Deborah Farone

As featured on LinkedIn, March 6, 2024. Networks are vitally important, whether you are in a leadership position or a professional trying to foster potential clients. What is it that we can take from social science to apply to professional services business? Earlier this week I spoke at the College of Law Practice Management about those networks we are least…

As featured on LinkedIn,March 13, 2022. "We have a well-staffed marketing/business development department, and I think they are doing a good job, but how can I tell?" A well-run marketing/BD department can make the difference between standing out in crowded practice areas and garnering a stream of new matters or getting lost as an also-ran. But how can you tell…

"Is there a roadmap to improve my marketing department?" I have worked with dozens of law firm leaders and CMOs on recalibrating or building out their marketing and business development departments. It’s hard work. It involves analyzing the firm’s business generation, interviewing partners and other professionals, and defining what resources it needs to grow, yet (I admit) it’s also very…

"What holds lawyers back from creating plans for themselves or their own practices?" Often it's the fear of not getting it right, or not knowing the steps that are involved. Most of the lawyers I know are perfectionists, but sometimes they don’t know where to start. Other times, they just don’t want to fail.  I get it. Some mysteries we…

As featured on LinkedIn, April 24, 2024. Is there an idyllic law firm, one with the perfect culture? It’s the firm that has an effortless time attracting and retaining the finest lawyers and other professionals. It’s also the firm that turns out the very best work due to the lack of silos between practice areas and rainmakers. While I don’t…

I always wanted to write a book to help people build their practices, and five years ago “Best Practices in Law  Firm Business Development and Marketing” was published by Practising Law Institute (PLI) Law Institute. Thanks to the many law firms, companies and law schools that asked me to present my findings on how successful lawyers develop practices (and how law…

Yesterday, I joined in a great conversation that illustrated the importance of leadership, consistency, and intentionality in shaping a positive culture at organizations. What a treat to join with Allan Schoenberg of Vinson & Elkins, Natalie Loeb of Loeb Leadership and Michael Ellenhorn of Decipher Investigative Intelligence to discuss organizational culture in Practising Law Institute (PLI)’s briefing "Law Firm Culture: How…

This is an emotion I hear expressed on a daily basis.  While I don’t have the answer to all of it, here are some things I’ve learned along the way.  I’ve written about some of these in the past, but I think they’re useful to have in one place. Don't look at the long to-do list every single day. Rather each day,…

Do professional service firms need both push and pull marketing? The answer is yes. There is a concept of pushing and pulling in marketing strategy, which most good marketers have in their DNA. These two doorways into a business are equally important. At times of stress in the economy I see firms putting more emphasis and budget towards one or…

"We need to raise salaries, so we'll need to increase rates again." "It's that time of year, get the rate increase letter out to clients." In the world of legal services, the decades-old strategy of continuous rate hikes is proving to be a dangerous path to profitability. Clients are more discerning, seeking value beyond billable hours. And if a firm…