The Second Annual MLF 50: The Top 50 Law Firms in Marketing and Communications

At the outset, let me congratulate the 50 firms that made this year's MLF 50. The fact that out of the hundreds of law firms with marketing programs, these 50 firms have attained the status of being considered the best programs in the country is a testament to the fabulous strides that law firm marketing, business development and media programs have achieved over the last year. There is good news here: Marketing is alive, well and prospering at many of the AmLaw 200 firms. This year, the MLF 50 showcases a wide range of firms and their marketing activities that can best be described by using a sports metaphor ' a full contact sport. The profession has come a long way in terms of sophistication, depth and creativity. In the following pages, you will see the power of marketing, business development and media and how can transform and strengthen a law firm ' and yes, make it more profitable. What is important to note is that many of these marketing activities were created as vehicles for pro bono and diversity initiatives. It should come as no surprise that doing good deeds for others and creating a diverse environment leads to prosperity.

Once again this year, the process of selecting the top 50 firms was not an easy task. While some firms provided substantive submissions, others that are listed provided little or no information. There is only so much prodding one can do to elicit that information. I was forced to do extensive research on those firms that I believed have established viable marketing and media programs, but for whatever reason were not in a position to send me a written submission. There were also many firms that did provide submissions but, frankly speaking, their marketing achievements did not rise to the level that would warrant inclusion in the top 50. My advice to them is to keep up the good work and ' maybe next year.