Having been around the block once or twice now in this Legal PR gig, I’m quite good at trend-spotting, but also BS-identifying. I hope this makes me well-placed to write a blog covering the trends that I think will dominate Legal PR and marketing during 2026. I’m writing this in mid-March as we approach the new tax year, so you might think this blog is a bit late, but 2026 / 2027 Tax Year Legal PR and Marketing Trends doesn’t quite have the same ring, does it?! There’s no surprise that AI continues to top the list, not as a new trend but simply due to the pace of change and evolution of AI tools, and it’s driving other trends too, in SEO vs. GEO and PR through to brand authenticity and the types of content people are reaching for. Read on to find out more. AI usage in the legal sector It is literally fairly impossible to move at the moment without AI popping up across every single conversation around law firm management, growth, delivery, marketing, compliance and literally everything else. I think there’s a fairly good chance we have all gone AI-mad. Do I think AI is a bad thing? No. Do I think there are huge opportunities for businesses that embrace AI? Yes. Do I think that AI can be used for everything? No. And do I think that AI is a magic bullet that will solve existing and deep-rooted problems within some law firms? No, no and no again. *Spoiler alert* Like many of us, I’m in my early days of learning about AI’s capabilities, and I’ve been trying to work out how we can use it at LexRex, whilst also being mindful of protecting our high IP value content and data from scraping. Please be reassured that none of our client data or information is being fed anywhere and that won’t change any time soon. I’m also conscious of AI’s ability and sometimes tendency to ‘hallucinate’ or invent things when it doesn’t know the answer. We also continue to write all of our own content when it matters (and I think it always matters). I want to ensure that my writing continues to sound like me. And that the content we create for our clients continues to sound like them. I also hate the idea that content becomes generic, because it is written by AI and therefore, everything created by AI sounds like everything that’s already been created by humans in the past. I’m also sure that at some point we’ll experience a backlash against AI-derived content and start to seek or relearn slower forms of communication. In fact, I suspect this is already happening, it’s just not yet hit the mainstream. AI slop, beware! How are law firm marketers using AI at the moment and where is this going? 1. Content research. AI can be really helpful for marketers to research what ‘the market’ is saying about certain practice areas. You can also use this data to reverse engineer what isn’t being said and hopefully spot and utilise some gaps that you can use creatively. 2. Content ideation and planning AI can also be used to create powerful content ideas, particularly for areas of law that may be perceived as ‘dry’ or boring. Do remember, though that if you rely upon these ideas, you’re basically rehashing conversations and content that have already been covered in depth by your competitors. If your approach is ‘let’s just write some content on XXX’ that’s all well and good, but a more nuanced approach, along with some good old human creativity, will be required if you want to stand out from the competition. BTW, I’m very happy to die on the hill that says original, nuanced content that takes its cues from a goal-driven strategy will knock open AI-derived, generic content out of the park every single time when it comes to effectiveness and cut-through. But yes, it costs more. 3. Social and other content writing and imagery We’ve all seen the cartoon images and videos on LinkedIn haven’t we, and having spoken to lots of lawyers and marketers, I know that lots of you are using AI to create written and visual content for your social media channels. There’s nothing wrong with this, and I completely understand the reasoning behind it. My personal advice though is twofold – one, ensure that the content you post does actually sound like something you’d say, and two, try and mix the AI generated content with some content that you have written. I just think this helps to ensure that you sound ‘like you’ and it also helps to ensure you are sharing original ideas and content, not just regurgitating stuff that has already been covered to death elsewhere. And in case you’ve forgotten – a quick reminder that social channels are about engaging with humans, not algorithms. Another hill that I’m happy to die upon is my strongly held belief that it’s way better to have a smaller, engaged audience of potential buyers than a gigantic audience of fans who, nonetheless, will never buy from you. Remember as well that the more ‘randos’ you connect with, the harder (and longer) you’ll have to search on your channels for content that actually interests you. 4. Competitor analysis. Again, AI can very quickly undertake basic competitor analysis and does this so much faster than can ever be achieved through desk research carried out via Search. Be mindful of the hallucination point earlier and remember to apply not only your common sense to the results, but also your own data points and knowledge of the market. AI can’t replace human insight (yet), but I think it can help us to identify blind spots and, where data sets are available, can help us to interrogate our thinking and assumptions. 5. Writing award submissions and legal directories content. Tricky one, this. I can definitely understand why you might be tempted to do this from
