Legal marketing is an investment. It should perform like one.
Many law firms run marketing on activity and optimism, not systems and outcomes. I help CMOs and senior marketing leaders change that. I've led marketing inside Am Law 40-100 firms and built systems that deliver results.
Featured Series
Campaign-Led Growth
Part 1: The Real Test of a Modern Marketing Function
Part 2: Where the Hiring Decision Gets Made
Part 3: The Discipline Behind Campaigns That Win
The reality
Law firms invest heavily in marketing. Content. Campaigns. Visibility efforts.
The work is published. But it doesn’t land.
You can do everything right—and still lose.
Because being published isn’t the same as being chosen.
What I Do
The issue isn’t more marketing.
It’s how marketing operates inside a partnership structure where alignment is hard and authority is shared.
That’s the work.
It spans five areas.
Go-to-Market Strategy
Defining how the firm competes in priority sectors, practices and markets, so marketing effort concentrates where the firm can win.
Marketing Systems
Building campaign, content and digital systems that scale across the firm so marketing performance becomes consistent and repeatable, not sporadic.
Measurement and Insight
Building the reporting frameworks that connect marketing activity to business outcomes, so performance is visible, accountable and recognized as central to how the firm grows.
Initiatives
Leading high-stakes initiatives that demand experience, judgment and organizational credibility — and delivering results that hold up under scrutiny.
Partner and Practice Activation
Turning partners into visible, credible voices in the markets where they can win — and converting that presence into growth.
Selected Impact
Am Law 50 — Defined global brand positioning and messaging architecture, shaping the firm’s core narrative across practices, sectors and talent. Hired by the CMBDO.
Am Law 50 — Shaped internal communications strategy and rollout for a global brand launch, achieving buy-in across a global partnership. Hired by the CMBDO.
Am Law 100 — Built campaign operating models that scale thought leadership across key sectors, creating a repeatable system for building visibility where it matters most. Hired by the CMBDO.
Global Law Firm — Defined digital marketing and content engagement strategy to advance sector go-to-market priorities, giving the firm a clear commercial case for where to invest. Hired by the CMBDO.
National Law Firm — Led content and digital engagement audit, identifying operational and strategic priorities across content, digital and campaigns. Hired by the CMBDO.
Elite Boutique — Led market launch and brand positioning across web, social and PR. Hired by the founder.
Global Investment Bank — Developed a marketing and digital transformation strategy designed to better align content, research and digital platforms with the bank’s commercial growth priorities.
About
I spent 15 years leading marketing and communications inside law firms and government organizations — most recently in global director roles within Am Law 40-100 firms — before launching my consulting practice in 2024.
I’ve led large, cross-functional teams, managed multi-million-dollar budgets and directed initiatives that have directly generated millions in new business.
That experience informs how I advise clients today.
I understand how decisions get made, where alignment breaks down and what it takes to secure the outcome in partnership-driven organizations.
That requires structure, accountability and the ability to bring leadership and partners with you.
Read more about my experience and how it connects to current client work on the Background page.
Phill McGowan