Everyone is a marketer. Or are they?
It is something that plays out in law firms more than almost any other sector. Suddenly everyone has an opinion on marketing. From brand to communications to client targeting, there are plenty of ideas, not always backed by experience or evidence.
And while everyone in a firm does have a role in telling its story and shaping how it is perceived, that is not the same as being a marketer. There is a difference. Marketing and BD teams bring structure, strategy, and deep expertise. Often built on years of study, cross-sector experience, and a strong grasp of brand, positioning, content, data, and communications, this work is not a hobby. It is a profession.
Yet in many law firms, BD and marketing teams remain confined to a support role. They execute on strategies set by partners. They react to requests rather than shaping direction. And their influence on firm-wide strategy is limited to providing input, not leading the conversation.
What clients are saying
We have conducted roundtable discussions with senior leaders across Europe and the Middle East, and part of every conversation touches on the role of BD in the firms they work with. The message from clients is consistent and clear: they value the role BD can play not only in client relationships but in helping the firm move forward faster and more strategically.
Clients see the potential. They want law firms to get their BD teams not just involved, but in the driver's seat.
This is not a theoretical point. Clients experience the difference between a firm where BD is empowered and one where it is not. In the first, the client journey feels joined up. Proposals connect to conversations, events are relevant, follow-ups are timely, and there is a clear sense that someone is thinking about the relationship as a whole. In the second, every interaction feels like it is coming from a different part of the firm with no coordination.
The gap between potential and reality
The most successful firms we have seen are the ones where lawyers and BD professionals collaborate as equals. Where ideas are welcomed but channelled. Where creativity is encouraged but aligned with a clear strategy. And where the marketing and BD team is trusted to lead.
When that happens, firms can build something consistent, credible, and strategically aligned. They move from reactive (responding to partner requests and last-minute pitch deadlines) to proactive, shaping how the firm develops clients, enters markets, and positions itself.
But reaching that point requires more than good intentions. It requires structural change.What needs to change
BD needs a seat at the strategy table. Not as a note-taker or a presenter of slide decks, but as a contributor to the discussion about where the firm is going and how it will get there. The best BD leaders bring market intelligence, client insight, and competitive awareness that partners simply do not have time to gather themselves.
The reporting line matters. If the head of BD reports to a practice group leader rather than the managing partner or the board, the function will always be seen as supporting that practice group, not driving firm-wide strategy. The positioning of BD within the firm's structure signals how seriously leadership takes the function.
Investment needs to match ambition. Firms that want strategic BD need to invest in strategic BD people, and give them the tools, data, and authority to do the job. Too many firms hire talented BD professionals and then limit them to event coordination and pitch formatting.
Lawyers need to respect the craft. The most productive partnerships between lawyers and BD professionals are built on mutual respect. Lawyers bring legal expertise and client relationships. BD brings market knowledge, strategic thinking, and the ability to turn a firm's capabilities into a compelling story. When both sides trust each other's expertise, the results are significantly better than either can achieve alone.
The firms that get this right
The firms where BD is leading, not just supporting, tend to share a few characteristics. They have clear client development strategies that are owned by BD and endorsed by leadership. They use data to inform decisions about which clients to prioritise and which markets to enter. They build structured programmes for cross-selling, client listening, and relationship management. And they hold partners accountable for following through on the BD plans they commit to.
These are not revolutionary ideas. But they are surprisingly rare in practice.
At Beyond Billable Hours, our BDM Team Future Readiness workshop helps firms redesign the BD function for the role it should be playing: strategic, empowered, and central to the firm's growth. If your BD team is capable of more than the firm currently allows, let's talk about what needs to change.