We have recently been working on a number of pitches for PR retainers for law firms. Seeing how different firms have approached the process has been really interesting. The pitch system isn’t without its pitfalls, and I remain to be convinced that it’s the best or indeed only way to select an agency. We relatively rarely pitch for work, mainly because our relationships within the sector mean most of our clients come to us, but also because pitching is an expensive process with no guarantee of success. Also, we are quite fussy about who we work with. However, for the right firm, we will pitch. And when we do, we go hard! Now that the process has finished, and we’re waiting to hear whether we were successful, I started thinking about the lessons I could share agency-side for other law firms looking to find a great PR partner. What does a great PR brief contain? Clear, measurable goals: One of the features of a great PR brief is a clear outline of what the firm is trying to achieve by bringing in a PR partner. The more honest about this you can be, the easier it will be for the pitching agencies to create a proposal that helps you to reach this goal on time and on budget. Introduction to the firm: Don’t make us Google you (too much). Tell us about the firm – what you do, who you do it for, which sectors you work in and set out your key partners and heads of department. Key trends, stories, legislation, reported cases: What’s going on for your clients. What’s keeping them up at night, what are the challenges or opportunities they face? What are your colleagues working on, how are they helping your key clients? What are you doing now and what you have done in the past? Do you have an incumbent agency? Have you worked with an agency before? What kind of marketing (if any) have you done before, what are you working on now? Tell us who we’ll be pitching to: Will it be the management team, marketing and BD team, both or neither? Let us know so that we can ensure that our pitch is appropriate for the audience – a PR pitch for a marketer will be quite different to one for a bunch of lawyers. Involve your marketing team: I’m sure you all do this, but if you don’t, please start. These are the people at the coal face of working with your lawyers, so they know what will and won’t work, and they will be able to be very clear about what they want your PR agency to bring to the table. Ideally let your marketing team write the brief and manage the process. Let us know your budget: Please do this as it allows us to create a bespoke package that aligns with your goals. Also, it’s only fair to let us know how much is available on a monthly or annual basis, so that we pitch something that matches your budget. I won’t pitch without a budget, and we absolutely have a minimum monthly spend. Tell us if you want to see anything specific: The following provides some sensible examples: Previous law firm experience How do you measure success Example outputs Levels of activity Who will be on the team?* Budget required How will you plan activity on our account? Will we get reports? Do you work with other law firms, and how will you manage working with competing clients or conflicts?** Budget and disbursements Be clear on the post-pitch process and know when you’ll be able to appoint: Please don’t drag out the process any longer than you need to. Ideally, get the post-pitch meetings into the diary before you hear the presentations and then make a quick choice. Let us know if we were successful, and if not, please do give feedback. Once you’ve appointed your agency, make sure you have everything ready to enable them to crack on. Then stand back and let them impress you! If you enjoyed this content, sign up to our monthly newsletter for more content like this, straight into your inbox every month. And if you’d like to chat about any of our PR services, book a call with Victoria. *Not a problem for us, the team that pitches is the team you get. **Also, not a problem for us, we don’t work in conflict. Victoria Moffatt is the founder and managing director of LexRex. A non-practising solicitor she has been supporting law firms with their PR for over a decade. Get in touch with Victoria to discuss your law firm’s PR needs.
