The Future of Legal Marketing Roles

Similar to all things in the world, the roles of legal marketers are ever-changing. With the development of new systems and technology, business professionals are forced to adapt the ways they operate. On May 7, 2021, a webinar by the Legal Marketing Association was hosted discussing legal marketing trends, with Stuart Wilson as moderator. Observations of these trends were reviewed and discussed by the following:

1. Zena Applebaum: National Director, Market Insights & Engagement - Legal, Tax & Accounting at Thomson Reuters
2. David Cohen: Director, Client Service Delivery at McCarthy Tétrault
3. Natasha Tucker: Senior Manager, Business Development & Marketing at Bennett Jones LLP

Zena Applebaum is a competitive intelligence strategist with experience in legal industry advising, and personal brand advocating. By hosting workshops on design, she can share her knowledge and creativity with others.

Programs Used in Legal Marketing

One notable topic that Zena discussed was using and understanding data. She said it is very important to be comfortable using Excel because it has useful functions in sorting and creating pivot tables. She believes that many people have the misconception that Excel is used for mathematical purposes, however, it is very useful for organizing all data.

During the webinar, Zena stated that “where you sit matters less than the work you do.” She said this because she once worked in the library and she was confused why she'd been asked to work in this position. However, it was to teach the librarians skills and understanding of marketing data.

David Cohen poses a combination of business skills as well as legal skills. Through experience, he has been able to expand his knowledge base to include consulting for firms. Using his pricing and process improvement knowledge, David is a leading asset to many Canadian law firms.

Finance and Pricing and its Significance in Legal Marketing

David is very knowledgeable about finance and pricing. He believes that having a strong finance and mathematical background is very useful in all fields of work. He believes that “math can be taught but understanding comes from experience.” When it comes to pricing strategies, they vary by, what the work is, and who can complete the work.

Due to technology and other advancements, David believes that understanding finance is becoming more complex. With such large amounts of data, it is harder to interpret it all. Many heavily involved finance experts have great skills, however often need to develop their communication skills, states David. Being able to communicate both verbally and in writing is a required skill to ensure success in the field of legal marketing.

Natasha Tucker considers herself a lifelong learner. She has worked in the field of content management, proposals and pursuits, account management and project management for over 25 years. Responsible for all aspects of business development, from information management to tracking metrics, Natasha can confidently provide excellent business solutions.

Systematic Approach to Legal Marketing

Natasha has observed that legal marketing is a different environment compared to past work environments. She stated that “multiple systems are used to ensure work is completed quickly, accurately and to a high standard.” Some of the discussed systems include CRM and sales force systems.

A trend that Natasha has observed is that partnerships are more individual than anything. People often do not want to cross-work as the risk is increased when they do. Partnerships are often only instilled for financial reasons, believes Natasha.

Legal Marketing and What to Expect

Trends are useful to monitor because they are an indicator of what a business should expect for the future. Monitoring trends such as data, analytics, and more predictions can be made. A trend that was relevant to all speakers was the significance of systems. Whether it be a financial system, communication system or a data sorting system, they ensure that businesses run both smoothly and effectively.