A new year brings fresh perspective, and Canada’s legal marketing network is full of brilliant professionals who see past current obstacles and consistently move their firms forward. What we’ve always known is that the potential is enormous – law firms could accelerate their strategic evolution by embracing the perspective their marketing and business development teams have already developed.
What follows are insights from six of Canada’s sharpest legal marketing minds, covering strategic evolution, smart budget allocation, digital relationship building, IP-specific challenges, client intelligence, and the trust imperative in an AI-driven world.
I’m in my 20th year in this business, building relationships with smart colleagues like these authors and staying curious about what’s next. Their insights prove that this approach – staying attuned to the market while maintaining that curiosity – is how we succeed, no matter how many years we’ve been doing it.
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The Evolution of Legal Marketing: From Support to Strategy
Chandler Lauzon, Chief Growth Officer, Cassels
I might be forgiven for being cynical about “seismic shifts” in the legal industry – I’ve heard about “the death of the billable hour” for 25 years now. But multiple factors are finally aligning to fuel real, meaningful change:
- Technological advancements that may (will?) upend the economic pyramid of traditional law firm revenue
- The increase in new law firm ownership models and investment from private equity
- A generation anxious about whether the old model of work and compensation will let them achieve their life goals
- The “big firm” model no longer having a monopoly on wealth creation in the profession
The most progressive BD and marketing professionals will accelerate this evolution – and the smartest law firms will enable them. We’re positioned to become what many of us dreamed of as younger professionals: strategic advisors valued for our connection to industries, clients, market opportunities, and the business of running sophisticated firms in this new era.
We’ll move beyond fulfillment to deliver tangible value for external and internal clients. That earned credibility will fuel real innovation and partnership when the legal industry needs it most. Smart leaders will recognize that diversity of perspective includes all professionals – especially those keeping their finger on the pulse of what’s next for legal services.
My team of next-gen legal marketers and our equity partners are embracing this opportunity. We’re modeling client-first behaviours, demonstrating superior market understanding, and bridging human skills with technological change. It’s an exciting time to lead – and an even better time to learn alongside colleagues.
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Smart Spending in Uncertain Times: Where Marketing Budgets Deliver Real ROI
Lindsay Everitt, Chief Marketing Officer, Goodmans LLP
Economic uncertainty forces uncomfortable conversations – but it also creates opportunities for smarter marketing decisions. For law firms, that means ruthlessly reassessing spend and prioritizing initiatives that drive measurable outcomes, not just busy work.
Digital delivers. Well-crafted content, credible thought leadership, and strategic SEO don’t just boost visibility – they demonstrate expertise, build trust, and keep firms top-of-mind when prospects are ready to buy. The results are measurable and immediate.
Meanwhile, it’s time to question legacy spending. Are you funding that print ad or industry sponsorship because it works, or because you always have? Traditional approaches often can’t prove their impact anymore.
This is where marketing evolves from execution to experience. By anticipating client needs, personalizing communications, and adding thoughtful touches, firms can elevate relationships beyond transactions.
The strategy is simple: pause what isn’t moving the needle, double down on what works, and test something new. In uncertain times, smart allocation beats big budgets every time.
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Digital Relationships, Human Connection: The New BD playbook
Kaley Green, Director, Marketing & Business Development, Fogler Rubinoff LLP
In-person meetings still matter, but as business development moves online, marketers must help lawyers build stronger digital relationships through strategic, personal engagement.
What’s working: A blend of thought leadership and personalized outreach. Curated content that speaks to specific client challenges. Authentic follow-ups that demonstrate genuine understanding of priorities. Social platforms like LinkedIn that showcase expertise while inviting meaningful dialogue.
What’s not: One-size-fits-all messaging. Clients expect relevance, not transactional updates. The old “spray and pray” approach of blasting generic messages hoping something will stick wastes everyone’s time.