They say to avoid ‘I’m delighted to announce’. But sometimes only ‘I’m delighted to announce’ fits the bill. So, I am genuinely delighted to announce that NetworkingAF is BACK for 2026. Sneaking in just in time for the end of Dryanuary, if you commit to such a thing. And definitely giving us all something to look forward to during the truly miserable (for me anyway) month of January. What is Networking AF? NetworkingAF is all about networking between lawyers, particularly partners and senior employees of law firms. It came about as a concept a whole year ago, hot on the heels of one of its sister events, Christmas Drinks. Over the years I’d been brewing a bit of an idea for a network just for lawyers, a ‘safe space’ really for legal professionals to chew the cud, shoot the breeze, build relationships and just generally take the time out of the office and meet others working in law firms. When I was in practice (admittedly in not-very-networky-Doncaster) I used to find that I really wanted to meet others in practice. Things improved when I moved to work in Leeds, but even then, it was quite tricky to meet other lawyers. Too often events would be mainly attended by suppliers and recruiters. Not that there’s anything wrong with suppliers or recruiters, but I didn’t have any budget or ability to access budget, and I wasn’t looking for a new job. I just wanted to meet lawyers and have a moan. Lol. About the Law Firm Supplier Network and the annual events Anyway, fast forward to 2024 and I decided the best way to run my planned networking events was through collaboration. This led to the creation of the Law Firm Supplier Network, a small group of suppliers to the legal industry. Founded by me (obviously) and supported by my business, LexRex – my Law Firm Supplier Network partners and fellow supporters are Tracey Longbottom, Forsyte; Martyn Best, Document Direct; Tom Bailey, PostPartner and Alex Holt, The Cashroom. We now work together to deliver four networking events in Manchester each year: January – NetworkingAF July – Summer Drinks October – NetworkingAF December – Christmas Drinks Our New Partner In addition to being delighted about NetworkingAF, I’m positively excited to confirm that we have a new partner. Manchester Law Society has come on board as an official supporter of The Law Firm Supplier Network and is helping to promote our Manchester events, to enable us to reach even more legal professionals. This is a great collaboration, reflecting Manchester Law Society’s key role at the centre of the profession and our aim to build more networking opportunities for members and others operating in practice in both Manchester and further afield. Book your tickets for NetworkingAF now. Book your tickets for Manchester Law Society’s February Supper Club at Pip now. Victoria Moffatt is the founder and managing director of LexRex. A non-practising solicitor she has been supporting law firms with their PR for over a decade. Get in touch with Victoria to discuss your law firm’s PR needs.
The NatWest Legal Sector Report 2025 was published on 9th October this year, and I’m excited to once again review a report that I always look forward to reading. This is the NatWest report’s 11th edition, and this review will mark the third Report review I’ve written this year. Legal sector reports in review If you’re interested in the others – I wrote about the Thomson Reuters State of the Market 2025 report back in May 2025, you can read that here, and the LexisNexis Bellwether Report 2025 in June 2025, and you can read that here. I didn’t really rate the Thomson Reuters report because at that time, I felt the authors were heavily pushing an AI angle that I didn’t feel reflected what I saw happening in reality (at least in the firms I work closely with). Here was my overview: Always a worthwhile read, but in my opinion this report contains too many sweeping statements that are not backed up by the data. A naivety or lack of deep knowledge of the UK legal market by the authors (or maybe it was written by an AI bot!). Some interesting raw data, but a lack of nuance in the interrogation and reporting. A missed opportunity by Thomson Reuters to deliver really insightful content on the UK legal market in 2025. Sorry not sorry. I was more impressed with LexisNexis’ report however, I criticised the authors for failing to include data about the seniority of respondents. It was a small point though and overall, I rated the report stating: This year’s Bellwether Report is, like every year, an interesting snapshot on the sector, and a great read for anybody either in practice or who works alongside or sells to lawyers. When I read these reports, I’m always aiming to draw parallels between the reporting and my own experience working with a range of law firms of varying sizes and specialisms. It remains the case that a lot of our clients are boutique or specialist, some based in Manchester and the North more generally, others based in London and outside of the UK. My reviews tend to comment upon the Report content and statistics utilised, and highlight the bits that I find particularly interesting or different to my experiences or what I’m seeing on the ground. It’s essentially a bit of a TL:DR. Anyway, let’s see how NatWest’s report gets along… NatWest Legal Sector Report 2025 Methodology This year 110 participants took part in the research process, compared to 308 for the LexisNexis research and 364 for Thomson Reuters. A relatively small sample, and this is something to take into account when you read the report. The firms surveyed had turnover ranging from £1million to £200million, with an average turnover of £17million (I’m assuming median average as this tends to have been used throughout to measure averages). Trends identified in the report Reading the report, the most obvious trend that crops up again and again is a focus upon improving structures, practices and ‘ways of doing things’ in order to drive better margins, which appears to have been successful for many of the respondents. This is so interesting