By Tracey Read
Law360 (October 29, 2025, 1:14 PM EDT) —
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| Arielle Lapiano |
Marketing agency Limelight has landed Paul Hastings LLP’s former managing director of communications and corporate affairs as its senior vice president to lead its law firm practice and to launch its leadership development and training practice.
In a newly created role, New York-based Arielle Lapiano will help Limelight capture growing demand from law firms figuring out how to utilize artificial intelligence amid evolving client expectations, the marketing agency said in a Tuesday announcement.
Lapiano said there are three main reasons she joined Limelight: the caliber of the team, the quality of the partnerships they’re forming and their focus on growth — not just visibility.
“It’s just a really amazing opportunity for me to get to do what I love, which is working with brilliant legal minds and really helping them to break through,” she said in a Wednesday interview with Law360 Pulse.
Lapiano had most recently worked as a self-employed communications and public relations consultant. She is also a part-time faculty member at Columbia University. After being part of Paul Hastings’ communications team in various roles from 2007 to 2022, she became chief communications and marketing officer for Earnity, a crypto startup.
Lapiano said her goals include working with more law firms, and being a support for the senior communication leaders in the industry.
“I know firsthand through my 15 years in the industry how hard their jobs are,” she said.
Another priority is helping develop Limelight’s Growth Leadership Academy — a new training program for lawyers, executives and communication teams.
“Our view at Limelight is that communication is a skill, and it’s a skill that will help set the law firms and leaders apart,” she said.
Kenny Gary, CEO and founding partner of Limelight, said in the announcement that law firms of all sizes face pressure from every angle, including AI disruption, client expectations and political controversies.
“They need and frankly deserve sage counsel from someone who’s sat in their seat and navigated those challenges from the inside,” he said. “Arielle has that credibility.”