Law firm marketing plans and budgets at mid-size firms
What firms spend on marketing and business development, how much support lawyers get, and which activities marketing leaders say are worth the effort.
BTI Consulting Group reports that law firms spent 2.36% of revenue on marketing and business development in 2023, with 2.47% projected for 2024, down from 2.76% in 2018. That figure is an average across firm sizes, and no free US source breaks out mid-size firms alone.
- BTI puts marketing and business development spend at 2.36% of revenue in 2023, down from 2.76% in 2018.
- BTI reports 57% of that budget now goes to client development, up from 34% before the pandemic.
- In the LMA and Above the Law survey, 74% of leaders at firms with 51 to 100 attorneys said budgets increased.
- BTI found midsize and smaller firms give attorneys less support than before the pandemic.
- Marketing leaders rank written content and lawyer coaching highest, and directories and awards lowest.
What firms spend on marketing
BTI Consulting Group reported in The Mad Clientist that marketing and business development spend as a percent of revenue was 2.36% in 2023 and a projected 2.47% in 2024. In 2018 it was 2.76%.
These are averages across firm sizes. No free US source gives a share of revenue for mid-size firms alone. A mid-size firm that benchmarks against 2.36% is comparing itself to a blended figure.
Where the money goes has changed too. BTI reports that 57% of the budget now goes to client development. Before the pandemic, client development took 34%.
Two measures that point different ways
The sources do not line up neatly. BTI's figure is spend as a share of revenue, and it sits below its 2018 level. The 2025 Legal Marketing Decision-Makers Survey from the Legal Marketing Association and Above the Law asked about budgets after inflation. Jeremy Barker of Above the Law reported that 54% of respondents said budgets rose in recent years, and 14% said they fell.
They measure different things: one is a share of revenue, the other is a budget adjusted for inflation. Read them side by side, not as a single trend.
Firm size splits the survey. 74% of leaders at firms with 51 to 100 attorneys said budgets had increased, compared with 44% at firms with more than 500 attorneys. Marketers at firms with 251 to 500 attorneys were the most likely to report smaller budgets. The survey had nearly 100 self-reported respondents, so these splits are directional.
Staffing support at mid-size firms
BTI's 2025 benchmarking of budgets and staffing found midsize and smaller firms give attorneys less marketing and business development support than before the pandemic. Am Law 30 firms were the only group to increase attorney support levels.
BTI also reports that only 1 in 5 law firms have dedicated digital marketers.
Outside help covers some of the gap. In the LMA and Above the Law survey, a majority said their firms use outside vendors for marketing technology, and most use outside vendors for media relations.
The decision for a mid-size firm: does the plan assume in-house digital skill the team may not have, and which work belongs with vendors.
What marketing leaders say works
In the LMA and Above the Law survey, a majority of marketing leaders ranked written content development as the single most important marketing activity. Branding and profile building came next.
Directories and awards sat at the other end. A majority of respondents ranked them the least useful activity.
On business development, a majority ranked coaching lawyers on business development and gathering client feedback as the most important activities.
Marketing leaders also sit closer to firm strategy than the budget line suggests. A majority of those surveyed take part directly in their firm's strategic planning, and almost 20% say they are a primary author of the plan.
Where spending is moving
Isaac Brooks of the Thomson Reuters Institute named business development and marketing, along with knowledge management and technology, as the main high-growth expense categories. Am Law 200 firms led that growth.
Midsize firms trail on part of it. Zoe Miranda of the Thomson Reuters Institute reported that in Q1 2026, midsize firms grew spending on technology and knowledge management by 6.2%, the lowest increase of any segment Thomson Reuters tracks.
Calibrate Legal's study of Am Law 200 firms found that nearly 85% of marketing and business development effort falls outside direct or high-value revenue influence. That study covers Am Law 200 firms, not mid-size firms.
For a mid-size marketing leader, the open questions are where to set spend against the BTI average, how far to shift toward client development, and which effort can be tied to revenue.
Sources
- BTI Consulting Group, The Mad Clientist, 2025-02-26
- BTI Consulting Group, BTI Benchmarking Law Firm Marketing & Business Development 2025: Budgets and Staffing, Executive Summary, 2025
- Above the Law, Jeremy Barker, 2025-07-11
- Legal Marketing Association and Above the Law, The 2025 Legal Marketing Decision-Makers Survey, 2025
- Thomson Reuters Institute, Isaac Brooks, 2025-01-27
- Thomson Reuters Institute, Zoe Miranda, 2026-05-26
- Calibrate Legal, Am Law 200 Data Reveals a Structural Gap in Marketing & Business Development, 2026-04-23
Frequently asked questions
What percent of revenue do law firms spend on marketing?
BTI Consulting Group reports the figure was 2.36% of revenue in 2023 and a projected 2.47% in 2024, down from 2.76% in 2018. Those averages cover firms of all sizes. No free US source isolates mid-size firms.
Are mid-size firm marketing budgets growing?
In the 2025 LMA and Above the Law survey, 74% of leaders at firms with 51 to 100 attorneys said budgets had increased. Marketers at firms with 251 to 500 attorneys were the most likely to report smaller budgets. The survey had nearly 100 self-reported respondents, so treat size splits as directional.
What should a law firm marketing plan prioritize?
Marketing leaders in the LMA and Above the Law survey ranked written content development highest, then branding and profile building. For business development, they ranked coaching lawyers and gathering client feedback highest. A majority ranked directories and awards least useful.
Do mid-size firms have enough marketing staff?
BTI found midsize and smaller firms give attorneys less support than before the pandemic, and only 1 in 5 law firms have dedicated digital marketers. Most leaders in the LMA and Above the Law survey said their firms use outside vendors for media relations.
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Method: every figure on this page is quoted from the dated sources listed above. Nothing is estimated.
No free US source gives a marketing share of revenue for mid-size firms alone. BTI's 2.36% and 2.47% are averages across firm sizes, and the LMA and Above the Law survey has nearly 100 self-reported respondents with small firm-size groups, so treat those splits as directional.