Managing a Law Firm in the Traditional and Digital Age: A Checklist for Managing Partners and/or Management Teams
Law firm leadership is evolving. Do Managing Partners today have the support they need to compete in both traditional and digital markets?
I wrote this article to explore the changing demands.
Managing a Law Firm in the Traditional and Digital Age
The role of a Managing Partner or senior law firm executive today is broader, more complex, and more dynamic than ever before. As firms continue to operate across both traditional legal channels and increasingly digital platforms, the demands placed upon firm leadership have multiplied.
The strategic oversight needed to run a successful law firm now spans finance, people management, risk, compliance, innovation, technology, marketing, and client development. While internal teams often support specific areas, the Managing Partner and management team carry the burden of aligning everything—and everyone—towards common goals.
Key Management Functions Within a Law Firm
- Strategy and Vision
Setting the direction for the firm, often balancing heritage and long-standing values with evolving market needs. This includes:
- Reviewing and prioritising practice areas
- Assessing new market opportunities (e.g., Fintech, ESG, AI)
- Defining long-term goals across jurisdictions
- Client Relationship Management (CRM)
Managing the firm’s most valuable relationships, ensuring consistent service, responsiveness, and targeted business development, and client feedback. - Marketing and Business Development (BD)
This includes everything from brand visibility to new client generation, across both traditional and digital channels. - People, Culture, and Recruitment
Overseeing team growth, lateral hires, performance management, retention, and succession planning. - Compliance, Risk, and Governance
Maintaining standards across jurisdictions and practice areas and ensuring the firm is protected legally and reputationally. -
Operations and Technology
Managing systems, platforms, internal communications, billing software, data security, AI tools, and legal tech integrations.
UK Reform: A Turning Point
Many law firms continue to treat marketing and BD as ‘soft services’, yet in the UK, reforms have allowed law firms to appoint non-lawyers to their boards recognising the strategic importance of marketing, digital, client insight, and innovation expertise.
Is this your experience? Do you have non-legal expertise represented in your leadership team?
Creating an Effective Marketing Strategy: When, Why, and How
Why create a strategy?
To grow, to align resources with revenue potential, to focus on what works, and to elevate the firm’s profile in a competitive market, to raise the bar, to adapt and improve.
When to create it?
Ideally annually reviewing performance, setting budgets, refreshing positioning, and aligning goals across practice areas.
How to create it?
- Review prior activity: what worked and what did not
- Define goals per fee earner, practice area, and jurisdiction
- Factor in current and future trends (e.g., AI, ESG)
- Research client needs and market demand
- Set realistic budgets
- Build in flexibility for the unexpected
What has your experience been when drafting your firm’s strategy? Are your internal resources enough?
Legal Directories vs Digital Footprint
Many firms pour enormous effort into rankings, but are directories still the most important validation? Legal Directories still have a role, perhaps it a reduced role or directories to support.
With over 4 million lawyer profiles on LinkedIn, it is arguably the world’s largest legal directory, and it is free. Visibility here, with the right content and connections, can generate meaningful new instructions.
That said, directories still play a vital role in:
- Third-party credibility
- Helping institutional buyers make decisions
- Influencing referrals
What are your views on this? Are directories your priority, or is digital strategy becoming more important? Or both?
What Works in Law Firm Marketing—And What Does Not
What Works:
- Sector-specific thought leadership
- Genuine engagement on LinkedIn
- BD aligned to current trends (e.g., AI, climate, tech regulation)
- CRM-driven follow-up and pipeline discipline
What Does Not:
- Vanity projects with little ROI
- Static, unchanging websites
- Annual copy/paste directory submissions
- Unclear messaging
Many firms still increase last year’s marketing budget by 5% without revisiting strategy. Those that succeed are those that:
- Do the research
- Review practice areas
- Ask clients for input
- Invest in trends like AI with a plan
What About the Future?
As law firms expand into the digital world, the next two years will shape the leaders of the next decade. AI, new fee structures, alternative legal service models, ESG compliance, and global client expectations will drive change.
Are you ready for 2026? Is your firm prepared to open the right doors, avoid the wrong ones, and build for the long-term?
I help firms do exactly that.
Case Studies / Examples
- Arendt: Known for strong digital positioning and combining tech with legal advisory.
- Simmons & Simmons: Their Fintech and AI pages are good examples of clearly articulated digital-era services.
- Mishcon de Reya: Launched Mishcon Future, a platform for innovation and tech adoption.
Final Thoughts
Managing a law firm is not a static exercise. The traditional world of client service, trust and legal rigour must now be combined with digital fluency, proactive marketing, and future-facing strategy. Managing Partners rarely have the time or headspace to tackle everything alone. This is where a trusted external advisor adds real value.
Whether shaping strategy, supporting implementation, or simply being a sounding board, help is on hand to assist firms to reduce practice costs, enhance performance, and remain relevant in both the traditional and digital legal arenas.
Prepared by: Edward Simpson
Simpson Marketing | Legal Marketing & Strategic Growth Advisor
T: +353 1202 4444
W: simpson.ie