was part of a long-term, strategic plan to integrate top-tier business professionals into our senior management so they could collaborate on the most effective technologies and strategies necessary to deliver maximum value to the firm’s clients,” said Gary M. Wingens, Chair and Managing Partner. “The addition of these leaders is a natural extension of that vision. Their combined talent will further our ability to meet heightened client demand for efficiency, innovation, and competitive value as Lowenstein continues its momentum as one of the nation’s fastest-growing law firms.”
About Our New Senior Executives
Victor Barkalov steps into the newly expanded role of CIIO, which was created to increase synergies between knowledge management and IT. He will oversee Lowenstein's technology, data security, knowledge management, and legal research strategy and execution, in addition to driving innovation throughout the firm’s practices and offices.
Barkalov joins the firm from Jackson Lewis P.C., where he was CIO & Chief Digital Officer. He holds an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and a B.S. in Information Systems, Mathematics, and Operations from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business.
“Clients today expect more than just superior legal skills, which Lowenstein of course provides. They want reliable and repeatable processes that assure them that their lawyers are not reinventing the wheel, but they also want those lawyers to continue looking for innovative ways of doing things,” said Barkalov. “I am excited to join a firm where knowledge management and information technology are already so closely aligned.”
Kevin Iredell brings to the role of CMO a strong background in, and hands-on knowledge of, marketing, communications, branding, business development, operations, and public relations. His broad perspective comes from various leadership roles within the legal industry as not only a provider of client services but also as a consumer of legal services.
Formerly the Director of Business Development at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, Iredell previously developed and led the marketing research and measurement group of Greentarget, a national public relations firm. For nine years, he was Vice President of Legal Intelligence & Marketing at ALM Media Properties, LLC. Iredell has a B.A. in economics from Villanova University and is an active speaker and board member of the Legal Marketing Association, where he has served as an Executive Board Member for the Northeast Region and Member-at-Large on the International Board of Directors.
“I can’t wait to collaborate with Lowenstein’s team of talented professionals in order to help the firm continue with the impressive growth it has enjoyed over the last decade,” said Iredell. “In addition to working closely with the lawyers on business development through cross-selling and innovation, I look forward to developing relationships with the firm’s clients. It is critical that a CMO listen to the voice of the client in order to accurately assess their needs and how best to serve them.”
Mikhail Makarovsky joined the firm earlier this spring as Director of Pricing & Profitability, partnering with firm leadership, practice group leaders, and the business development team to design and implement strategies aimed at ensuring the effective and profitable delivery of legal services to clients through creative pricing partnerships, process improvement, and legal project management.
Makarovsky has over 15 years of experience in pricing, business management, and billing for law firms, working to develop efficient pricing proposals, collaborate with clients, and create appropriate and competitive rates and fixed-fee scenarios for RFP submissions and other prospective client outreach. He previously served as Director of Pricing at Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP. An accredited legal pricing professional (ALPP), Makarovsky is a member of the True Value Partnering Institute’s Pricing and Client Value in the Legal Industry cohort.
“Lowenstein’s entrepreneurial culture offers an ideal environment for exploring innovative options such as predictive pricing and other alternative fee arrangements. I look forward to working with this multidisciplinary team to assess processes, analyze data, and develop fresh approaches that provide even more efficiency and value to clients,” said Makarovsky.
