Seek, and Ye Shall Find: Uncovering New Approaches for Cross-Firm Collaboration

Legal marketing is the most powerful when it’s curious about, integrated into and collaborative with the needs and strategies of the other departments of the firm. A law firm marketing and business development department should act as a strategic hub that connects across the firm to support strategic goals and business growth.

We all understand that, but do we practice it?

Of course, we work closely with attorneys and our practice groups to develop thought leadership content, respond to proposals and organize events to showcase expertise, among much else. We know our attorneys well and our mission is to always make them shine. But how well do you know other departments with the same mission?

Success in a law firm marketing department can mean many things, but it’s ultimately unattainable when it’s achieved in a silo without the help or acknowledgment of IT, finance, HR, competitive intelligence or other functional areas in the firm.

You have to be an entrepreneur. Start by knocking on a few doors. Listen carefully to what your colleagues in the other departments are doing, and you’ll find a world of insights and allies in other departments.

How Interdepartmental Collaboration Can Help You

Don’t wait for a formal meeting to start making introductions. Start by finding the person/resource at the firm who can tell you how departments are structured and who is responsible for each functional area. Get an understanding of what each of these groups do, their reporting structure (e.g., report to the chair or a committee?) and how often they meet. Your firm’s intranet might be a good place to start.

Let go of the “solo marketer” mindset and start scheduling coffee chats with these departments. Better yet, ask to be part of their orientation and internal training sessions. You’ll be surprised how you might uncover new ways to work together.

For instance, finance, HR, IT, and operations aren’t just internal support — they’re gold mines for marketing data and strategic planning. Want to sharpen a Chambers submission? Need stats for a pitch? Curious about the firm’s diversity footprint or cybersecurity policies? Your colleagues have solutions for you.

It Takes a Village (And a Calendar Invite)

Depending on the size of your firm, you may not have these exact resources, but bear with me while I provide a few “case studies in collaboration” that have worked for so many of us.

The best results happen when you engage:

• Chambers Submissions: Before you walk into an attorney’s office to discuss this year’s Chambers submission, talk to their assistant and your colleagues in finance to learn who the attorney’s largest clients are and the recent matters they handled for them. With a little bit of this smart preparation, you will walk in the door informed and ready to discuss which matters and clients should be highlighted. Come to the meeting educated, and your credibility will be boosted.
• RFPs and Proposals: Pull old proposals, billing histories and outside counsel guidelines (OCGs). Involve pricing, HR, IT and even general counsel early to create standout, compliant responses that acknowledge your firm’s history with the client and reflect business practices that may have been mentioned in the OCGs.
• Industry Research: Struggling to define your firm’s footprint in a certain industry or geography? Talk to your colleagues in finance and/or intake. They are likely to pull certain information from the firm’s billing system that is coded by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) or Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes (or however your firm code’s industry data).
• Project Management: If you are starting a new project and want a tool to help you track and manage it, talk to IT. They handle many of the firm’s largest, multi-year projects and may have a software solution for you. Why recreate the wheel, when you don’t need to?
• All Things AI: Discover which department in the firm is guiding your firm’s AI policies and practices. Learn from them what those policies are and which AI tools you could and should be using to further your marketing efforts. They are likely to have a few tricks up their sleeves.
• Those Admin Projects You Never Seem to Find Time For: Does your firm use interns? Are they busy? Consider them for projects like auditing competitor websites or your attorney’s LinkedIn activity, or cleaning up mailing lists. If they are capable, they are indispensable. If you have interns, inquire today.

Your Quarterly Challenge: Make a Map

Here’s your call to action:

• Plan a “departmental tour” and schedule one-on-one calls or coffees.
• Review orientation schedules across departments and look for ways to contribute.
• Audit your own marketing tools and data sources.
• Be bold. Be curious. Open doors.

The Whole Is Indeed Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts

Law firms, even small ones, are complex organizations where legal, administrative and business support teams must align to deliver exceptional client service and maintain profitability. Achieving that alignment, however, will never happen unless each team knows the goals, strategies and available resources of the others.

So be bold. Be curious. Open doors. As a marketer, be the champion for collaboration with all the teams in your firm. By doing so, you will have an impact and boost your credibility among these other groups.

In Pablo Picasso’s words, “I do not seek, I find.” And in your firm, there’s plenty worth finding — if you know where to look.

 

Learn More About Marketing Management and Leadership with the Third Edition of the LMA Body of Knowledge The content in this feature correlates with the Marketing Management and Leadership domain in the LMA Body of Knowledge (BoK). Dive deeper and access the latest edition of the BoK online. The Third Edition of the LMA BoK showcases enhanced expertise across every domain, introduces new competencies in Client Services, Communications and Technology Management, features more advanced skills across all domains and broadens coverage of competitive and business intelligence skills. Plus, it emphasizes a stronger commitment to nurturing diversity, equity, and inclusion across the entirety of the BoK. Learn more.