as I’ve long observed that the legal sector loves nothing more than chasing new shiny things, particularly new business – and often ignoring the multitude of opportunities available just by examining their current book of work and former / lapsed client lists. That firms are taking time to tighten things up and invest in structures, process and technologies (and by the looks of things avoiding excessive cost saving by redundancies) is very interesting and it’s something I’ll be watching carefully over the next few months. Does this mean that 2026 will be the year of cross- and up-selling as firms look to improve those margins even more? Who knows!? The report looks at various drivers for this renewed focus on better rather than more, and these appear to include basis period reforms, challenges with recruitment / retention (driven by a crazy market creating higher and higher salaries and seemingly ever reduced fee earner loyalty) which naturally put pressure on margins, along with concerns around exposure with regards to interest income. I also wonder if the current craze – AI and the race to utilise this technology – has given firms pause to consider how else they might spruce up existing systems to generate better returns. Finally, the report identifies external investment into the sector as a key driver and I wonder therefore if this housekeeping may, for some firms, come in readiness for discussions around investment. It’s hardly rocket science to recognise that the firms displaying good margins, strong systems and increased profitability are likely to be of interest to those with money to spend in the sector. Perhaps not surprisingly, optimism is high but not as high as last year with “84% of firms feeling positive about the future, referencing strong growth in both fee income and profitability. This is a slight decrease from 90% in 2024.” Some TDLR stats Some at-a-glance stats that I found interesting: Median PEP is up by 23% to £340,000. Small firm PEP (defined as up to £5million turnover) increased by 8% to £204,000. Large firm PEP (£5million and above turnover) increased by 23% to £372,000. 89% of firms expected fee income to further increase in 2026. Strongest team performance: private client, residential property and commercial property. Weakest team performance: litigation, family and commercial and transactional work. 10% year-on-year growth level in profits per fee earner to £158,000 (2024 £144,000) Immediate points of interest for me – improved PEP as a result of improvement in core profit margins (reduction in people costs). Does this signify a change in direction of the pendulum? Is the market settling down, or are firms qualifying out from silly salaries? Or something else? The report also states: “This improvement in margin seems to have arisen from firms focusing on productivity; looking to increase average chargeable hours and recovered time. Many firms
I’m delighted to announce that our ever-popular legal directories webinar, Preparing for Legal Directories, will return in October! We have been hosting and running legal directories webinars for almost a decade, meaning we’ve shared our insights, top tips and more with hundreds of lawyers and legal marketers during this period. We are here to share your pain, and we love to mark your wins! We’re lucky that many of you have been generous enough to provide feedback over the years, and I’m very proud of our 100% response rate to the question “Is LexRex a trusted source of information and advice on the directories process?” This year though I decided it was time to give the format a bit of a zhuzh, and I’m delighted to announce a guest speaker, legal directories manager at Shoosmiths, Sarah Bidgman. During her seven-year tenure in post, Sarah has led the firm’s strategically aligned directories programme. In that time, Shoosmiths has become one of the UK’s top six firms by Chambers rankings, with 16 Band 1 rankings and a place in Chambers’ “Most Elite Law Firms in Britain” table. I have no doubt that Sarah is going to bring huge value to the webinar, as she can comment upon aspects of the in-house process that I simply have no access to. In particular, I’ve asked Sarah to be ready to discuss the following: Stakeholder engagement and managing tricky players (no comment) Using your time efficiently Ensuring legal directories strategy supports the firm’s strategy Because we always have a lot of first-time viewers, I will again cover the following, which I know are perennially popular subjects: How to create the most effective legal directories submissions Being strategic in your approach Referees 2025 / 2026 update As an aside, please note that these webinars attract a wide audience, including people who are not particularly (or at all) experienced in the legal directories process. I’m going to respectfully suggest that if you are super-experienced or if you’re going to leave snarky feedback that the session is too ‘basic’* that the webinar perhaps isn’t for you. *Or comments to this effect. I know some of you are very experienced, but there are only so many ways I can explain the process. If you know how to do directories, you don’t need to come! If there are any aspects of the legal directories process that you’d particularly like to find out more about during the webinar, do email me and I’ll do my best to build it into the agenda. I do hope you’ll join Sarah and I for this year’s Preparing for Legal Directories webinar. Tickets are going fast, so do book your place now. BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW Do you want to receive specialist legal directories advice, top tips and more direct to your inbox? Sign up to the LexRex Directories Bulletin newsletter for exclusive support, insights, early access to events and more. Sign up now to the Directories Bulletin. Victoria Moffatt is the founder and managing director of LexRex. A non-practising solicitor she has been supporting law firms with their PR for over a decade. Get in touch with Victoria to discuss your law firm’s PR needs.
