legal industry trends Archives - The BTI Consulting Group

The Lateral Partner Arms Race Just Went Nuclear – Thank Sullivan & Cromwell

Almost no one understands why firms keep hiring lateral partners – except the people running them. On paper, it looks like a bad bet. Laterals have, at best, a 50% success rate. They can dilute morale, alienate "homegrown" talent, and cost a fortune in guarantees. But behind closed doors, the…

BTIConsultingFebruary 11, 2026

The Mad Clientist

Clients All But Abandon RFPs: Here’s What’s Next

It’s a scramble for clients. Clients are cutting way back on issuing RFPs. As one corporate counsel put it: “It’s about as efficient as a dating app – maybe less so.” Clients aren’t swiping right on RFPs because: Clients have more new and novel matters than anyone can remember Fresh…

BTIConsultingFebruary 4, 2026

The Mad Clientist

The 11 Behaviors and Habits to Drive Business Development in 2026

Clients flipped the BD script on law firms. They’re living in a new world – and most BD pitches are still rooted in the old one. The data is clear: 89% are advising their CEOs on business decisions 39% are now growth enablers 84% of clients are going through a…

BTIConsultingJanuary 28, 2026

The Mad Clientist

Corporate Counsel Quietly Changed Jobs – Did Your Law Firm Miss It?

Without announcements. Without memos. Without fanfare. And it only took 2 years. After surveying corporate counsel for more than 30 years – we uncovered 3 big undisclosed flips in corporate counsel roles. They are living in a different world than just 2 years ago. Tapping into these undisclosed changes is…

BTIConsultingJanuary 21, 2026

The Mad Clientist

2026: The Year of the Business Development Reset

Business development isn’t evolving in 2026. It’s resetting. We asked more than 1,000 attorneys and legal marketers if business development would become substantially harder in 2026 than in 2025 – the same question we’ve asked for the past three years. Business development rarely gets easier. Clients always treat today’s greatness…

BTIConsultingJanuary 14, 2026

The Mad Clientist

The 22 Most Searched-for Law Firms of 2025

2025 rewarded a small group of law firms with disproportionate visibility – while the rest fought harder than ever just to be noticed. The combination of Presidential Executive Orders, political volatility, law firm merger announcements and high-profile celebrity trials contributed to the trend. Google Trends reveals immediate spikes in searches…

BTIConsultingJanuary 7, 2026

The Mad Clientist

How Law Firms Smother Their Lateral Partners and Make Them Bolt

Lateral partners don’t fail. Firms fail them. The most talented laterals arrive with instincts honed for speed, autonomy, and action – the traits making them rainmakers at their prior firm. And the traits you admire. So what goes wrong? After dozens of conversations with top rainmakers, both pre- and post-move,…

BTIConsultingMay 7, 2025

The Mad Clientist

86% of CMOs Using Gen AI – Here’s How

The “If” is dead. Now, it’s all about how and what. 86% of law firm marketing leaders are already using Generative AI. The debate is over. It’s no longer if legal marketers will adopt AI – it’s how fast and how smart. Most law firm marketing leaders (LFMLs) use Gen…

BTIConsultingApril 30, 2025

The Mad Clientist

37 Law Firms Best by Industry: High Tech, Big Pharma and Financial Services

It’s the difference between advice and answers. Advice includes an element of industry understanding and nuance. Answers state the facts. Clients pay premiums for advice. Not so much for facts. Industry understanding includes 2 key elements: industry dynamics, trends and regulatory protocols and – from a business development perspective –…

BTIConsultingApril 23, 2025

The Mad Clientist

The Rise of the Empowered CMO

A tense moment at the partner retreat: objections gaining momentum, partners digging in their heels. Then, the CMO rises from their seat, eyes blazing with conviction. “Obstacles? Sure. Hard? Absolutely. But the decisions are made. We’re doing this – and I’ll back every partner who’s in. This will succeed.” Silence…

BTIConsultingApril 16, 2025