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Life for Law Firm Marketers: Brutish, and Ultimately Short
The life of law firm marketers hasn't evolved very far from
Thomas Hobbes' conception of the original condition of mankind: nasty, brutish and short. As this article from Hartford Business (11/26/07) describes, turnover is quick for legal marketers, with most barely lasting two years. Moreover, there's often constant tension between lawyers and marketers, with the former often resisting or undervaluing the advice of the latter.
What explains the short life span? First, as just mentioned, marketers and law firm partners often don't understand each other. Marketers may have bold ideas for marketing, which may not comply with ethics regulations, while many lawyers don't understand how to make business decisions or take direction from marketing staff.
Larry Bodine of Legal Marketing Blog, who's quoted in the article, offers his perspective on why marketers don't last long:
One major issue: The highest tier of law firms isn’t always static, as some have a revolving system that puts new partners in charge every few years. When that happens, once-favored staff members -- including marketers -- might have to start packing their bags. “You instantly go from being a movie star to being deadwood in one day. And that happens to a lot of chief marketing officers,” he said.
Is the short life span of law firm marketers unique? Do marketers in other industries also have short tenures as well?
Posted by Carolyn Elefant on November 26, 2007 at 06:08 PM | Permalink
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