lawyers + marketers + money · ratio of lawyers to marketing & business development...

2 A N A LY Z E | C O M PA R E | D E C I D E | A C T

A L M L E G A L

I N T E L L I G E N C E

Steve KovalanDirector of Research

ALM Intelligence

Jennifer Johnson ScalziFounder & CEOCalibrate Legal

Patrick FullerVice President, Legal

ALM Intelligence


A L M L E G A L


Methodology and Overview of Survey Respondents M E T H O D O L O G Y

Survey respondents represented every corner of marketing and business development departments

Number of respondents by function

Country of Origin

Percentage of respondents

Northeast33%

West17%

South35%

Midwest15%

United States84%

Canada15%

Other1%

US Region of Origin

Percentage of US respondents

291

233

144

97

81

60

Business Development

Marketing

Marketing & Business Development

Marketing Operations

Communications / Media Relations

Other

Number of respondents who hold a “first chair” role within their firms marketing and business development department.


A L M L E G A L


2%

67%

1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018

Increasing complexity is driving demand for a more structured approach to business development

Managing a law firm today is significantly more complex than it was three decades agoThe number of lawyers at the median Am Law 100 firm

The median Am Law 100 firm has more than

doubled in size

Firms are managing significantly larger revenue streamsPercentage of Am Law firms earning more than $500 million in annual revenue

1995: 55%

2018: 25%

The median firm in 2018 had 18 offices across three continents

Am Law firms earned more than $1bn in revenue last year

Firms are more geographically spreadPercentage of lawyers in home office at median firm

19952018

Am Law firms that experienced Y-o-Y revenue growth of less than 1%

High Volatility: 25%

Moderate: 19%

Some : 19%

Am Law Firms Experiencing

Revenue Volatility

Law firms must manage unpredictable revenue streams

Percentage of firms by revenue volatility


A L M

L E G A L


Percentage of total firm wide revenues spent on marketing &

business development0.5% 5.0%2.1%

High End(90 Percentile)

Median Firm

Low End(10 Percentile)

Ratio of lawyers to marketing & business development professionals 11 4320


Median Firm


Allocation of Marketing & Business Development Budget

Share of budget

Cost and Return on Investment

Cost of marketing and business development departments

At Most Firms, Marketing and Business Development Budgets are Increasing

$16,000

$34,000

Cost Per Lawyer Cost Per Partner

The average estimated return on investment from $1 million of marketing and business development spend for an

Am Law 200 firm


A L M L E G A L

I N T E L L I G E N C EAt Most Firms, Marketing and Business Development Budgets are Increasing

Allocation of Marketing & Business Development Budget

Share of Budget

17%

17%

15%

15%

10%

6%

6%

5%

5%

External events

Staff salaries

New business development

Existing client development

Branding

Existing technology

New technology deployments

Business developmentcoaching

Retreats and internal events

dedicated to direct forms of business development

dedicated to technology investments

Marketing and business development budgets are rising

Percentage of Firms Reporting

of firms reported declining marketing and business development budgets

of firms reported increasing marketing and business development budgets

Budget increases for the past fiscal year ranged from 1% to 20%

36% of budgets stayed the same


A L M L E G A L


Chiefs tend to have more than a decade of experience in legal marketing – although much less at their own firm C H I E F R O L E S

Years of ExperienceAverage for chief roles

Number of Direct and Indirect ReportsPercent of law firms reporting

26

16

64

Years of ProfessionalExperience Regardless of

Industry

Years of Legal MarketingExperience

Years At Current Firm Years in Current Position

1 to 523%

6 to 1020%11 to 25

36%

26 to 10022%

Is the firm’s senior-most marketing / business development professional a member of the firm’s executive committee?Percent of law firms reporting

are not a member of the firm’s executive committee

are a non-voting member of the firm’s executive

committee are a voting member of the firm’s

executive committee


A L M

L E G A L


$0

$100,000

$200,000

$300,000

$400,000

$500,000

$600,000

$700,000

$800,000

$900,000

$1,000,000

1 - 99Lawyers

100 - 249Lawyers

250 - 499Lawyers

500 - 749Lawyers

750 - 999Lawyers

1,000+Lawyers

There is a Wide Range in Compensation for Chief Roles Depending on the Size of Firm

