Revenue is up – make it way up. Attorney headcount is up. Marketing and Business Development (MBD) spend as a percent of revenue is down. As law firms get bigger and fight for laterals and clients – they are allocating less to Marketing & Business Development. The numbers tell the story:
- 2024: 2.47% (Projected)
- 2023: 2.36%
- 2018: 2.76%
Attorney Support Is Shrinking – Except for the Top 30 Firms
BTI’s deep dive into staffing and spending for small, medium and large firms reveals:
- Less MBD support for attorneys at midsize and smaller firms than pre-pandemic
- All firms in the Am Law 200 spend proportionally less than pre-pandemic
- Am Law 30 is the only group showing increases in attorney support levels
The Silver Lining: A Major Shift Toward Client Development
Budget changes don’t stop at dollars spent – the MBD budget allocated specifically to client development soared:
- Today: 57% of the MBD budget is going to client development
- Pre-Pandemic: Client development garnered 34% of the MBD budget
Who’s Scaling for Growth
The largest firms are scaling for growth. Everyone else is falling behind.
This phenomenon is why the largest 30 firms continue to outpace the market. They are embedding business development into their culture – while others hesitate.
Up Next: Institutional Growth
Attract the Engaged Attorneys – More MBD support empowers engaged attorneys. These are your future rainmakers and cultural drivers.
Strategize Smartly – Firms with more limited resources have no choice but to outthink competitors. A laser focus on lead generation, client retention, and high-impact thought leadership can outmaneuver firms of any size.
Remove Self-Imposed Barriers
The race to institutionalize business development is on. The Am Law 30 has the lead – but nothing is stopping other firms – except themselves.
What These Benchmarks Mean for You and Your Firm
More money alone won’t win the game – how firms allocate these resources will determine their future.
Firms acting decisively – whether by scaling staffing, prioritizing client retention, or doubling down on thought leadership – will thrive.
Those who wait will watch the winners from the sidelines.
Self-Imposed Barriers
The race is on to build out infrastructure to make business development part of the firm culture. The Am Law 30 is in front of this. Nothing but self-imposed barriers are stopping the other firms.
Act Now – Before Others Do
Get immediate access to the only detailed benchmarks in the brand-new BTI Benchmarking Law Firm Marketing & Business Development 2025. Based on 121 in-depth surveys with top legal marketers managing the industry’s tightest MBD ships.
This is our 13th MBD Benchmarking report – packed with history, insight, and hard data to help boost your budget and staff. You will find:
Detailed spending and staffing benchmarks, including:
- As a Percent of Revenue
- Average Marketing Budget per Attorney
- Average Marketing Budget per Equity Partner
- Average Number Marketing Full-Time Equivalents (FTE)
- Marketing Support Levels per Equity Partner
- Marketing Support Levels per Attorney
For each of the following:
- Am Law 30
- Am Law 31 to 100
- Am Law 101 to 200
- Outside the Am Law 200
More than 50 firms are already putting it to use. Order now.
Best in the market ahead –
MBR
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