Lawyers believe leaders drive culture. And lawyers are more interested in learning about leadership than culture. This is the exact opposite of corporate America — who want to learn about culture about 2x as much as leadership.

New law firm leaders bring change. And some are bringing aggressive change — trying to bend the legal landscape to their advantage. If this means crushing you like a bug — no worries — it’s just business. They plan to win and win big.

In 2015 the largest 30 law firms wanted to crush you like a bug. Now — it’s next-generation law firm leaders’ turn. They want to win big — see no barriers to doing so — and are moving to make it happen.

Overall, our survey of 110 law firm leaders reveals 5 core strategies or subsets of thinking about the market. They look like this:

• Crush you like a bug at 9.8%
• There is enough for everyone at 15.2%
• On a battlefield — winning some and losing some at 66.7%
• Chasing the competition at 4.5%
• Only a few competitors to worry about at 3.8%

Crush you like a bug (9.8%)

These mostly Am Law 31-100 firms don’t believe there are any structural boundaries to their ability to grow — in virtually any market. They are:

• • Undertaking aggressive, large-scale lateral hiring
  • Targeting top clients and markets
  • Building infrastructure to support growth

These firms’ leaders assumed their role 30 months ago or less — they are the next generation to take the reins. They relish taking on the status quo and breaking convention. They see themselves as setting the pace for other firms and leading the market.

There is enough for everyone (15.2%)

These firms believe they will get their share of growth. They largely plan to grow with the market or through rate increases. They don’t see themselves aggressively picking up new clients or adding a substantial number of laterals.

On a battlefield — winning some and losing some (66.7%)

2/3 of law firm leaders see themselves fighting for clients and market share. They expect to win clients and lose clients. They are happy with their place in the market — at least for now.

Chasing the competition (4.5%)

These firms see themselves as behind the curve. Most are losing clients and finding it harder to land new business. They realize upping their game is a key to long-term success. They feel like the firm is resistant to boosting business development performance.

Only a few competitors to worry about (3.8%)

A small but important group of leaders don’t think about competition. They are committed to their strategy and see tracking competition as a distraction.

The law firms who want to crush you like a bug could easily be targeting your laterals and clients. The presence of even a small group of aggressive firms puts all others on notice: protect your partner ranks and clients.

We expect an increase in the number of the most aggressive firms — making it more difficult for everyone else. Considering only 35% of clients recommend their primary law firm to a peer — the market is ripe for the aggressive, client-savvy firms to pick up market share and clients. Take advantage of it while it lasts.

Law firms continue to try to up their marketing game. At the same time — CMOs are trying to escalate their careers. This can be a match made in heaven — or a disaster. It also drives demand for top CMOs and turnover in first-chair marketers.

We canvassed more than 300 law firms. We tracked law firm CMO movement through LinkedIn and our own research. Here’s what we found:

• 31% of law firm CMOs made a career move — up from 28% last year
• 12% of these were promoted into the CMO slot at their current firm — up from 5% last year
• 10% (of the 31%) were recruited from another firm — up slightly from 7% last year
• Another 8% of law firm CMOs left the world of law — it was 7% last year

To Change or Not to Change

More than twice as many law firms promoted an internal person into the CMO role compared to last year. They see the value in people who understand the culture and know the partners and the firm’s strategic plan. These firms typically like their current approach and want to amp it up.

Almost the same number of firms brought in a new CMO — they want a fresh perspective and/or want to make changes to the role.

Biggest Reasons for CMOs to Move to a Firm

• Chance to make an impact
• More opportunity
• Leadership change at their existing firm
• A new dynamic leader at the destination firm

What About Comp?

Compensation no longer makes the top of the reasons for a change in firms. CMOs tell me salaries matter but making an impact matters more.

CMOs are doing more due diligence on the firms trying to recruit them. They are looking deeply at:

• Leadership attitude toward Marketing and Business Development
• Partner EQ and courtesies extended during the interview process
• Paying more careful attention to the questions asked during the interview process

More Decliners

CMOs are turning down more inquiries and offers than ever. The top reasons for remaining at their current firm include:

• See themselves as part of the leadership team
• Believe they are making an impact
• Are openly appreciated by a measurable number of leadership partners

Law firms and CMOs are getting pickier and want more. Most are becoming more strategic. Every CMO owes it to themselves to assess their current situation with cold, steely eyes. Law firms owe it to themselves to take the same look at the role and their attitude toward Marketing and Business Development.

Law firms can also benefit from shaping the CMO role from the reasons CMOs change firms above.

The most successful firms are putting more distance between themselves and the other firms. CMOs want to be part of the more successful firms. Perform due diligence on your current firm and any potential firm — especially if the CMOs ability to make an impact and be part of leadership matter more than compensation.

In the high-stakes world of law firm marketing, hindsight is 20/20.

We asked over 150 seasoned law firm Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) what advice they’d give their younger selves or to a newly minted CMO. Their responses paint a vivid picture of the challenges and triumphs in our unique corner of the world.

