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Lindsey Wilson University Business Class Offers Marketing Strategies to Aid Lexington Law Firm

Students in 'Business Policy' class present plans for growth and expansion to Elder Law Advisors.

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (10/10/2025) — Lindsey Wilson University alumnus Dustin Beard '07 is an expert in elder law, but the attorney admits that he doesn't know a lot about marketing.

That's why Beard recently turned to a Lindsey Wilson business class for ideas on how to expand his law firm, Elder Law Advisors of Lexington, Kentucky.

And Beard received a plethora of suggestions and strategies on Monday, Oct. 6, when he returned to campus and heard from more than two dozen Lindsey Wilson students from the "Business Policy" class.

The LWU students offered a diverse range of thoughts on how Beard might expand his self-described "niche boutique" law firm. The nearly 3-year-old firm has offices in Lexington and Bowling Green, and it focuses on elder issues such as trusts, estates, probate, Medicaid planning and charitable planning.

"I know elder law, and I would like to grow my firm, but I need help in the area of marketing because I'm not an expert in that area," said Beard, who has been practicing law for more than a decade. "I need to know, 'What does it look like going forward?'"

'Promoting career readiness'

Earlier in the semester, Beard met with students in the class, which is taught by business professor Cathy Boatright. The 25 students were divided into five teams, who researched Beard's firm, his firm's place in the market and as well as the legal industry.

The students' recommendations included being more active and aggressive on social media platforms that attract an older audience; making more data-driven and data-informed marketing decisions; sponsorships of youth sports, which tend to have a lot of grandparents as spectators; and radio sponsorships and commercials, because as one group pointed out, "older people still listen to the radio." The firm was also reminded that print is not yet dead among older consumers, so it should make sure to make available a well-designed brochure that potential clients could touch and hold.

That final idea came from what proved to be the winning team of Logan Engela '26 of Johannesburg, Abby Girdler '26 of Somerset, Kentucky, Taylor Harvey '26 of Columbia and Lucas Pooler '26 of Columbia.

Beard said he was impressed with the students' work as well as their presentations.

"What I loved about it is the students developed so much confidence," he said. "It's so much more difficult than presenting in a classroom to their peers."

Harvey said she especially enjoyed the "real-world experience" and the "problem-solving" of the project.

"I thought it gave us real-life, practical experience," she said. "Having a business trust us to come up with fresh, innovative ideas to help them solve their problems was a privilege."

Enhancing students' classroom experience is a big reason Boatright has students work on the project.

"This opportunity demonstrates the business program's commitment to promoting career readiness through experiential learning," said Boatright, who is also coordinator of the business program. "It allows the students to put their knowledge into practice, and the presentations were a great representation of what they have learned."

Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university's 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.

Media Attachments

Lindsey Wilson University seniors, from left, Abby Girdler of Somerset, Kentucky, Taylor Harvey of Columbia, Logan Engela of Johannesburg and Lucas Pooler of Columbia had the winning presentation in the “Business Policy” project for Elder Law Advisors of Lexington, Kentucky.

Lindsey Wilson University business administration major LaQuann Williams ’26 of Louisville, Kentucky, left, talks with attorney Dustin Beard ’07, left, of Elder Law Advisors of Lexington, Kentucky, as fellow attorney Laurent A. Cadet looks on Monday, Oct. 6, in the Thomas D. Clark Reading Room of the Katie A. Murrell Library. Williams was among the 25 LWU students who presented a marketing plan to Beard’s firm.

Lindsey Wilson University Business Program Coordinator Cathy Boatright chats with attorneys Laurent A. Cadet, center, and Dustin Beard ’07, both of Elder Law Advisors of Lexington, Kentucky, on Monday, Oct. 6, in the Thomas D. Clark Reading Room of the Katie A. Murrell Library. Students in Boatright’s “Business Policy” class presented marketing ideas to Beard and Cadet.

Attorneys Laurent A. Cadet and Dustin Beard ’07, center, both of Elder Law Advisors of Lexington, Kentucky, speak with Lindsey Wilson University students Nick Blakey ’26 of Russell Springs, Kentucky, left, and Jason Womack ’26 of Russell Springs and Grace Adams ’26 of Bethlehem, Kentucky. The students were in the “Business Policy” class that presented marketing ideas to Beard and Cadet.

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