Some of you may have read about NetworkingAF on the LexRex blog or seen social media activity talking about this event series. I hope that some of you even attended! But what is NetworkingAF? NetworkingAF is networking for lawyers and senior employees of law firms and legal businesses. I’ve written recently about why I decided to set up a networking group, and if you’re interested, you can read that here (ignore the title, it’s not just a review). In addition to a desire to create a networking group, I also wanted to try and create something as inclusive as possible, NetworkingAF was born! Why is NetworkingAF inclusive? I’ve noticed for a while that many (most!?) networking events aimed at the legal sector involve alcohol in some format or other. And even when they don’t, they are often held on premises that serve alcohol. I know that for some people this is a problem – they don’t want to be around alcohol. This may be for religious or cultural reasons, they don’t enjoy alcohol, don’t want to drink, don’t want to be around people who drink, they are sober or sober curious. I don’t really care whether people drink or don’t drink (I quite like a wheat beer or a glass of wine, I’ll be honest). I do care though when I get a feeling that I might be inadvertently excluding people from enjoying an opportunity to network. NetworkingAF is therefore fully alcohol-free and takes place in a venue where no alcohol is served, ever. It’s a dry bar. And although alcohol-free wine- and beer-style beverages are served, this isn’t a route that we’ve gone down with the event. You won’t find any mocktails either. NetworkingAF’s vibe isn’t about perpetuating alcohol culture just in a booze-free way, it’s a recognition and celebration of getting together without needing either a drink, or a fake drink. At this point I should also point out that, because I don’t like to do things by half-measures, the food we serve is also super-inclusive. Again, an alcohol-free lifestyle for cultural or religious reasons may come hand-in-hand with dietary requirements. If this is you – please know that I want you to attend and be able to enjoy ALL aspects of the event. All of the food served is vegan, and you will have the opportunity to notify me of any dietary requirements in advance. We can (and we most certainly will) cater for you. Now I know that some of you will be rolling your eyes at this point – and all power to you. Nonetheless, I urge you to give into your curiosity and come along to the next NetworkingAF event on Thursday 2nd October at Hinterland, Manchester. Some of the attendees at our first NetworkingAF event in January are fully signed up beer and meat monsters, and they are now some of our biggest advocates / fans. Book your tickets to NetworkingAF now What: Alcohol-free networking at an alcohol-free venue (no alcohol on the premises). When: Thursday 2nd October 12.00pm – 2.00pm. Where: Hinterland alcohol-free bar, Basement, 16-20 Turner St, Manchester M4 1DZ. Why: Because not everyone wants to drink alcohol. Nibbles and small plates will be served but we’ll be encouraging people to mingle rather than stay seated to make for better networking opportunities. Book your tickets to NetworkingAF now. NetworkingAF is kindly supported by the following legal sector suppliers: LexRex Communications Cashroom Document Direct Forsyte Post Partner Lucas and Co Consultants BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW Victoria Moffatt is the founder and managing director of LexRex. A non-practising solicitor she has been supporting law firms with their PR for over a decade. Get in touch with Victoria to discuss your law firm’s PR needs.
