How Much Should Your Law Firm Spend on Marketing?

Setting a marketing budget is one of the biggest challenges law firm leaders face. Rather than spending what's left over, firms should build their budgets around business goals, revenue targets, and measurable outcomes.

In this episode of The Law Firm CMO Playbook Podcast, hosts Matt Starosciak and Carl Downey discuss practical approaches to building a law firm marketing budget. They explain why there isn't a one-size-fits-all formula, while also sharing situations where a percentage-of-revenue approach can serve as a useful starting point.

Throughout the conversation, they provide real-world budgeting examples for estate planning, criminal defense, bankruptcy, personal injury, and family law firms.

The hosts also discuss why marketing budgets should remain flexible, explaining how factors such as changes in Google search, Local Services Ads, partner departures, intake performance, and shifts in the legal landscape can all influence future marketing investments.

In this episode, Matt and Carl discuss:

• Different ways to build a law firm marketing budget
• Budget benchmarks across several practice areas
• How growth goals and revenue shape marketing investments
• Why marketing budgets should adapt to changing conditions
• Planning and evaluating marketing investments year over year

Key Takeaways:

• [0:05:42] Marketing Budgets Should Start With Business Goals – There's no universal formula for determining how much a law firm should spend on marketing. The right budget depends on where the firm is today, where it wants to go, and how quickly it wants to get there.