C H I E F R O L E S

Salary and Bonus For Chief Roles

In US dollars

$194k$260k

$319k

$463k$444k

$503k

$36 $69k$105k $125k

$29k$23k

Average Salary

Average Bonus

Average Comp

Bonu

s R

ange

Sala

ry R

ange

Maximum

Minimum

Average


A L M L E G A L


1

2

3

Chief Compensation Ranges Widely on a Per Lawyer or Per Partner Basis

C H I E F R O L E S

Salary and Bonus for Chief Roles

In US dollars

Chief Total Compensation Per Million Dollars of Total Firm Revenue $525 $2,258$1,291


Median Firm


$406 $1,841$867

$773 $4,121$1,780

Chief Total CompensationPer Lawyer

Chief Total Compensation Per Partner

the average cost of a chief’s total compensation per lawyer

the average cost of a chief’s total compensation per partner


A L M

L E G A L

I N T E L L I G E N C EWomen Hold a Majority of the Chief Roles – This is Particularly True at Smaller FirmsC H I E F R O L E S

Percentage of Men and Women in Chief Roles

By firm size

$0

$100,000

$200,000

$300,000

$400,000

$500,000

$600,000

$700,000

$800,000

$900,000

$1,000,000

Women Men

$307k

$430k

$50k $75k

Bonu

s R

ange

Sala

ry R

ange

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Percentage of chief marketing and business development roles held by women

Salary and Bonus for Chief Roles

In US dollars

Percentage of Women Chiefs

Percentage of Men Chiefs

94%

64%53% 54%

6%

36%47% 46%

1 to 249 250 to 499 500 to 999 1,000 and overLawyers Lawyers Lawyers Lawyers


A L M L E G A L

I N T E L L I G E N C E Women Hold 70% of Director Roles D I R E C T O R S

72%66%

77%69%

77% 74%

28%34%

23%31%

23% 26%

1-99Total

Lawyers

1 - 249Lawyers

250 - 500Lawyers

500 - 999Lawyers

500 - 1,000Lawyers

1,000+Lawyers

Percentage of Director roles in marketing and business development departments are held by women

$0

$100

$200

$300

$400

$500

$600

$700

$800

$900

Female Male

$170k$182k

$18k $20k

Bonu

s R

ange

Sala

ry R

ange

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Percentage of Men and Women in Director RolesBy firm size

Salary + Bonus for Director RolesIn thousands of dollars


A L M L E G A L


$0

$50

$100

$150

$200

$250

Female Male

Women Hold 85% of Manager Roles, Although They are Better Represented at Larger FirmsM A N A G E R S

Percentage of manager roles in marketing and business development

departments are held by women

$122k

$131k

$8k $11k

Bonu

s Ra

nge

Sala

ry R

ange

Maximum

Minimum

Average

Percentage of Men and Women in Manager RolesBy firm size

Salary + Bonus for Manager RolesIn thousands of dollars

95% 92%84% 89%

81% 75%

5% 8%16% 11%

19% 25%

1-99Total

Lawyers

1 - 249Lawyers

250 - 500Lawyers

500 - 999Lawyers

500 -1,000

Lawyers

1,000+Lawyers


A L M L E G A L



A L M L E G A L


• Search by Region(s)• Gender(s)• Title(s)• Firm Size(s)• Years of Experience


A L M L E G A L

I N T E L L I G E N C ESalary Range & Your Benchmark


A L M L E G A L

I N T E L L I G E N C EReporting Structure & Staff Ratio Benchmarking


A L M L E G A L



A L M L E G A L


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A L M L E G A L


Contact Information

• Rob Alston, Sr. Dir. of Business Development• [email protected]

• Kevin Fox, Account Manager• [email protected]

• Jeff Irving, Account Manager• [email protected]

Final Thoughts & Comments

• Jennifer Johnson Scalzi• CEO & Founder, Calibrate Legal• [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]




lawyers + marketers + money · ratio of lawyers to marketing & business development...

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