DETROIT, Mich. – Butzel announced today that Vanessa M. Crocetto has been promoted and appointed Chief Experience Officer (CXO), effective Jan. 1, 2026, a newly created C-suite role that underscores the firm’s commitment to exceptional client service, innovation, and relationship-driven legal counsel.
The Chief Experience Officer position is a distinctive and forward-thinking leadership role within the legal industry, designed to ensure that every aspect of a client’s engagement with the firm — from initial contact through matter conclusion and beyond — reflects Butzel’s standard of excellence and its philosophy of unreasonable hospitality. In this role, Crocetto will continue to lead the firm’s Marketing and Business Development functions, while expanding her mandate to oversee firmwide client experience and enrichment strategies. This is a role unique to Butzel and Butzel’s clients.
“Vanessa’s elevation to Chief Experience Officer formalizes what she has already been doing at the highest level for many years,” said Paul Mersino, President and Chief Executive Officer of Butzel. “She brings a rare combination of strategic insight, deep institutional knowledge, and an unwavering focus on the client. This role reflects our belief that outstanding legal work must be paired with an exceptional, intentional client experience. This step is being taken to ensure that our clients and their service are at the heart of everything we do.”
As a member of Butzel’s C-suite, Crocetto collaborates closely with firm leadership, and attorneys across all nine offices in Michigan and Washington, D.C. She serves as the voice of the client within the firm, aligning business decisions, service delivery, and growth strategies with client priorities. Her work includes guiding key client teams, overseeing structured feedback and engagement programs, advancing value-based pricing conversations, and translating client insights into actionable strategies that enhance service quality and long-term relationships.
Crocetto also leads the firm’s Client Enrichment Strategy, which focuses on deepening client relationships, strengthening loyalty, and identifying new opportunities across practice areas. Through tools such as client journey mapping, analytics, and proactive engagement planning, she helps ensure that every client interaction reflects Butzel’s commitment to thoughtful, relationship-driven service.
Prior to her appointment as Chief Experience Officer, Crocetto served as Butzel’s Chief Marketing Officer, where she helped advance the firm’s marketing, business development, and client-engagement strategy.
She is an active member of the Lex Mundi Marketing & Business Development Network and the Private Enterprise Council, serves on several internal firm committees, and is a member of the Board of Directors for Avalon Healing Center.
Crocetto holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Political Science from Western Michigan University and began her career in the Michigan Legislature before transitioning into the legal industry.
“This role reflects a belief that client service is not a single department or function — it’s a shared responsibility and a cultural commitment,” said Crocetto. “I’m honored to continue leading our marketing and business development efforts while expanding our focus on delivering a cohesive, thoughtful, and human-centered client experience at the highest levels.”
About Butzel
Butzel is one of the leading law firms in Michigan and the United States. It was founded in Detroit in 1854 and has provided trusted client service for 172 years. Butzel’s full-service law offices are located in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Troy and Southwest, Mich.; and, Washington, D.C., as well as global alliance offices. Butzel is an active member of Lex Mundi, a global association of 160 independent law firms. Learn more by visiting www.butzel.com or follow Butzel on X: https://x.com/butzel_long