The Great BD Divide: 1,000 Leaders on Why Law Firm Spending is Skyrocketing

It’s either a dream come true – or a warning sign.

Law firms are going all in on business development. Not tweaks. Not encouragement. But all in with real money.

Everyone wants growth, a premium rate, and the profits to go with it.

We asked more than 1,000 law firm leaders and legal marketers what was happening with BD inside their firms.

Then we pressure-tested the findings against Google Trends.

The goal wasn’t to confirm that BD activity is rising. It clearly is. The goal: to understand why.

Because when an entire market leans this hard into business development, something has shifted. The results split the market into 2 distinct camps:

Fully 87% of law firms are increasing their BD budgets. It’s the “why” revealing the 2 different law firm camps:

Camp One: The Accelerators

These firms are winning. They’re expanding inside existing clients. They are feeling pricing power. They report getting called into matters earlier. And – their inbound lead flow is growing.

BD is working – so they’re doubling down.

Camp Two: The Anxiety-Driven

These firms feel pressure. Some are posting strong numbers – but it doesn’t feel strong.

They sense clients are cutting their list of go-to firms. They also see client access narrowing.

They’re increasing BD intensity to protect or jumpstart growth – and avoid slipping further.

The market is almost evenly divided between the two – with roughly 15% of firms experiencing both acceleration and anxiety at the same time. The 15% aren’t sure if the additional budget is an investment or a life jacket.

And here’s the kicker:

Google Trends reveals searches for Business Development are the highest in 22 years. Law firm leaders are looking for clues on how to improve and increase their knowledge base. They want more meaningful discussions around BD. They’re actively looking for how to do even more of it – and get better.

It’s a rare moment when the data from 1,000 leaders and 22 years of search history align so perfectly. BD has moved from the sidelines to center stage.

The question isn’t whether your firm will spend the money – the stats say you probably will. The question is: Will that spending be an investment in your future, or a tax on indecision?

Whichever way – the race is on.