What really differentiates a law firm?

One of the most interesting sessions at The Lawyer Marketing Leadership Summit was an interactive workshop led by David McClune, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer at Davis Polk & Wardwell, and Julie Chodos, Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Axinn.

David and Julie opened by framing three interconnected challenges facing law firms: differentiation, the war for talent and digital transformation. We then broke into groups to discuss these challenges and share experiences from across the market. 

David’s opening data demonstrated just how much the competitive landscape has shifted. Legal activity is increasingly converging around sectors including private capital, technology, financial services, life sciences and energy, and around key markets such as New York, California and London. 

At the same time, the war for talent continues to intensify. David cited 4,200 lateral moves across the top 200 US and top 100 UK firms in 2025, while noting that around half of laterals are ultimately deemed not to have met expectations within five years. This is making effective integration just as important as recruitment.

Julie brought the conversation back to the client: how do clients actually experience differentiation between law firms? If star lawyers can move between firms, what creates a distinctive position that is genuinely sustainable? 

Digital transformation added another fascinating dimension. Julie asked whether AI could become “the great equalizer”, enabling smaller, specialist firms to learn from the investments of larger firms and use technology to leapfrog competitors. 

What Did The Room Think?

The group discussions reinforced how interconnected these issues are. Culture emerged as a common thread, alongside the importance of education, training and adoption in ensuring lawyers understand and deliver the firm's strategy. On talent, groups highlighted structured lateral integration and clear cultural expectations. On AI, discussion centred on how firms can demonstrate tangible value to clients, as well as what automation could mean for junior lawyers and traditional training models. 

The biggest takeaway was that differentiation cannot simply be something a firm says. It has to be something clients experience, talent believes in and the whole firm can consistently deliver.