I think they're going to win, and they are much more aggressive marketers than law firms are. Law firms will be driven to have lead-generating sales forces, such as those used by accounting firms, and lawyers will have to get used to making prospect calls, he says. But we'll find a way to make it work. Already, the ethical wall keeping nonlawyers from contacting prospective clients is crumbling. They are overkill for most senior managers, who are far more sophisticated when it comes to dealing with attorneys.
Companies already go through brokers and agents for insurance, investments and real estate.
As competition increases, marketing stars will move up firm leadership ranks to become equity partners, executive committee members and even managing partners, predicts Mr. Fishman. Not that lawyers are ready to cede control soon. Technology and professional-service firms, like law firms, will continue to be headed by leaders with the intellectual capital that made them successful in the first place, Mr. Winokur says. But rarely can you build brand name apart from your achievements. Indeed, as firms jockey for market position, they increasingly are struggling with the branding concept.