Introduction
The legal landscape is evolving rapidly, and staying ahead requires law firms to adapt their marketing strategies to remain competitive.
To understand the challenges and opportunities facing today’s attorneys and law firm marketing professionals, we conducted an in-depth survey exploring their challenges, strategies, and outlook for the coming year.
We had over 280 responses from lawyers or law firm professionals:
- Attorneys: 34%
- Marketing: 31%
- Other: 35%
We also heard from a wide range of company sizes spread over 35 states in the US:
- Small (1-25 employees): 29%
- Medium (26-100 employees): 50%
- Large (101+ employees): 21%
Our 2025 State of Law Firm Marketing Report compiles these insights to provide a comprehensive snapshot of the current marketing landscape.
👉 Download Now: Rankings’ State of Law Firm Marketing Report for Law Firms
Section One: Understanding the Overall Law Firm Marketing Landscape
Law Firm Revenue
What we found: When asked to rate the statement, “My law firm's revenue will improve over the next 12 months,” all law firm sizes gave a fairly uniform “optimistic” rating of 4.2 out of 5 with 88% of all respondents agreeing that their revenue will improve.
This implies that, on the whole, the legal industry is pretty bullish on their market and that their revenue will improve.
Better Marketing than Competitors
What we found: When asked to rate the statement, “I have greater marketing exposure than the majority of my competitors,” we saw a decided split between smaller and larger law firms.
- Smaller law firms (1-25 employees): Optimistic rating 3.4 out of 5 with 54% agreeing with the statement.
- Medium/Large law firms (26+ employees): Optimistic rating 3.9 out of 5 with 69% agreeing with the statement.
What quickly becomes apparent is that larger firms are more optimistic about their position in their markets. But both are feeling the pressure of their rivals and it appears there is significant pressure for any size of law firm.
Competitive Landscape
What we found: When asked to rate the statement, “The competitive landscape for my firm has increased in the last 12 months,” all law firm sizes gave a fairly uniform “agreement” rating of 4.1 out of 5 with 81% of all respondents agreeing that the competitive landscape is heating up.
Marketing Budget
What we found: When asked to rate the statement, “My law firm's marketing budget will increase over the next 12 months,” we saw a split between smaller and larger law firms.
- Smaller law firms (1-25 employees): Optimistic rating 3.7 out of 5 with 69% agreeing with the statement.
- Medium/Large law firms (26+ employees): Optimistic rating 4.1 out of 5 with 79% agreeing with the statement
This means that smaller law firms face increasing pressure to do more with less but larger firms may be tightening the belts as well.
Budget Achieving Goals
What we found: When asked to rate the statement, “My current marketing budget is achieving my lead generation goals,” all law firm sizes gave a fairly uniform tepid “optimistic” rating of 3.8 out of 5 with 65% of all respondents agreeing that their marketing budget is currently achieving their lead generation goals.
This means that efficiencies in the lead generation process need to be found fast.
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Using All Marketing Channels
What we found: When asked to rate the statement, “My marketing strategy is currently taking advantage of all marketing channels at my disposal,” we saw a split between smaller and larger law firms.
- Smaller law firms (1-25 employees): Agreement rating 3.3 out of 5 with 45% agreeing with the statement.
- Medium/Large law firms (26+ employees): Agreement rating 3.8 out of 5 with 65% agreeing with the statement
Section Two: Understanding the Efficacy of Marketing Channels
Next, we looked at the value law firms are getting out of each marketing channel, how much they use them, and how expensive they are. We look at three broad categories of channels:
- Organic Digital Channels (green)
- Paid Digital Channels (yellow)
- Traditional Channels (brown)
We then mapped each channel onto two matrices with four quadrants.
- Use Wisely: Signifies channels that are either saturated, that law firms find difficult to quantify their value, or they find too expensive.
- Reconsider: Highlights channels that may be overlooked by some law firms and you should reassess if you’re not currently using them. They could also be expensive, so watch out.
- Experiment: Notes channels that law firms are currently using but can’t quite find the value. They’re worth exploring to see if you can unlock their potential.
- Optimize: Shows the channels that folks find high value in, may be affordable, and most are using today. These are the most competitive channels and you will need to pay close attention to them in order to stay competitive.
Section Three: Understanding Law Firm Priorities
In this section, we asked folks to stack rank their campaign, lead generation, and budget priorities.
My campaign optimization priorities
Both Attorneys and Marketers agree:
- First priority: My overperforming campaigns are preferenced with more budget
- Second priority: My underperforming campaigns are quickly detected
My lead generation priorities
- First priority: Achieving my lead generation goals every month
- Second priority:
- Marketers: Maximize leads, even if it means I go over my budget
- Attorneys: All leads are being worked properly by the intake team
My budget priorities
- First priority: Ensuring I have ROI on my marketing budget
- Second priority:
- Marketers: My campaigns running efficiently before committing to more spend
- Attorneys: Buy-in from my team is reached before committing to spend
The bottom line
Meeting ROI goals = analyzing & improving performance
Marketing strategies must not only be data-driven but also clearly communicated and aligned with broader business objectives.
Achieving ROI on Marketing Spend
- Focus on data-driven decisions: Continuously analyze performance metrics and adjust strategies based on insights. Use tools like GA4 or HubSpot to measure ROI from different marketing channels.
- Optimize existing campaigns: Prioritize tweaking current campaigns for better performance rather than launching new ones. Focus on improving conversion rates and engagement (clicks, views, etc.).
- Allocate budget based on performance: Redirect funds from underperforming channels to high-performing ones to maximize ROI.
Running Campaigns Efficiently Before Committing More Spend
- Audit current campaigns: Regularly review campaign performance and identify areas of inefficiency or waste.
- Test campaigns: Use A/B testing and small budget trials to evaluate potential campaigns before scaling.
- Implement campaign automation: Utilize automation tools to optimize workflows, retargeting, and lead nurturing without additional manual effort.
Getting Buy-In from Attorneys and Firm Leadership
- Align marketing with firm goals: Ensure that all marketing efforts are clearly tied to the firm’s overall business objectives.
- Present clear results: Use clean data and performance reports to demonstrate how marketing campaigns are directly impacting business growth and client acquisition. This means attribution must be properly in place for each marketing channel you are utilizing.
- Hold collaborative meetings: Regularly involve attorneys and firm leaders in discussions to align marketing strategies with their vision and get their feedback.
- Address concerns proactively: Be transparent about potential risks and benefits of marketing investments, ensuring all stakeholders feel informed and comfortable with decisions.
Marketers should focus on optimizing existing campaigns, leveraging analytics to prove performance, and demonstrating where additional investment can drive further results.
At the same time, attorneys and firm leadership must feel confident that marketing efforts align with business goals and contribute to firm growth.
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Conclusion
As legal marketing evolves, law firms that embrace data-driven strategies will have the competitive edge.
- While attorneys and marketers align on key priorities, differences in secondary goals highlight the need for stronger collaboration between teams.
- Firms must balance campaign optimization, lead generation, and budget efficiency to maximize their marketing impact.
- Organic digital channels remain essential but highly competitive, requiring continuous refinement.
- Paid digital channels offer opportunities but need strategic investment, while traditional channels must be used wisely to justify their cost.
- As competition intensifies, firms must prioritize high-ROI channels, track performance diligently, and ensure their marketing efforts align with business objectives.
By leveraging these insights, law firms can navigate 2025 with confidence.
Drive higher returns from your marketing investments. Download The 2025 State of Law Firm Marketing Report and make smarter, more confident marketing investments that drive sustainable success.
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