On Thursday 17th July, my fellow Law Firm Supplier Network members and I hosted Summer Drinks at The Anthologist on St Peter’s Square in Manchester. If you came to the Christmas Drinks event or LexRex’s 10th anniversary party, you’ll know how much I like this venue. It’s beautifully laid out, the food and drinks packages are easy to order and logical (with great alcohol-free options that go beyond Diet Coke and Becks Blue), it is very accessible, and they cater well for allergies. All of this stuff is easy to ignore, but so helpful when venues get it right. Tell me more about Summer Drinks… The idea behind Summer Drinks was to bring together Manchester’s lawyers and law firm employees for a late afternoon and early evening get together. As with all of our Law Firm Supplier Network events, we wanted a lovely venue, tasty food and drink and most importantly – great people! This was our second drinks event, the first was our Christmas Drinks, which took place in December 2024 (and if you like the sound of this event, watch this space). You may also know that we run a twice-yearly alcohol-free networking event called NetworkingAF. This also happens in Manchester at a fully alcohol-free venue (no alcohol is kept on premises at all). Do book your ticket now if you’re free to attend for lunch on Thursday 2nd October. Summer Drinks delivered on all fronts, and the sun even put in an appearance. This was helpful as I’d booked an outside space, and I was slightly nervous of either rain or scorching summer sun. Thankfully, Manchester’s climate came good and we neither fried nor froze. I asked one of my fellow Law Firm Supplier Network partners what they thought of the event. Martyn Best, founder of Document Direct said, “From the moment the first guests arrived, it was clear everybody was ready for an evening of fun. The chatter started almost immediately, and there was a great mixture of new people and those I’d known for a while. The relaxed atmosphere meant we could mix and mingle, with a plentiful supply of great food and lovely drinks. “Victoria kept the evening flowing with her trademark mix of charm and organisation, making sure everyone felt included”*. *I didn’t pay him to say this. Feedback from our post-event survey was also very positive, with all respondents planning to attend future Law Firm Supplier Network events and one commenting that it was ‘fabulous’. What is the Law Firm Supplier Network? The Law Firm Supplier Network came into being as a result of a vision for a network that I’ve had for many years. I’d always wanted to create a networking group for lawyers and employees of law firms, having always wanted to access something like this when I was in practice. I can remember being expected to network but also never quite finding a space where I could get to know my fellow lawyer peers. I can also remember feeling that a lot of legal events were overrun by suppliers, which I’d find a bit frustrating because I wasn’t in the market to be sold to and because what I really wanted was to meet other lawyers. Although I could have created the network under the LexRex banner, it felt right to go out to market to my trusted network and build something collaborative. I’ve known Tracey, Alex, Martyn and Tom for a while now and not only do I trust them, I also like them. They were the first people I went to with the idea, and they all enthusiastically said an immediate ‘yes’ to being involved. Between us, we have strong networks, and most importantly, they make me laugh – what’s the point in doing business with people who don’t make you lol in a WhatsApp group!? We intentionally limit Law Firm Supplier Network attendees to lawyers and law firm employees, save where we occasionally invite an additional supplier sponsor. Not only does this model enable us to create the lawyer-space that I’ve always wanted, it also means we can bring these events to market free of charge for attendees. I understand that it can be frustrating for other suppliers who want to get involved, but at the moment, we have no plans to change this model. We may host a ‘Meet the Supplier’ or similar event in the future – and do feel free to email me if you’d like to be involved in this potential event as a sponsor. At the moment we are focussing on building our presence in Manchester, but if you’re based elsewhere and you’d like to see either Summer / Christmas Drinks or NetworkingAF in your location, do get in touch for a chat by emailing me. If you’d like early access to tickets to future Law Firm Supplier Network events straight into your inbox – sign up to the LexRex newsletter, Legal Resource today. Victoria Victoria Moffatt is the founder and managing director of LexRex. A non-practising solicitor she has been supporting law firms with their PR for over a decade. Get in touch with Victoria to discuss your law firm’s PR needs. Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn.
The one where I roundly criticise a powerhouse in the global legal market… Thomson Reuters recently released its annual State of the UK Legal Market 2025 report. As ever, it is an insightful read, although I have to admit that I came to different conclusions to the authors with regards to some of the data, and I found that it was pushing the AI / generative AI narrative heavily, more so than I thought the data necessitated. I also found some of the conclusions and narrative over simplistic. Overall, it remains a good read, particularly for senior leaders of the larger law firms, but there are almost certainly learnings or at least things to chew on in there for all managing partners and directors regardless of firm size. Where I have disagreed, I’ve tried to include the original data taken from the report, and I’ve given what I hope are well-reasoned, educated justifications! As ever – you should download and read the Report yourself and come to your own conclusions. You can access it here. TL:DR Always a worthwhile read, but in my opinion this