Capuchin monkeys. Law firm marketing. Holding on to great people. An editor recently asked me, “Why is it that legal marketers leave đââď¸ their firms?” While there are several reasons, from lack of advancement to culture to compensation, there are several ways to value and retain your business development and marketing staff. I’ve seen several law firms do this well….
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.
Culled from more than 60 interviews with law firm leaders, chief marketing officers and legal innovation visionaries,Best Practices in Law Firm Business Development and Marketingprovides actionable advice and real-world thinking. Each chapter is filled with information that can be scaled to apply to a large international law firm or a single-practitioner firm. The book is now available online on Amazon and pli.edu/bestpractices in various formats.
This book uncovers the best practices in the wide arena of legal marketing and covers topics including:
With expertise in developing and managing marketing departments, and experience in one-on-one business development coaching and strategic public relations in the U.S., Asia and Europe, Deborah Farone brings a diverse range of skills to each unique situation.
The first person to be hired to develop and run a marketing program for Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, acknowledged as one of the countryâs most admired law firms, Deborah has been called the leading expert in law firm marketing and recognized one of the CMOs who helped found the business development and communications profession at law firms. In addition to her highly-regarded work in the strategic marketing, marketing operations, and communications counseling spheres, she has established and led marketing efforts for several other professional service companies including those in the management consulting, advertising and public relations professions.
