At this year’s Legal Marketing Association Europe conference, a standout panel titled "Enabling Sales Through Business Development" tackled one of the legal industry’s most pressing shifts: how law firms must evolve beyond relying solely on reputation and relationships and embrace a more proactive, sales-oriented mindset.
Moderated by Jon Brewer (Senior DealCloud Growth Director, Intapp), the session brought together seasoned experts Julie Chodos (CMBDO, Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider), Raph Crouan (MD, Sales & Client Growth, Orrick), and Catherine Zinn (Chief Client Officer, Baker Botts) to explore how marketing and BD professionals can drive real growth in a rapidly changing client landscape.
The session highlighted key strategies for empowering lawyers as business developers, and aligning BD efforts more closely with client needs and firm growth goals.
From Passive Support to Strategic Leadership
Gone are the days when CMOs and BD leaders operated in the background. As the panel made clear, modern legal marketing must be embedded in strategy. BD leaders are no longer “spectators” - they’re expected to proactively identify opportunities, shape the firm’s go-to-market approach, and guide lawyers in client engagement.
Catherine Zinn emphasized the need for early exposure to client-facing experiences, highlighting how even junior team members can build valuable relationships. Raph Crouan reinforced that sales isn’t just about chasing leads, it’s about visibility, networking, and supporting clients' evolving needs. “Your network is your net worth,” he reminded attendees.
Integrating Sales, Marketing & Tech
Julie Chodos noted how marketing and BD must be tightly integrated, supported by tools like CRM platforms and driven by data. Leading indicators such as client interactions, event attendance, or feedback should feed into your firm’s sales intelligence. Technology can no longer be an afterthought; it’s a growth enabler.
If your BD and marketing functions aren’t actively shaping firm-wide strategy and guiding lawyers on where and how to invest their time, your firm risks falling behind.
Building a Proactive Sales Culture
A recurring theme was culture. Successful firms aren’t sitting around and waiting for RFPs, they’re cultivating a proactive approach, anticipating client needs, building trust, and delivering insight before being asked. That means rewarding curiosity, collaborative wins, and client-first behaviour.
Training and coaching are essential here. Whether it’s helping fee-earners gain confidence in conversations, or enabling teams to “hunt” for new opportunities with sincerity, the focus must be on developing practical, repeatable sales behaviours.
How Can Marketing & Business Development Support This
For legal marketers and BD professionals, the call to action is clear;
- Champion client-centricity - Drive alignment between BD, marketing, and fee-earners.
- Invest in sales enablement - Training, CRM adoption, and proactive outreach strategies.
- Use data smartly - Track client needs and identify growth signals.
- Lead cultural change - Model the behaviours you want to see, celebrate wins, and embed a sales mindset.
Ultimately, success in today’s legal market demands more than a good name. It requires legal marketing teams to step into the spotlight and lead by example.