These insights offer a roadmap for success for both aspiring and current legal marketing professionals. Here are the key lessons these veterans wish they had known from day one. The messages are pretty compelling:

1. 1. Don’t take it personally — everyone questions new ideas

The questioners are not attacking you, they are trying to get their head around your ideas. Their approach may be hard and gruff, and they may not believe — but it comes with the territory.

1. 2. Persistence — don’t give up the ship

People won’t really understand what you are saying until they hear it 7 times. This means the initial resistance and indifference are part of the process. These are your first 2 or 3 of 7 points of communication. Very few ideas get off the ground without at least 7 clear messaging events to the right audience(s).

1. 3. Adapt — learn from all the feedback you get

Rejection, resistance, and lack of enthusiasm all tell you the message or approach you propose may not be on target. Change your approach to play to the issues and concerns you hear.

1. 4. Don’t make the job bigger than you

Don’t care more about the job than the firm. There will always be a few law firms who fundamentally don’t respect or care about the marketing and business development function. These law firm marketing leaders would have told a new CMO to jump ship and go to a place where marketing and business development are part of the firm.

1. 5. Really get to know the attorneys

Attorneys have their priorities and preferences. Law firm leaders recommend taking the time to understand these people and their personalities. You are there to make the firm and the attorneys more successful. Your knowledge of the attorney’s personas and how they conduct business helps you develop your roadmap — and helps you make sure you get to know the partners most likely to make you successful.

1. 6. Learn the art of saying no

CMOs are asked to do all manner of things — some relevant and strategic — others are unrelated to anything meaningful. Successful CMOs advise developing your own informal filters to decide when to say no — and then saying no. They also learn a thoughtful diplomatic decline earns you respect and paves the way for more strategic requests.

As of July 15, 2024, we experienced a 72.3% increase in searches in 2024 compared to 2023. More and more clients are looking for superior client service. The BTI Client Service All-Stars site has become the go-to destination for finding and validating the attorneys who clients single out as delivering the best client service.

Site Traffic

The BTI Client Service All-Star site now enjoys a run rate of just under 30,000 annually, up from 22,435 for the last year. Just one more piece of evidence of how client service’s importance continues to grow. This site offers comprehensive details about each BTI Client Service All-Stars — their client philosophy and more.

Why Clients Choose BTI Client Service All-Stars

You can learn the 5 reasons clients single out a BTI Client Service All-Star here. You can learn more about the firms serving as home to the BTI Client Service All-Stars here.

Congratulations to the Top 50 Most Viewed BTI Client Service All-Stars

Discover the elite in litigation — the law firms who strike the most fear into their competitors. Recently, interest in the BTI Fearsome Foursome has surged, reflecting a growing recognition of their prowess. Learn innovative strategies to justify and implement rate increases in today’s competitive legal landscape, where client expectations are higher than ever.

See the attorneys named best in client service — exclusively identified based on unprompted client recommendations, setting the gold standard for client satisfaction. And, delve into our top posts of 2024 (so far) for actionable strategies to drive growth, retain clients, and cultivate a resilient organizational culture.

For nearly 15 years, top legal decision makers have singled out the law firms they don’t want to see on the other side of the table in litigation.

And these days, the most feared law firms in litigation have been on the upswing — as we’ve seen increasing traffic to the BTI Fearsome Foursome over the past two years.

Clients and competitors alike are searching for the best — to try to hire them — or to try to beat them.

How the numbers break down:

• • The BTI Fearsome Foursome 2023: 22,966 views
  • The BTI Fearsome Foursome 2024: 38,664 views

Congratulations, once again, to The BTI Fearsome Foursome of 2023 and 2024 — the law firms playing to win — and win big:

The BTI Fearsome Foursome 2023: The 46 Firms Most Feared in Litigation

For the 3rd time in the last 4 years, Quinn Emanuel earns the coveted number 1 spot among the BTI Fearsome Foursome. Please join us in congratulating them and all the firms recognized in this elite group.

• • QUINN EMANUEL 
  • Jones Day
  • Kirkland & Ellis
  • Skadden

The BTI Fearsome Foursome 2024: 62 Law Firms Most Feared in Litigation

Please join me in congratulating the 62 firms and, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, for being ranked number 1 for the 2nd year in a row.

• • QUINN EMANUEL 
  • Kirkland & Ellis
  • Jones Day
  • Gibson Dunn

Client’s naming the best of client service, brand new law firm rankings, business development’s evolution, what your prospects want, and practice highlights top the most popular Mad Clientist posts of the first half of 2024. Use these to drive growth, retain clients, and improve the culture.

Each post still offers new insights and strategies. Here are the top posts of 2024 so far:

The Best in Client Service:

Clients Single Out the BTI Client Service 30 2024 — Law Firms Best at Client Service
Clients — more than 300 of them — identify the law firms best at client service — along the 17 dimensions they say are the most crucial drivers. Corporate counsel point to 207 law firms out of the 650 competing for the business at mid- and large-size companies.

64 Law Firms with the Most Improved Client Service
Only 64 law firms managed to improve client service performance in 2024 — according to corporate counsel. This equates to just shy of 10% of all law firms. And client service still remains the biggest differentiator among law firms.

