The last time I wrote a blog post for Three Geeks was in 2021. It was the height of COVID, and I had just hosted my first (and only) Clubhouse session. We were talking about the Billable Hour.

Clubhouse has since faded into the recesses of memory. COVID, thankfully, has too. But the billable hour (not a capitalized moniker here) is once again—or perhaps still—up for debate.

This time, though, something feels different. 

Back in 2021, our conversation centered on practice efficiency and the shifting business models for purchasing legal services. Fast forward five years, and with Generative AI reshaping workflows and ways of working, we can talk about efficiency in entirely new terms. We’ve moved beyond early-stage automation to agentic AI systems capable of executing complex, multi-step processes. We don’t yet have universal standards for AI-enabled work or settled pricing models—but we’re clearly on the path to developing them over the next three to five years.

What fascinates me most right now isn’t just how AI is changing the practice of law. It’s how it’s finally forcing transformation in the business of law.

For decades, legal marketing largely lived in the world of MarCom: brand building, golf tournaments, directory submissions, RFP responses, and flawlessly executed client events. Over time, we tried to inject more strategy into the mix. We leveraged firm knowledge to be smarter about which RFPs to pursue, which clients to target, and how to synthesize internal and external data. We positioned CRM systems as the “single source of truth” for firm relationships and attempted to shift the narrative from partner-owned relationships to firm-owned relationships.

We built holiday card lists. We managed invite lists. We obsessed over clean data.

And all of that mattered. But it wasn’t growth strategy. And data was only ever our priority.

Today, with GenAI altering commercial model discussions in real time, legal marketing means something more. It finally means business.

Legal marketing is rapidly evolving into a true strategic growth engine – or at least has the opportunity to be one for firms who are willing to make the intellectual investment. The future function is the convergence of Knowledge Management (KM), pricing and profitability strategy, marketing technology, and strategic intelligence into a unified platform. Not just to deepen brand equity, but to drive client-led, data-backed, revenue-generating strategic development aka commercial transformation.

It starts with a firm’s unique value proposition and competitive advantage:

  • What does the firm actually know? (KM)
  • How does it put that knowledge into action in differentiated, innovative ways? (intelligence + specialized practice)
  • How is that delivered in a commercially sound structure that benefits both client and firm? (pricing and efficiency)
  • And how is all of that delivered in one coherent, compelling story? (brand)

This isn’t theoretical. You can see the shift happening in real time.

Take, for example, recent job postings for roles like “Senior Client Growth Manager – Leading National Firm.” One responsibility reads:

“Robust understanding of supported departments and practice gro

ups, including the products and services they offer to the firm’s clients, to effectively relay this experience and identify potential synergies where existing experience can be applied to other clients and prospects…”

That’s not event planning. That’s portfolio strategy.

You can also see it in the programming for the Legal Marketing Association’s annual meeting this April. The sessions are deeply strategic, blending data, pricing, legal ops collaboration, and go-to-market design alongside traditional BD excellence. A few titles that signal this shift:

Full disclosure: I’m on the LMA ACAC planning committee. But I’m one voice of many, and every session goes through a rigorous vetting process for relevance and timeliness. The shift is real—and it’s collective.

Generative and agentic AI are accelerating change in the practice of law and the commercial models that sit alongside it. That train isn’t slowing down (notwithstanding the latest round of Claude discourse). But what excites me most is the secondary effect: firms now have permission—if not pressure—to rethink talent models, technology investments, and operational processes for the benefit of both clients and the firm itself.

And alongside that shift, marketing and business development—long seen as service departments—are stepping into something much more powerful. They are uniquely positioned to bridge KM, pricing, strategic and competitive intelligence, marketing technology, and practice management into one integrated growth function.

To me, that’s the most interesting development of all. We have t

ruly met the moment of law firm transformation.

Yes, billing models may evolve from hourly to value-based. Yes, talent progre

ssion may move from lockstep to merit-driven. But the bigger signal is this: law firms may finally be embracing the idea that they are businesses—businesses subject to market forces, competitive pressure, and the need for a deliberate growth strategy, not just another cocktail event. That means real investment in the legal industry in people and functions beyond lawyers and the practice of law.

Market competition is real. And winning just got a lot more interesting!