‘Soccer mom energy’: Incoming DTCI president Mallon wants to energize organization’s membership

There’s a reason why soccer moms — and dads — have a certain cliché attached to them. They’re the ones always on the sidelines, always ready to pass out the snacks, always willing to pick up another kid in the carpool.

In short, they’re always willing to step up.

That’s the kind of energy Anna Mallon, the incoming president of the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana, is looking to bring to the organization — “soccer mom energy,” as she calls it. It’s not meant to be a cheesy term, Mallon said, but instead is meant to be a literal illustration of her plans.

“I really do think there’s a world out there of moms and dads that are very energized toward their kids’ activities, and what I see is, being a part of all that, there’s a lot that I think I can take from that energy-wise,” Mallon, an insurance coverage defense litigator — and soccer mom — said. “Now, I’m not going to run this like a soccer team, but … I think people want to be involved — sometimes they just need to be asked.”

Mallon plans to make those asks over the next year, creating more opportunities for current and prospective DTCI members to attend programming that is both informational and enjoyable. She repeatedly returned to the word “energy,” describing herself as a person with a lot of energy and a desire to energize others to get involved.

Ahead of DTCI’s annual conference last week, Mallon sat down with Indiana Lawyer to discuss her specific plans for her year as DTCI president. That conversation, edited and condensed for space, follows:

When did you get involved with DTCI?

It was within a couple years of practicing; some of my mentors were in the organization and encouraged me to come to the annual meeting. I was a member for several years and then was asked to be a section chair for the Insurance Section and did that for several years, and then was asked to be a board member and did that, and then became an officer.

The first year as an officer, you come in as the treasurer and you plan the annual conference. I did that in 2021, which was the first year coming back from COVID; it was the first time we experimented with virtual presenters, virtual attendees. Learning the tech aspects and pulling off a conference for the first time that way was a challenge, but I think some of it has stuck, although in-person is always probably more fun, but it was a good learning experience. And then I’ve gone up the chain on the officer level.

What’s your agenda for your year as DTCI president?

I certainly want to continue the good things that we have going on. I think we have excellent programming; I would encourage any lawyer, whatever level they are, to attend one of our CLEs that are put on by the sections. The Young Lawyers, the Women in the Law, are very active and have very good programming. And then we also have our annual meeting.

So I want to continue the good things like our programming, our commitment to trying to promote diversity and inclusion and also to increase our membership. I think DTCI has an excellent reputation, so I want to continue to make sure that our reputation stays very strong not only within the organization, but also reaching across the aisle to organizations like (the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association) and then also how the whole judiciary views DTCI.

I think what I could bring to it — and I don’t mean this in any sort of cheesy way — but I think our organization could use a little bit of the “soccer mom energy.” I wear a lot of hats — I was the president of my sorority, I was the president of my children’s PTSA at their school and I am a soccer mom (and a cross-country mom). Now, I’m not going to run this like a soccer team, but the things like communication and planning and putting out calendars. I think people want to be involved — sometimes they just need to be asked. Having that done in an in a more organized way so that our membership, and anyone that would be considering membership, could say, “Hey, I’d like to help out with this, and here’s an easy way that I can see what’s going to happen this year and sign up for the things that I’d like to do.”

So I guess that my goal and what I think I could bring to this is to energize our membership. I think that needs to come from the top down, and I think I’m the type of person that’s up for that challenge. I’d like to do a monthly communication from me that kind of lets people know, “Hey, here’s what’s going on in DTCI this month, and here’s opportunities that you can get involved in.”

Everyone’s got their own unique kind of interests and talents that they can bring to the group, but I think sometimes it just takes being asked. And then my hope is that that energy is visible and attracts more members to the organization.

Do you foresee any challenges for DTCI?

Organizations after COVID, they’ve changed a little bit, and I go back to that energy aspect of it. I think I want to get our members more involved, give them more opportunities to attend events put on by DTCI and just get to know each other again after COVID. You take a couple years and you remove the in-person get-togethers and then you’ve got a gap there where people don’t know each other quite as well. So I’m thinking about different options as I go into my presidency of some breakfasts and social events where we can get some of our more senior members paired up with our some of our younger members. The younger members, they know what’s cool in the city, and if you if you put out some good programming and some good events, you can attract more. So I think that’s an area that is a challenge, is getting people to want to go do stuff. You’ve got to give them a good reason to come, whether it’s a good CLE, a fun venue, the opportunity to network.

Do you have many young lawyers in DTCI and continuing to join?

We’ve always had a strong Young Lawyers section at DTCI — probably one of the most active committees — and we do we continually get new members. We do initiatives with more senior lawyers, if they can bring in some of the younger lawyers at their firm, or do some membership drives. We’ve done things like that in the past, but it really is just going down the hall and asking, “Hey, come check this out.” And I guarantee that if a young lawyer — or even not a young lawyer, a prospective new member —comes to some of the things, they’re going to make connections, it’s going to help them in their practice and make friendships.

You’re based in Indianapolis. How do you reach members statewide?

We’re very conscious. The board is represented from all different districts in the state, and if one board member is going off the board, we have to make sure that there’s a certain number from each area of the state. And those members from different areas of the state, it’s on them to try to attract new members from their firms.

We consciously never have our annual conference in Indianapolis, just because there is a large presence of Indianapolis-area attorneys that are in DTCI, and we want them staying down there (at the conference) — we don’t want them to go home at night, because that changes the fun dynamic and the socializing that occur. But we also want to make sure that those lawyers that are north, south, other areas of the state, know that we’re coming to them on a regular basis.

What’s your pitch for why someone should join DTCI?

My pitch is kind of twofold. For a young lawyer, I think it is an organization where the opportunities are unlimited as far as the leadership possibilities that you could gain from this organization. And it’s not a situation where you’re just thrown in — it’s a very slow process. You can gradually gain leadership and climb your way up in this organization. And there’s something to be said for the consistency of one organization where you’re gradually taking on more and more.

Generally, for anyone who’s not a member, I don’t think there’s any better place for you to get your CLE. You’re going to come away from our programming with helpful information for your practice. You’re going to learn a lot, but you’re also going to meet a lot of people. It’s not a stuffy organization at all.•