This Gladsights is based on the Gladstone–InnovAItion Partners State of AI in Legal Marketing & Business Development 2025 report. Research was done by Amy Shepherd (Gladstone) and Guy Alvarez (InnovAItion Partners).
The Next Inflection Point
Legal marketing is entering a defining moment. After two years of experimentation, the focus has shifted from exploring tools to embedding strategy. According to the survey 92% of firms now use AI in some form.
Yet, progress remains uneven. Only 9% have measured ROI, and just 5% report clear positive returns. The next wave of leadership will come from firms that move beyond compliance and curiosity to operationalize AI as a core capability.
From Policy to Practice: Building Strategic Readiness
The survey reveals a clear pattern. Firms have the guardrails: 79% have policies and 85% restrict use to approved tools, but lack the roadmap for activation.
The challenge isn’t governance; it’s readiness. How prepared are marketing and BD teams to identify practical AI use cases, experiment safely, and align initiatives with business outcomes?
Strategic readiness requires three building blocks:
- Applied Understanding. Generic firmwide training is not enough. Teams need applied learning tailored to daily work: content creation, proposal development, experience management, client intelligence, and operational efficiency.
- AI Fluency. Knowing what AI can do isn’t the same as knowing how to use it. The fastest moving firms are those investing in continuous education, skill development, and cross-functional collaboration between marketing, BD, and technology teams.
- Structured Assessment. CMOs are evaluating their firm’s position on the AI maturity curve—measuring not just adoption, but capability, integration, and business alignment.
This “readiness-first” approach reflects where investment is shifting: in people, processes, and frameworks that make AI a sustained competitive differentiator.
The New Mandate for Legal Marketing Leaders
The survey highlights a striking leadership gap: Only 22% of CMOs currently lead AI strategy. But that gap represents opportunity, not deficiency.
Marketing and BD are uniquely positioned to translate AI’s potential into measurable business growth. They understand the firm’s market positioning, client requests, and competitive context, and manage the content and channels that drive visibility in AI-powered discovery.
To lead effectively, the next generation of legal marketers will focus on three priorities:
- Ownership. Bring AI strategy into the marketing and BD function, linking it directly to growth metrics, client intelligence, and revenue outcomes.
- Capability Building. Develop specialized training and hands-on workshops that help teams integrate AI into workflows and decision-making.
- Outcome Alignment. Shift from measuring tool usage to measuring strategic impact: client service, success rates, and firm visibility in AI search.
Connecting Authority, Intent, and Meaning
AI-driven search, known as AI SEO or Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), is fundamentally reshaping how law firms build visibility and authority online. Traditional SEO tactics based on keywords and content volume no longer determine who surfaces. AI systems now evaluate how clearly a firm’s knowledge, structure, and messaging align with the way they interpret and rank information.
To be discoverable in AI search, firms must reengineer both the front-end content clients see and the back-end schema and site architecture AI systems read. These changes are not optional. Without them, even the most established firms will become invisible in AI-driven search results.
Three dimensions now matter most:
• Authority: AI engines prioritize credible, high-quality content that consistently demonstrates a firm’s strengths and point of view. Firms that clarify their distinctive value by industry, capability, or experience will rise in AI visibility.
• Intent: Success depends on aligning content with client questions and information needs, not simply listing services or practices.
• Meaning: Context and clarity determine whether content is understood by both humans and AI systems. Firms that structure knowledge with precision—through schema, topical relevance, and language modeling—will surface more often in AI results.
The firms that adapt to these principles will not just be found, they’ll be understood.
A Strategic Advantage in the Making
Legal marketing teams are methodical, detail-oriented, and careful by design. Traits that create ideal conditions for AI adoption. The survey confirms what many sense: success will not come from random acts of AI integration, but from structure, training, connected data, and systems that learn and improve over time.
The window for strategic advantage is now open. Firms that connect their foundations, training, readiness, and content strategy, with an intentional AI roadmap will lead in efficiency, client impact, and market authority.
As the State of AI in Legal Marketing & Business Development 2025 report concludes, ‘The firms that succeed won’t necessarily be those that adopt AI fastest, but those that develop sustainable, strategic approaches that improve rather than overwhelm their teams.”