As the chief marketing officer at two of the world’s most successful law firms and a national marketing professional at a global management consultancy, Deborah Farone has mastered the skills of professional services marketing, business development and communications.
Deborah was the first person ever hired to create and oversee a state-of-the-art marketing program for Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, one of the countryâs most admired law firms. She is widely recognized as one of the founding professionals in the business development and communications field within the legal industry.
With deep expertise in building firm-wide strategic marketing programs and coaching lawyers across the U.S. and abroad, Deborah brings a tailored, practical approach to each client engagement. Whether sheâs advising a global law firm, a fast-growing consultancy, or an individual lawyer, clients frequently rely on her long term for strategy, implementation, and trusted counsel.
Her clients have included many of the countryâs top law firms, respected individual attorneys, professional advisors, jury consultants, and legal tech innovators. She has also led marketing and business development efforts across other professional services industries, including management consulting, advertising, and public relations.
Deborah is the author of the acclaimed book Best Practices in Law Firm Business Development and Marketing (PLI, 2019), widely used by firms around the world. She is currently at work on her second book, Breaking Ground: How Successful Women Partners Develop Thriving Practices, to be published by PLI in 2026. The book is based on more than 60 interviews with rainmakers, general counsel, and law firm leaders across four continents.
A frequent lecturer in the U.S. and Europe, Deborah has taught marketing courses, served on the faculty of New York University, and appears regularly as a columnist for Forbes, Bloomberg, and The American Lawyer. She was nominated by her peers as the first recipient of the Legal Marketing Associationâs Legacy Award, is an officer on the Law Firm Management Committee of the International Bar Association, and is a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management.