At this year’s Law Firm Marketing Summit, celebrating its 10th anniversary, one message from keynote speaker Wendy Bernero struck a powerful chord: in turbulent times, the greatest danger isn’t the turbulence itself, it’s acting with yesterday’s logic.

Wendy is a seasoned marketing and strategy leader, formerly CMO at Baker McKenzie and CSO at Proskauer Rose. She shared hard-won lessons from decades at the forefront of the legal industry. Her talk, “From Chaos to Command,” explored how firms can not only survive disruption but transform it into a competitive advantage.

Having led through periods of profound change, from financial crises to technological upheaval, Wendy reminded us that the moments when firms feel most uncertain are often the moments of greatest potential. When others hunker down, the true leaders step forward: they ask better questions, engage clients more deeply, and reimagine how value is created.

She offered three principles for thriving in times of turbulence:

1. Ask Better Questions. True leadership begins with curiosity, not certainty. During times of crisis, Wendy’s teams convened clients, regulators, and industry leaders to ask what the future might look like, and how to prepare for it. In doing so, they created communities of shared understanding and positioned their firms as trusted partners, not just service providers.
    
2. Build Structured Agility. Wendy’s 3R Framework — Resilience, Recovery, and Renewal — offers a roadmap for sustained transformation. First, stabilise immediate challenges; next, rebuild operations for long-term resilience; and finally, invest in renewal through innovation. It’s a model that moves firms from reactive management to proactive growth, ensuring they remain relevant in shifting markets.
    
3. Lead with Mindset. “Culture matters — mindset drives performance,” Wendy emphasised. The difference between scarcity (“protect what’s mine”) and abundance (“we can find a way”) defines how teams respond to uncertainty. Encouraging optimism, confidence, and creativity within marketing and business development teams doesn’t just inspire people; it directly fuels commercial outcomes.

Her closing thought captured the spirit of the day:

“We can choose to react, or we can find ways to command the storm.”

In an industry where change often feels relentless, Wendy’s challenge was clear: law firm marketers must be more than communicators; they must be futurists, insight gatherers, and value creators.

Turbulence is no longer the exception; it’s the environment we operate in. But as Wendy reminded us, those who embrace it with curiosity, courage, and clarity will define the next decade of legal marketing.