Kristie Rearick is the magazines and publications editor at the Legal Intelligencer, a journal serving the Philadelphia-area legal community. For more than seven years, she has overseen contributed content for the publication. Before joining the Legal Intelligencer, Kristie was a general copyeditor for several years at the Gloucester County News in New Jersey, where she served as a features editor, wrote and edited content, and managed staff writers for the features section.

Q: Tell us about your role at the Legal Intelligencer.
I oversee the flow of contributed content for the publication, including two daily contributed articles and the various special sections. Our special sections range in topics from labor and employment to cybersecurity to insurance law. I also support contributed content for the Florida Daily Business Review and Law.com.

Q: How do you seek sources for articles?
When I’m creating the contributed content schedule, I first reach out to our current writers to confirm if they want to continue to write in the upcoming year. Some contributors have been writing for us for years. From there, I contact my network of attorneys and communications professionals to fill in the holes where I still need contributed content. I also send out monthly calls to action for article topics for our special sections.

Q: What do you look for in an article pitch?
When pitching an article topic to me, I prefer to receive an email with a paragraph or two summarizing what the article will cover and why it is important to our audience. If it is a topic we’ve already published an article about, I’m looking for a different take. Our content doesn’t necessarily need a Pennsylvania hook, because many of the issues our readers care about have a national focus. For example, articles about SCOTUS rulings often have national reach.

Q: How does ALM decide which articles get picked up by sister publications?
Our editors look around at what the other sites are publishing and grab articles that would be of interest to our audiences. For example, many times, articles published by the New Jersey Law Journal will include topics of importance to a Pennsylvania audience. Often, if an article covers an issue impacting Pennsylvania, other editors will flag it for me to publish to the Legal Intelligencer. And then Law.com will pick up stories from all our publications.

Q: What is your biggest pet peeve?
My biggest pet peeve is when authors don’t meet deadlines. I understand attorneys have day jobs, but deadlines are very important in the world of media.

Q: Looking ahead, what are some trends you are interested in covering?
New areas of interest are always popping up. For example, issues relating to emerging technologies, cybersecurity, gaming and crypto are trending now. I’m also always interested in hearing about issues impacting law firm management and recruiting. I often check out what is being written about in Legaltech News for hot topics and trends.

Q: What do you do outside of work?
When I’m not reading for work, I enjoy a good book. I also love going to the beach, and binge-watching television.