Marketing & Business Development Recruiting
Law firm BD and marketing searches look straightforward on paper. They rarely are.
The best marketing and BD professionals at law firms aren't on job boards. They are embedded in firms where they have relationships, credibility, and work they find meaningful enough not to leave casually. Identifying them, earning their attention, and presenting an opportunity compellingly requires a recruiter who understands the law firm environment from the inside, and who has the executive search discipline to run the process properly.
At Onward Recruiting’s Legal Innovation Practice, that's exactly what we bring.
We are proud members of the National Association of Legal Search Consultants (NALSC) and hold ourselves to their Code of Ethics in every engagement.
OUR APPROACH
Marketing and BD searches at law firms require a recruiter who understands the culture. These roles sit at the intersection of firm politics, partner relationships, and commercial performance. Here is how we approach them.
1. Understanding the role beneath the role. A Director of Business Development at a 100-lawyer firm and one at an AmLaw 20 firm are fundamentally different jobs. Before we source a single candidate, we learn your firm's structure, growth priorities, partner dynamics, and what has and hasn't worked in past hires - and we understand why these hires go wrong.
2. Reaching the candidates who aren't looking. The strongest marketing and BD professionals are rarely actively searching. They are doing work they find interesting enough not to leave until the right conversation reaches them. That includes professionals already inside law firms, as well as talent coming from adjacent professional services environments. Our network and outreach capabilities are built for exactly this.
3. Evaluating fit on both dimensions. Skills and experience are the starting point. What separates a placement that sticks from one that doesn't is cultural and political fit: can this person earn partners' trust, navigate firm dynamics, and perform in an environment where they rarely have formal authority over the people they need to influence? We assess for both, and we move with the urgency senior searches require.
WHO WE PLACE
We recruit across the full range of law firm marketing and BD roles:
CMOs and Marketing Directors: senior leaders who set firm-wide strategy, manage teams, and align brand positioning with business objectives
Business Development Directors and Managers: professionals who drive client development, lead pitch and proposal processes, and partner with practice group leaders on growth strategy
Pitch, Proposal and Practice Group Marketing Managers: specialists who support competitive bids, RFP responses, and practice-area BD at the execution level
Client Development and Relationship Management: professionals focused on deepening existing relationships, cross-selling, and client feedback programs
Events, Meetings and Travel Managers: professionals who plan and execute client entertainment, firm events, conferences, and travel programs that support BD and relationship development
BD Analysts, Coordinators and Communications: research, operational, CRM, and communications professionals who keep marketing and BD functions running
THE TEAM BEHIND THESE SEARCHES
Law firm marketing and BD searches sit at a rare intersection, and so does the team that runs them.
Lacie Marshall brings over 25 years of legal recruiting experience, including senior talent leadership roles inside law firms. She understands how marketing and BD functions are structured, how they interact with firm leadership, and what it takes for a candidate to earn credibility inside a firm culture. That perspective shapes every search from brief to close.
James Shenton brings 30 years of executive search experience with a 95%+ client repeat rate and a 31-day average time to placement. His practice has placed BD and commercial leadership across global organizations, and his methodology — research-led and built for senior and hard-to-find talent — is applied to every search we run together.
Legal industry depth. Executive search discipline. On the same search.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
"When we set out to build our practice-specific strategic business development team, we knew we needed a search partner who could truly understand the complexity of what we were trying to accomplish — not just fill roles but help shape a high-performing function in one of the most demanding legal environments in the world. James Shenton and Lacie Marshall exceeded those expectations for us at every turn.
From our very first conversations, they listened carefully, asked the right questions, and demonstrated a genuine understanding of our AI-focused mandate. What followed was an executive search process that was thorough, consultative, and attuned to both the specialist nature of the roles and the intensity of the New York market. We needed the best. The senior hires they delivered are not just qualified on paper — they are thriving in our fast-paced environment and making a real impact on my team.
I have no hesitation in recommending the strong partnership of Opus Resourcing and Onward Recruiting to any organization looking for recruitment capability that combines deep expertise with a truly client-centered approach."
— CMO of AmLaw 10 Firm
WHY ONWARD
We understand law firms from the inside. We know how marketing and BD functions operate, how they interact with partners, and what a candidate actually needs to succeed, not just interview well.
Specialized network, not a generalist database. We have built deliberate relationships with marketing and BD professionals across the legal industry. See our case studies below for examples of what that looks like in practice.
Honest counsel throughout. We will tell you when a candidate pool is thinner than expected, when a role needs to be repositioned to attract the right talent, or when compensation is out of step with the market. You will always know where your search actually stands. Download our BD hiring guide to understand what these searches actually require.
Recent Searches & Successes
-
Director of Business Development
INVESTMENT FUNDS PRACTICE | NEW YORK | GLOBAL AMLAW FIRM
-
Associate Director of Business Development
CORPORATE FINANCE PRACTICE | NEW YORK | AMLAW 10 FIRM
-
Associate Director of Business Development
SECURITIES AND COMMERCIAL LITIGATION | NEW YORK | GLOBAL AMLAW FIRM
Frequently Asked Questions
-
We recruit across the full range of law firm marketing and BD functions: Chief Marketing Officers and Marketing Directors, Business Development Directors and Managers, Pitch and Proposal Managers, Practice Group Marketing Managers, Client Development and Relationship Management professionals, Events and Travel Managers, and BD Analysts, Coordinators, and Communications professionals. We work across firm sizes, from AmLaw 10 firms to boutique practices.
-
Law firm marketing and BD roles sit at a unique intersection of firm politics, partner relationships, and commercial performance. The skills that make someone effective in a corporate marketing environment don't automatically transfer. Candidates need to understand how to earn partner buy-in without formal authority, navigate practice group dynamics, and operate inside a culture where the relationship between marketing function and revenue generation is often indirect. Assessing that fit requires a recruiter who understands law firms from the inside.
-
Practice-group specialization is one of the most common requirements in these searches, and we build it into how we evaluate candidates from the start. A Director of Business Development in corporate finance at an AmLaw 10 firm is a fundamentally different hire from one supporting a litigation practice at a regional firm. We learn your firm's structure and growth priorities before we source a single candidate.
-
Yes. While our methodology is built for senior and hard-to-find searches, we recruit across the full spectrum — from CMOs to BD Coordinators and Communications professionals. The rigor of our intake process and candidate evaluation applies regardless of level.
-
The strongest marketing and BD professionals at law firms are rarely actively looking, which means reaching them takes time and a deliberate approach. We give you a realistic timeline at the start of every engagement and keep you informed throughout. What we avoid is presenting candidates quickly at the expense of presenting the right candidates.
FOR FIRMS
-
It depends on the role and the firm. Senior BD roles that require close partner interaction and an understanding of legal market dynamics typically favor candidates with law firm experience. Some marketing and communications roles, and firms with a more progressive approach to talent, are more open to candidates transitioning from professional services or adjacent backgrounds. We'll give you an honest read on where you fit before recommending you for any search.
-
Often yes, and professional services backgrounds translate reasonably well to law firm environments — particularly for roles that emphasize pitch and proposal work, client development, or strategic marketing. The key factors are whether you understand partnership dynamics and whether you've operated in an environment where influence without authority is the norm. We can assess that honestly once we understand your background.
FOR CANDIDATES
Work With Us
Whether you're looking to hire or looking to make a move, it starts with a conversation. Tell us what you're working toward and we'll tell you what's possible.