The winning approach: Use digital tools to amplify human connection. Every touchpoint should reflect deep understanding of client priorities and business realities. Technology enables personalization at scale – but only when deployed thoughtfully.
The firms that master this balance will build stronger relationships than those still choosing between digital efficiency and personal connection.
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IP marketing reimagined: Technology meets relationship strategy
Sean Lind, Head of Clients & Marketing, Smart & Biggar
IP firms face intensifying client pressure. Clients want work faster, with more transparency and strategic value – but at lower fees. Much of this stems from AI expectations: if technology can draft documents in seconds, clients assume firms can do more with less.
Marketing and business development are adapting fast. Traditional tactics like large conferences and broad sponsorships no longer deliver leverage. Instead, firms are investing in technology that gives small teams outsized impact – tools that sharpen market intelligence, uncover opportunities early, and provide practitioners with timely, actionable client insights.
Relationship management is evolving too. Firms are moving beyond basic CRMs to year-round approaches that integrate engagement data, sentiment signals, and service metrics. For IP firms, this challenge is amplified. Success depends on managing complex referral networks and reciprocal partnerships with foreign associates globally.
AI agents are accelerating change. Early adopters use them for client research, proposal drafts, market summaries, and communications. The broader opportunity lies in system integration – streamlining matter-level analysis, improving pipeline visibility, and guiding teams toward highest-value actions with real-time ROI insights. These tools don’t replace people – they free BD and marketing professionals to focus on strategy, insight, and client engagement.
For 2026, the winning combination is clear: technology, intelligence, and disciplined relationship management. IP firms that reduce practitioner friction while understanding clients and competitors more deeply will turn technology investments into measurable gains and competitive advantages.
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From Advisors to Partners: The Client Intelligence Imperative
Oliviana Mingarelli, Head of Marketing and Business Development, Fasken
Clients today aren’t just looking for legal expertise – they expect strategic partnership. Through our client-listening programs, one theme stands out: recency matters. They want regular, meaningful contact that shows we understand their business, pressures, and goals.
Success is redefined. Technical accuracy is table stakes. What matters now is bringing insights that move the needle and positioning ourselves as advisors who help shape business decisions, not just legal outcomes.
AI accelerates this shift by enabling personalization and predictive insights – surfacing patterns in client behavior, industry trends, and regulatory risks so we can anticipate needs and deliver tailored advice before issues arise. Voice-of-client programs powered by sentiment analysis will deepen understanding, helping firms respond to emerging concerns and strengthen trust.
The organizational challenge: Firms must evolve from traditional marketing and BD silos to an integrated client success culture. This means embedding specialists who monitor KPIs, leverage data, and ensure every interaction delivers measurable value.
When you tell your story, lead with proof: listening insights, success metrics, and a culture built around client outcomes. The firms that win tomorrow will combine data-driven intelligence with human insight to create seamless, client-centric experiences.
Marketing and BD aren’t just about growth anymore – they’re about building enduring partnerships.
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AI Isn’t the Disruptor. Complacency Is.
Megan Bell, Associate Director, Brand and Strategic Programs, EY Canada
One of the biggest risks professional services firms face isn’t AI disruption – it’s mistaking efficiency for value.
As AI makes analysis, research, and content creation faster and cheaper, differentiation based on capability alone is collapsing. AI is making firms look more similar, not more distinct.
This creates both risk and opportunity. The risk is commoditization. The opportunity is clarity. As AI scales execution, clients are raising the bar on transparency, communication, and decision confidence. They want to understand not just what we’re recommending, but why – and what risks, trade-offs, and judgments sit behind it.
My focus isn’t on using AI to say more, faster. It’s on using it responsibly so professionals can say less, better. Brand becomes a strategic capability: helping people articulate where human judgment adds value, how AI is being used, and where accountability ultimately sits.
AI will absolutely transform service delivery. But differentiation won’t come from the tools themselves – it will come from how clearly firms explain their role in an AI-enabled decision-making process.
When efficiency is everywhere, trust becomes the strategy.
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