What Are High Growth Law Firms Doing to Accelerate in 2025?
What Are High Growth Law Firms Doing to Accelerate in 2025?
by LexisNexis InterAction+
December 11, 2024
Heading into the final weeks of 2024, all signs indicate that it has been a solid year for law firm profitability. U.S. law firm revenue was up 11.4% during the first half of the year, marking one of the healthiest first halves ever measured, according to Law360.
When it is all said and done, it is likely those firms that invested most in marketing budgets experienced the fastest acceleration this year. The ninth edition of the Hinge® Research Institute’s annual High Growth Study, which LexisNexis® InterAction® was pleased to sponsor, found that “high growth” firms (those that achieve at least 20% compound annual growth over a three-year period) spent 16.5% of their firm revenue on marketing budgets, as compared to 5% of revenue on marketing that was spent by firms that experienced no growth.
So looking ahead to the evolving legal landscape for 2025, what insights can we glean from these firms to identify business development strategies that best-position a law firm to stay competitive and drive growth?
According to the Hinge research from the last two years, here are six effective business development and marketing strategies that law firms should consider for 2025 to accelerate growth:
- Prioritize brand building over traditional advertising
The importance of brand building in the legal services industry is more pronounced than ever. According to Hinge’s study, firms that focus on establishing a strong, recognizable brand are seeing higher growth rates compared to those that rely solely on traditional advertising methods. High-growth firms invest in creating a unique, differentiated brand identity that resonates with their target audiences.
In 2025, law firms should consider articulating their values, expertise and unique positioning in the marketplace. A compelling brand story that highlights a firm’s strengths, experience and commitment to client success can differentiate them in a crowded field. This is especially important as prospective clients increasingly look for law firms they can trust, rather than firms that simply provide services.
- Leverage digital marketing
The 2024 High Growth Study underscored the importance of digital marketing strategies, particularly search engine optimization (SEO), in driving client acquisition and visibility. High-growth law firms prioritize improving their online presence to ensure they can be easily found when potential clients search for legal services.
Looking ahead to 2025, law firms may want to consider optimizing their websites not just for search engines but also for user experience. This means ensuring that your website is mobile-friendly, fast-loading, and offers relevant, helpful content. With Google’s continued push toward prioritizing high-quality, user-centric content, firms must aim to offer valuable insights that answer the questions potential clients are searching for.
- Embrace content marketing and thought leadership
One of the standout trends in both the 2023 and 2024 Hinge studies is the increasing reliance on content marketing to build trust and authority. High-growth firms often produce a steady stream of educational content that speaks directly to the needs of their target audience. Content marketing can take many forms, such as blogs, white papers, eBooks, webinars and podcasts. This type of lawyer-generated content not only showcases expertise, but also allows law firms to engage with potential clients at every stage of their decision-making process.
In 2025, law firms should consider prioritizing content marketing as a core element of their strategy. Thought leadership content, such as legal insights, opinion pieces, and industry updates, can set your firm apart as a trusted advisor. Moreover, incorporating video content (e.g., explainer videos or client testimonials) can enhance engagement and help build stronger connections with prospective clients.
- Enhance client experience and relationship marketing
The 2023 and 2024 studies emphasize the importance of maintaining strong relationships with clients as a key driver of growth. High-growth firms invest heavily in client experience and relationship marketing, which Hinge researchers define as building long-term, meaningful relationships with clients — rather than simply focusing on one-off matters.
In 2025, law firms should leverage technology to improve client communication, streamline processes, and offer a more personalized experience. For example, a robust Legal CRM system can help track client interactions, preferences and key milestones, allowing firms to tailor their communications and services accordingly.
- Invest in data-driven marketing and analytics
The Hinge research highlights the growing importance of data in shaping effective marketing strategies. Law firms that use data to inform their marketing decisions tend to experience higher growth rates. By tracking key performance indicators like client acquisition cost, lead conversion rates and website traffic, firms can make more informed decisions and fine-tune their marketing efforts.
In 2025, law firms should consider a more data-driven approach to marketing, leveraging analytics tools to measure the impact of their efforts. This can include tracking how well their content is performing, which campaigns are driving the most leads and which channels are yielding the best ROI.
- Adopt a multi-channel marketing approach
High-growth law firms often rely on a multi-channel marketing strategy that includes a blend of online and offline tactics. From social media advertising to in-person networking and industry events, a multi-channel approach ensures that law firms can reach clients through a variety of touchpoints.
In 2025, firms might want to accelerate their use of multi-channel marketing, integrating both digital and traditional methods. Online marketing should be complemented with in-person networking, speaking engagements and client referral programs.
As the legal industry becomes increasingly competitive, law firms that embrace innovative, data-driven marketing strategies will be best-positioned for growth in 2025. The insights from Hinge Research Institute’s most recent studies of high growth law firms provide a roadmap for firms that want to stay ahead of the curve and achieve sustained success in the coming years.
This roadmap should include an investment in the technology and tools that help law firms make better business decisions and build stronger relationships with clients. InterAction+ is a new cloud-based CRM solution at the leading edge of the industry. The software accelerates business growth in law firms of all sizes with the only legal CRM platform that utilizes relationship intelligence and reveals new business opportunities for a competitive advantage.