report contains too many sweeping statements that are not backed up by the data. A naivety or lack of deep knowledge of the UK legal market by the authors (or maybe it was written by an AI bot!). Some interesting raw data but a lack of nuance in the interrogation and reporting. A missed opportunity by Thomson Reuters to deliver really insightful content on the UK legal market at 2025. Sorry not sorry. Executive Summary As you’d expect, the report starts with an executive summary which outlines three key points Firstly, “Productivity and value are top priorities: GCs are increasingly focused on driving efficiency while positioning themselves as strategic partners to the C-suite. As a result, law firms must deliver more than technical advice — they must begin to focus on offering solutions and support that deliver meaningful value to the client rather than on billable hour inputs. I rather take exception to this point as I think that ‘value’ has always been something that GCs want from their law firms. Certainly, this is not a new point, and I almost feel that ‘it was ever thus’. Furthermore, the second highlighted sentence verges on offensive and again, surely isn’t news!? I just can’t imagine GCs simply accepting and signing off reams of billable hour inputs that don’t deliver meaningful value. But perhaps it’s been too long since I was a lawyer, and this is, in fact, how legal services are currently delivered? On to the second key point of the executive summary: “Clients seek pricing transparency and flexible structures: Clients are under ever-increasing budgetary pressures, putting a premium on cost certainty. Value-based pricing and alternative fee arrangements are gaining traction, especially in the UK. Again, exactly what I’d expect. I take a closer look at the report’s data relating to pricing later in the article. Finally, the report’s third key point as set out in the exec summary: “AI and technology are reshaping resourcing strategies: Corporate legal teams are optimistic about AI’s potential to simplify and streamline processes, prompting them to reassess how — and when — they allocate work to external partners. Law firms and alternative legal service providers (ALSPs) that embrace AI stand to gain a larger share of wallet for cost conscious clients. Long-term growth will hinge on law firms’ ability to evolve alongside their clients. Firms that are willing to adapt their approach by embracing flexible pricing, technology adoption, and client-aligned service-model innovation will be better positioned to capture the opportunities emerging in the UK legal market.” I’m unsure about this section and I felt that the report in general focussed a lot (too much?) on AI (which I do appreciate represents both a challenge and an opportunity to law firms). Whilst I agree that technologies will play an important role in the delivery of future legal services, I think it’s a stretch right now to say that the firms / ALSPs that embrace AI will gain a larger share of wallet for cost conscious clients. I think the technology and adoption is still too new to market to really be able to make this call. I’m also not sure that the data in the report backs up this view. More on this point later. Data and Methodology The report was compiled on the basis of research carried out during 2024, which incorporated Telephone interviews with 287 UK-based GC’s Online surveys of 94 corporate legal professionals (no definition provided for ‘corporate legal professionals’ – I’m not sure what that title means although I’m assuming it is in-house lawyers and colleagues who are not GC’s Online surveys of 77 law firm lawyers That makes 364 responses from the in-house community, and just 77 from law firms, a ratio of 11:52. None of the law firm lawyers were interviewed. I think it’s reasonable therefore to place greater emphasis on the evidence from those that work in-house. AI Focus The report starts with a focus on AI and states that “firms that move quickly to harness AI will not only meet client expectations around speed, cost and value, but also stand to differentiate themselves from the competition.” However, the data states that two-thirds of law firms (50 respondents) will only adopt AI once they see evidence that it has been successfully integrated OR that they are waiting for mainstream adoption with proven results. Furthermore, less than 10% (8 respondents) have any intention of being trailblazers when it comes to identifying new opportunities to utilise and use AI technology. I think the above is really informative. Although the authors of the report believe that law firms should adopt AI, it seems that the lawyers in private practice who were interviewed don’t share this view. They want to see success in action, of course they do, but lawyers are a cautious bunch. There is always ‘something’ for lawyers to be considering / adopting etc and sometimes
A couple of months ago I wrote this blog: Why Dry Events are a Marketers Dream. My logic was that networking should be a space for everybody, a place to go and meet our target audiences, customers or clients, referrers and anybody else of importance to our business and / or career. Events should also be inclusive, although they can of course also be selective. Why alcohol-free events? I wondered whether, by often hosting events that revolve around or include alcohol, hosted in venues where alcohol is present or where it is sold on premises at different times of the day, we marketers might be guilty of excluding a significant number of people that we could instead be building relationships with. And by extension failing to be inclusive. As a sector, the legal profession isn’t perhaps known for its sobriety (when it comes to the demon booze at least) and my thinking turned to whether, in fact, I was missing a trick with my own events. Given that we are often perceived as a boozy profession, this means that it is quite likely that there are many of us who don’t, can’t