Every rainmaker faces the same math. There are only so many hours in a week, and the lawyers who build the strongest practices spend the most of those hours with clients and prospects. To make that possible, a rainmaker needs a well-run marketing and business development department behind them, one that handles the details, keeps follow-up moving, and makes sure the right information reaches the right people.
Over the past few years, I have worked with several law firms to develop and, in many cases, restructure their business development and marketing departments. Along the way, I have noticed a handful of signs that a department is truly well run. Here are six of the basics, and what each means for the lawyer who wants more time to cultivate business.
1. The department works as one team, with no silos.
PR, brand management, and business development operate in close coordination. Partners never have to tell more than one person the same thing or repeat themselves to different people in the department. When silos disappear, information flows seamlessly between groups, and lawyers feel the difference immediately. Agentic AI is making this even easier.
2. Every decision that touches the brand is cohesive.
Marketing, business development, pricing, and every other choice that shapes how the firm is perceived all reflect the same brand. When these pieces align, the firm presents a clear and consistent identity to clients and prospects. Internal communications activities bolster that brand as well.
3. Lawyers are treated as individuals.
Practice groups and departments are essential to how a firm functions today, but the best marketing teams look beyond those structures and consider each lawyer's unique strengths and tendencies. Lawyers cannot be sorted into neat categories of rainmaking ability. Different types of marketing appeal to different people, and a great department builds its approach around individual talents and proclivities. For a rainmaker, that means support that fits how you actually like to work.
4. The department is always innovating.
What the team did so well in 2025 is being built upon in 2026, and in 2027 it will be even better. That includes staying current on the latest AI tools and exploring agentic AI workflows that make everyone's work easier and more efficient, freeing the team to focus on more strategic work. The payoff for partners is a department that keeps getting sharper without being asked.
5. Team members are treated with respect.
Respect comes from the lawyers and from colleagues within the department alike. In that environment, ideas flow easily from one person to the next, and everyone feels valued for what they bring to the table. Talented professionals stay and grow in cultures like this, which gives partners something precious: continuity. A team that understands your clients and your style is worth far more after three years than after three months.
6. The department maintains good plumbing.
A strong operational infrastructure, including a great CRM with little friction, comes first. Once the basics run smoothly, the department is ready to move on to more sophisticated and hybrid programs, digging deeper into client interviews, cross-practice collaboration, and true analytics. Without good plumbing, even the most talented team spends its days on workarounds instead of strategy.
Making It Happen
Of course, none of this happens by accident. To achieve these results, a department needs to be well staffed and well funded, and partners must work in true cooperation with the department. That last point is where rainmakers have the most influence. When you share your goals openly, respond to requests promptly, and treat the team as a genuine partner in building your practice, you multiply what the department can do for you.
A well-run department provides the strategy, the brand, the tools, and the insight. Your part is to engage with it fully. Together, you get the greatest return on the one resource no rainmaker can ever make more of: time.
Deborah is one of the foremost experts and consultants in legal marketing and BD. She built and led the marketing departments at Cravath and Debevoise & Plimpton, establishing practices that continue to set industry standards. Today, she works with many lawyers and firms in the AmLaw 100 and is the author of two books on legal marketing, most recently “Breaking Ground: How Successful Women Rainmakers Build Thriving Practices.” (PLI 2026)