The BTI Client Service All-Stars — Clients Single Out 296 Attorneys from 148 Firms for The Best Client Service
Only clients can pinpoint the attorneys who are best-of-the-best at client service. We asked them to pinpoint these individuals by name — these are The BTI Client Service All-Stars. This research, the report, and the online directory serve as the gold standard to uncover the best.

New Rankings for 2024:

Clients Single Out the Law Firms on the Leading Edge: Helping Clients Implement Strategic Change
More than 80% of clients are going through a business transformation. 67% of corporate counsel are playing a mission-critical role in this transformation — and they single out the law firms best suited for this high-value new and novel work. These firms are best at delivering on the all-new expectations arising from clients changing how they do business.

All 121 Law Firms Best at Meeting Novel, New, and Strategic Needs
Complex, new, and novel matters are driving the market — as are transformational and strategic M&A. These create new demands for clients — who are enjoying the challenge — and their outside counsel. Clients tell us 121 law firms deliver on one or more of 5 new demands, at scale.

67 Firms Best at Cost Control — And You’ll Never Guess Why
Say goodbye to protracted rate negotiations. You can also skip the mandatory rate cuts, RFPs, elaborate reporting protocols, stringent oversight, and micromanagement — all of which are the typical reaction to cost control. The days of draconian cost management are over for now.

Business Development Evolves:

Law Firms are at a Business Development Tipping Point
Business development is about to get a lot harder. Or not. A lot of law firms are making big bets on this fundamental question behind market success. Our flash survey of more than 1,000 attorneys and law firm leaders reveals the split on business development getting harder or not.

Breaking Down Law Firm Business Development Cultures: Struggle or Strategize
A BTI flash survey of almost 700 attorneys reveals decidedly different law firm business development cultures. Underappreciated and maligned by some — worshipped by others — business development is creating the next strategic and cultural divide.

What Your Prospects are Looking For:

The Most Searched for Law Firms of 2023
While law firms scramble for keywords and algorithms, a select few are winning the real game — generating searches for their firm by name. No more hoping someone stumbles upon your website in a vast digital ocean. These clients are seeking you out, pre-qualified and ready to engage.

9 Reasons Clients Remember Pitches and Meetings
Corporate counsel hear a lot of pitches and talk to a lot of attorneys — an average of 22 a month at last count. They report hearing a lot of noise and routine data about current matters — or in a pitch, they hear about endless numbers of matters and statistics. Of these conversations and meetings — top corporate counsel define 9 circumstances triggering a coveted place in corporate counsel memory banks.

Industry and Practice Highlights:

Top Growth Practices and Industries for 2024
Client spending remains resilient — fueled by new needs and lingering issues, more companies than ever are pursuing innovative business models and adopting digital processes. We found 6 industries with outsized increases in spending.

11 Best Practices to Make Your Industry Groups Thrive
Virtually every new regulation and court decision brings unique industry-specific impacts. Your ability to bring this insight is the difference between being invited in without competition or being left out of the conversation. And — getting much higher rates.

Imagine paying exorbitant hourly rates for legal advice and receiving exactly what you expect — no surprises, no breakthroughs, no game-changing insights.

Now imagine this again in a world where 70% of clients want new and breakout ideas to help them. These rates becomes even more mundane.

The BTI Consulting Group’s 2024 Client Service All-Stars aren’t just attorneys; they are the unexpected navigators in uncharted waters. They are singled out for defying the mundane with five distinct qualities redefining client service.

5 reasons stand out as justifying the highest rates — and why the best client service is born from the willingness to disrupt, innovate, and lead with audacity.

New Ideas

Complex, new and novel issues dominate the corporate counsel landscape. They deal with digital transformation, building new supply chains, fighting regulatory headwinds, activist labor forces using new tactics, and geopolitical risk. Clients want ideas on how to advise their management teams. Some see it as a pivotal career stepping stone. Good ideas are prized.

Insights

Clients value people who bring a deep understanding of their issues along with the potential answers. BTI Client Service All-Stars draw on their experience, observations, and intuition to help clients work through these challenges. They help clients better understand how to get the best outcomes — and help their clients succeed as individuals.

First to Know

Being first to know offers clients the opportunity to brief their management, be proactive, and often gain an advantage. This is especially true as the rate of change in the world — never mind law — is happening at a record pace. These clients believe they are the first to know what they need to know and have come to rely on their BTI Client Service All-Star to be ahead of the pack.

 Unequivocal

Clear concise recommendations drive results. Even when clients disagree they are quick to point out how these recommendations help their thinking — and drive a better decision. Unequivocal recommendations drive creativity and are foundational to developing alternative views. These new viewpoints can be pivotal in solving new and novel problems.

Looking Ahead

The newly accelerated rate of change demands clients keep a keen eye on the future. BTI Client Service All-Stars are looking further into the future. They’re sorting out what their clients need to worry about and separating it from the noise. And — they make sure clients know how these future issues might impact them — with ideas on what to do.