or won’t drink on an enforced or selective basis. And of course, many people don’t drink for religious or cultural reasons, or simply choose not to. There are naturally many and widely varied reasons for not drinking, and movements like Dry January perhaps provide insight into the fact that for some people, not drinking ‘for a whole month’ might be an issue. Dig a little deeper and I’m sure there are people who simply can’t risk being around alcohol. Stopping to think about how alcohol has become and remains a social lubricant led me to consider whether there are any events that cater for the non-drinkers in the sector. To be honest I couldn’t find any. I’m sure breakfast seminars and conferences probably don’t feature alcohol for the majority of the time, but that’s not really the type of event that I mean. Introducing NetworkingAF All of this thinking led me, probably quite naturally, to decide to create my own alcohol-free networking event for lawyers – and NetworkingAF was born. To be clear, NetworkingAF isn’t about being judgy about drinkers or alcohol. You don’t have to be alcohol free to attend, nobody needs to share their alcohol status or reasons (if any) for not drinking – although feel free to if it’s important to you. This is an inclusive event for all the right reasons. NetworkingAF is just one of a series of ongoing events. Sponsored by the newly created Law Firm Supplier Network, it forms part of a calendar of events aimed at collaboration within the sector. Not all Law Firm Supplier Network events will be alcohol free, and not all events will look the same. But for now, the focus is upon creating peer-to-peer networking opportunities for lawyers and senior employees of law firms. Because the events are currently funded by law firm suppliers (including LexRex), we are intentionally limiting suppliers in attendance to those supporting the events. See below for a full list of the NetworkingAF partners. We may run a Meet the Supplier event later in 2025 to enable lawyers to meet and mingle with suppliers to the legal sector – and if this is of interest, please confirm here (please only provide responses if you are a lawyer or law firm employee). Book your tickets to NetworkingAF now Powered by the Law Firm Supplier Network, this informal networking event is aimed at senior lawyers and employees of law firms and aims to facilitate peer-to-peer networking amongst the legal profession. What: Alcohol-free networking at an alcohol-free venue (no alcohol on the premises). When: Thursday 30th January 12.00pm – 2.00pm. Where: Hinterland alcohol-free bar, Basement, 16-20 Turner St, Manchester M4 1DZ. Why: Because not everyone wants to drink alcohol. Nibbles and small plates will be served but we’ll be encouraging people to mingle rather than stay seated to make for better networking opportunities. BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW NetworkingAF is kindly supported by the following legal sector suppliers: LexRex Communications Cashroom Document Direct Actionstep Post Partner Victoria Moffatt is the founder and managing director of LexRex. A non-practising solicitor she has been supporting law firms with their PR for over a decade. Get in touch with Victoria to discuss your law firm’s PR needs.
Back in March 2024, we ran a free webinar – Marketing your law firm in a recession. At that time, the UK was officially in recession, and the word on the street with many of our law firm partners, directors and owners was that times were a bit tough. Outside of the law, our contacts and referrers were telling us that whilst conversations were continuing, buyers just weren’t buying. Nobody wanted to commit to spend, and bigger projects were being taken off the metaphorical table. We set out to help law firms (and suppliers to law firms) to take action and create strategies to help to ensure a steady flow of instructions despite the challenging economic conditions. Our webinar covered a range of topics including three key elements of a PR and marketing strategy – data, strategy and KPIs. We asked delegates to complete a range of exercises to help them to understand the steps they should take to build strategies that would enable them to survive and thrive during tricky times. The webinar was a huge success with 100% of those who responded to our delegate survey saying they would recommend it. Furthermore, many of our delegates wanted to hear more and take a deeper dive into the world of PR and marketing. To answer this demand, we are now hosting Marketing your law firm in a recession: Mastermind session. BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW Unlike the first webinar, which was a whistlestop tour through a few fundamental aspects of successful PR and marketing strategies, this webinar will be an in-depth, collaborative session with just seven delegates in attendance. The session will be led by former lawyer, expert strategist and media relations specialist, and founder of LexRex, Victoria Moffatt alongside our brand strategist and law firm marketing expert, Sarah Wilde. We have designed a session that will dig deeper into various aspects of creating effective strategies and with other delegates from non-competing firms, attendees will be challenged by exercises to help them to challenge their assumptions, understand their law firm data and start to create their own strategies to implement after the session. The Mastermind will run according to Chatham House Rule to enable everybody to be open and honest with their challenges and experiences. Delegates who attended the first Marketing your law firm in a recession can access a discount code to receive 10% off the price of their ticket. If you have watched the recording of the session, you are also eligible to 10% off your ticket. To unlock your 10% discount to Marketing your law firm in a recession: Mastermind get in touch. And you can book your tickets to Marketing your law firm in a recession: Mastermind here now.
