In law firms, we love things we can measure. Billable hours. Recovery rates. Pipeline. Utilisation. ROI.
We also love things we can’t measure – legacy, trust, reputation, “standing in the market.”
The challenge is this: most legal marketing sits somewhere in between the two. And we often end up favouring what’s measurable over what’s meaningful.
So here’s a thought that might help: brand is faith. BD is science. And if you want your firm to grow, you need both.
Brand is faith
Brand is belief. It’s a story others tell about you when you’re not in the room.
You don’t always know if it’s working. You can’t always draw a straight line from campaign to client. It often feels slow, intangible, uncomfortably vague. But when it works? It’s powerful.
It’s why a GC says, “I’ve heard good things about you.” It’s why your partners get invited onto panels. It’s why the shortlist starts at five firms and you’re always one of them.
Brand works quietly, over time. It’s built on visibility, values, consistency. It requires investment without immediate reward. Which is why it feels a lot like faith.
And here’s the kicker: you need faith before the science even gets a look-in.
BD is* science
Business development is gloriously trackable. You attend an event. You follow up. You enter notes in CRM. You progress the opportunity. The opportunity becomes a matter. The matter becomes a client. The client becomes a source of referrals.
There are inputs, outputs and outcomes. There are dashboards. There are spreadsheets. There are meetings about the dashboards and the spreadsheets.
It’s the stuff your finance director understands. Clear, linear, cause-and-effect.
CRM, events, targeting, follow-up. All science. All measurable. All important.
Why firms favour science (and why that’s a problem)
We over-index on the scientific stuff because it’s easier to explain at the partner meeting.
It’s easier to justify.
“Look, 30 people came to our seminar.”
“Look, 10 of them took meetings.”
“Look, we landed one.”
That’s great. That’s real. That’s progress.
But if your BD team is dragging prospects over the line without a brand to back them up, they’re working twice as hard for half the return.
You’re fishing in the dark with no bait.
You need both
Let’s be clear: I’m not knocking the science. Science gets you through the door. But faith – brand – is what makes people want to open it in the first place.
It’s not either/or. It’s both/and.
Brand gets you remembered. BD gets you retained. Brand builds desire. BD builds dialogue.
One without the other? You’re either invisible, or you’re ineffective.
Faith without works is dead
You’ve probably heard that line before. It applies here, too.
You can’t just believe in brand and hope the work comes. You can’t just do BD and hope people care.
If your firm is pouring time into CRM and events and pipeline tracking – great. But what’s the story behind it all? What’s the reason you, and not the firm down the road?
If your firm is investing in reputation – good. But how are you turning that belief into behaviour?
A quick check-in
Let me ask you:
- Do your partners see brand as fluffy or foundational?
- Is your BD team being asked to hit numbers without the support of a compelling proposition?
- Is your marketing spend favouring activity over impact?
If so, it might be time to balance the scales.
Final thought
We help law firms audit their marketing – not just the science, but the faith too.
We call it The ROI Reality Check. It tells you what’s working, what’s wasting budget, and what needs rebalancing.
If you’d like to see where your firm stands – or you’re just curious about what faith + science might look like for you – drop us a note.
We’ll bring the insight. You bring the coffee.
