Thriving in the AI era: Strategic collaboration, client centricity, and the future of legal marketing

The legal industry is undergoing a period of unprecedented transformation, driven by rapid AI advancements, shifting client expectations, and the evolving landscape of business development and marketing. At the recent Sandpiper Partners Roundtable in Chicago, “The Changing Legal Market: Client Development, Business Development, and Marketing Communications,” leading legal professionals and business leaders gathered to discuss these seismic shifts. Their conversations illuminated not only the challenges facing law firms today but also the innovative strategies and mindsets required to thrive in this new era.

Here are the top focus areas critical to law firm success:

Invest strategically in AI and technology, but prioritize human value

There is no doubt that AI and technology are transforming the legal practice, with consensus among the panelists that AI and technology represent a moment of “absolute transformation”, for the practice of law. However, while AI will automate repetitive tasks, it will not immediately replace the need for human judgment and emotional intelligence. As one panelist stated, “I am amazed at how far the generative AI world has come when it relates to contract reviews, revisions, negotiations. It’s impressive. But it’s never going to replace EQ. It’s never going to replace the ability to have judgment and give counsel, to read a room, to read people.”

In order for firms to meet this moment they need to forge two parallel paths: Allocate resources to adopt and integrate AI tools that automate repetitive legal and business tasks, such as contract review, due diligence, and knowledge management but at the same time, ensure ongoing training and development for lawyers and staff to strengthen skills in judgment, emotional intelligence, and client relationship management. One panelist commented, “Try to create a culture of learning agility, which means that you can learn, unlearn, and relearn. And that’s what we’re going to have to do because things are changing so quickly that we don’t even know what’s going to be in front of us in six months.”

Drive success through internal collaboration, culture, and incentives

The advice from a law firm client on the panel that “the best external counsel act as multi-tooled problem solvers and trusted strategic advisors to us” supports the panelists overarching view that success hinges on developing “sticky” client relationships and fostering internal cooperation across their firms. The discussion highlighted a shift away from the single relationship partner model to more collaborative, team-based approaches:

“It used to be all about eat what you kill. I’m the best. Don’t go to [that partner]. They’re not me… And the reason for that has to do with sort of the individuality of the practice, the ego of the lawyers, the compensation model… It’s a broken model. It’s not going to work in the future.”

Firms are shifting away from “eat what you kill” and individual metrics such as “my book” to the “profitability of the enterprise” approach. They are looking to collaborate with practice groups to help increase profitability and relationship stickiness. These matrix structures across practice and industry groups can work, but only with clear roles, responsibilities, and the right compensation model. As one panelist explained: “The language used internally must change… We don’t talk about originations. We don’t talk about it’s my client, your client. We talk about the revenue of the law firm, the revenue of the practice group, the revenue of the office, and the cost structure. And everything in between is profit to be divided.”

To achieve this level of collaboration, most firms will need to realign their culture and incentives. In addition to encouraging and modeling collaborative behaviors at all levels from leadership on down, compensation models need to be updated to drive the desired outcomes. Said one panelist, “I think people’s behaviors are based on what they’re incentivized to do so the reward structure is a very important part of how you’re incentivizing certain behaviors. You can create an eat what you kill model, or you can create a more collaborative model based on what you’re rewarding. And that will quite quickly change behavior.”

Make client listening and responsiveness a core strategy

If the “voice of the client” is what fuels business development, firms need “robust client listening programs” to understand client needs and expectations. As one law firm leader explained, “I think it’s all about client service. And I think that’s what should be in the front and center of everything that we do is understanding what our clients want, what their challenges are, and how we can best be their partners.”

The marketing and business development leaders on the panel cited client feedback programs, including regular surveys, one-on-one interviews, and structured debriefs, to gather actionable insights directly from clients as key levers their firms were using. Said one leader: “I think the most important thing is to listen to your clients and we have a very comprehensive and multi-pronged client feedback program that includes an online survey, it includes one-on-one client feedback interviews, it includes interviews that our chairman has with certain clients.”

Clients’ feedback should be systematically shared with relevant teams and, more importantly, actioned with the clients to demonstrate responsiveness. “It’s not just about listening to them it’s also about acting on what they’ve told you… client centricity is about hearing directly from the clients what they want, what they need, what they expect, and then delivering it,” they added.

Integrate business development, marketing, and client relationship management to deliver a seamless, client-centric experience

The future of business development and marketing in the legal industry is characterized by a strategic evolution, driven by the need for differentiation, a deepened client-centric approach, and the integration of technology, particularly AI, to boost efficiency and strategic focus.

With the aim of helping their firms enhance strategic importance and differentiation, marketing is shifting focus from activity-based metrics to value delivery. The acceleration of content delivery through AI is already changing the landscape. Mike Raposa, Chief Revenue Officer at Williams Lea, encapsulated this sentiment: “What happens is the playing field becomes extremely level. And if you are going to compete, you need to take that bar and raise it by 20 to 30% so that you are now unique and different.” Firms are prioritizing business development and marketing support to increase their “marketing velocity” and provide attorneys with the resources necessary to compete strategically.

He added, “On the marketing side, with AI agents, thought leadership content can be delivered in different formats faster and at better quality, and this in turn allows the business development team to focus more on relationships and value.”

From investing in AI and technology while strengthening human skills like judgment and client relationships to cross-practice relationship management, law firm success now depends on fostering collaboration, updating incentive structures, and making client feedback central to strategy. By integrating business development, marketing, and client management and embracing a culture of learning firms can stand out and thrive in a rapidly evolving legal market.

Download Williams Lea’s Ninth Annual Trends and Opportunities in Business Services Report to discover how leading law firms are fusing human expertise with cutting-edge technology to enhance client services, scale marketing and business development, and future-proof their practices.