What Legal Marketing Taught Me About Teams, Trust, and Belonging

Over the course of my career, I've had the privilege of serving in nearly every corner of a law firm marketing and business development department.

I began as a regional marketing coordinator at an Am Law 100 firm in New York. I moved into practice development on the West Coast. I led marketing communications functions. I returned to practice development leadership roles. Along the way, I worked with attorneys and colleagues across multiple offices, time zones, and cultures.

Those experiences taught me something important: a law firm's marketing and business development team is one of its greatest strategic assets, yet it is often one of the least examined.

Many firms routinely assess practice performance, client relationships, profitability, technology investments, and talent needs. Far fewer take a thoughtful look at whether their marketing and business development function is structured, staffed, and aligned in a way that maximizes value for the firm.

They should.

An internal audit of the MBD function is not about finding weaknesses. It is about uncovering opportunities.

It is an opportunity to evaluate whether team members are spending their time on work that directly supports the firm's strategic plan. It is a chance to identify gaps in resources, clarify responsibilities, uncover hidden leadership potential, and strengthen collaboration across the department.

Most importantly, it helps ensure that the firm is getting the full value of an investment that touches every aspect of growth, client service, attorney support, and brand development.

Throughout my career, some of the strongest MBD teams I've encountered were not necessarily the largest or the most highly resourced. They were the teams that felt connected.

As someone who spent years supporting attorneys on the West Coast while many of my colleagues were based in New York, Chicago, and other major markets, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to build relationships across geography. When teams operate primarily through email, video calls, and occasional department meetings, it becomes easy to function as a collection of individual contributors rather than as a unified team.

The firms that intentionally brought their marketing and business development professionals together, whether annually or semiannually, felt different.

Those teams developed trust. They built friendships. They understood each other's strengths. They collaborated more naturally. They picked up the phone instead of sending another email. And ultimately, they delivered better service to their attorneys and clients.

In one of my leadership roles, I insisted on bringing our team together each year. It required time, planning, and investment. But the return was immeasurable. The relationships built during those gatherings created stronger collaboration long after everyone returned to their respective offices.

People often say employees leave managers, not companies. There is truth in that. But I would suggest another factor is equally important: people stay where they feel connected.

In today's legal marketing environment, average tenure continues to shorten. Professionals who feel isolated or disconnected from the broader mission of the firm are more likely to view their role as a job rather than a career. Conversely, individuals who feel a sense of belonging, purpose, and investment in their colleagues are more likely to remain engaged and committed over the long term.

When MBD teams are aligned and connected, everyone benefits.

Attorneys receive more responsive and strategic support. Team members better understand how their work contributes to firmwide objectives. Leaders gain visibility into future talent. Resource needs become easier to identify. Silos begin to disappear.

Perhaps most importantly, marketing evolves from being viewed as a service function to being recognized as an integrated and indispensable business partner.

An MBD audit can be especially valuable during periods of transition. Firms that are searching for a Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, or other senior leader can use the process to create clarity around organizational structure, identify leadership opportunities within the existing team, and establish a roadmap for future success. The result is often a smoother transition and a stronger foundation for whoever ultimately assumes the leadership role.

At its best, this work isn't about organizational charts, budgets, or reporting structures.

It's about people: helping talented professionals reach their potential, creating an environment where collaboration thrives, ensuring resources are aligned with the firm's priorities, and building a culture where marketing and business development professionals feel connected to one another, invested in the firm's future, and empowered to make a lasting impact.

After more than two decades in legal marketing, that remains the part of the work I love most.

Not simply helping firms grow.

Helping the people behind that growth succeed together.