2025 Legal Marketing Talent Trends: How Are My

As we wrap up Q1 and push ahead toward the midpoint of 2025, I thought it would be a good time to revisit the predictions I made for this year’s legal marketing landscape. Fortunately, I kept my focus solely on the legal marketing space and steered clear of broader geopolitical forecasts!

Back in my November 2024 article, I highlighted three key trends I expected to shape the year:

Retention of marketing professionals becoming a top priority for firms.
A broader geographic approach to hiring, with firms listing roles in multiple locations to expand the talent pool.
Increased investment in dedicated client relationship roles within law firms.

Let’s take a closer look at how these predictions are playing out so far.

1. Retention remains a central focus

This prediction seems to be holding strong. The market is extremely competitive for high-caliber professionals - particularly in business development - across all levels. Firms rarely have the luxury of reviewing multiple candidates simultaneously.

One factor contributing to this is that many professionals who wanted to make a move did so between 2022 and 2024, and are now only 12–24 months into their new roles. Unless they’re truly dissatisfied, it's taking considerable effort to entice them back into the job market.

As a result, we’re seeing a much more passive talent pool. That said, there’s potential for this to shift slightly in the second half of the year.

2. Expanding geographic reach

It’s still early to make a definitive call, but the data is promising. In Q1, 36% of the roles we’ve managed were listed across multiple locations. That’s a healthy number and one worth watching as the year progresses.

3. Investment in client relationship roles

Again, it’s early days to confirm this prediction with strong data, but we’ve seen 13% of this year’s roles focused on client relationship positions.

Additionally, in numerous conversations with marketing leaders, it’s clear that this skill set is gaining recognition and investment. Firms are beginning to take real steps in this direction.

Overall market outlook

So far, the job market in legal marketing remains relatively stable. While job flow is consistent, the supply of active candidates - especially in BD - is limited. In this environment, being able to engage with passive talent and effectively market your firm and opportunity is more critical than ever.

Key strategies firms are using to attract talent in 2025

Focusing on potential, not just the resume
Firms are becoming more open-minded about background and experience, emphasizing individual potential and team fit over rigid criteria. For instance, some are more flexible on prior practice area exposure or people management experience, opting instead for exploratory conversations to assess fit.
Managing expectations and acting decisively
Successful firms are aligning partner expectations with the current talent market. With fewer candidates available, decisiveness is essential. Extending a process so you can see “comparisons” often leads to missed opportunities and disappointment.
Selling the opportunity
In a passive market, selling your firm is vital. Candidates want to hear about more than just responsibilities of the role - they want insight into culture, growth paths, team dynamics, and what makes your firm different. When every job description sounds the same, it’s the intangibles that attract top talent.

It’s shaping up to be an interesting year. If the first quarter is any indication, the rest of 2025 will be all about adaptability, authenticity, and thoughtful talent strategy.

About the author

Ben Curle is an experienced executive search professional specializing exclusively in Legal Marketing and BD. As Associate Director at Ambition, Ben leads the US team, working with top law firms across key US cities including New York, DC, Chicago, LA, and San Francisco.

With nearly a decade of international recruitment experience in the legal space, Ben built a strong reputation for delivering tailored, consultative service to both clients and candidates. He currently recruits for leadership and management roles across BD, Marketing, Communications, Client Development, and more, partnering with firms ranging from global powerhouses to boutique practices.