The Ibero-American Association of Legal Communications and Marketing (AICMJ) and the LMBD Latam network organized the First Latin American Forum on Marketing and Business Development in Law: Transforming How Law Firms Grow, an unprecedented meeting in the region that brought together specialists and leaders of the sector in Santiago to reflect on how marketing and business development are transforming the strategic growth of law firms.
The forum, held at Carey's offices, brought together professionals from Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Costa Rica, among other countries, marking a milestone in the professionalization of legal marketing in Latin America.
“This meeting seeks to bridge the gap between the different perspectives that coexist within firms: those of partners, communications and business development teams, and clients. Our purpose is to build a solid and collaborative professional community that raises the standards of this discipline throughout the region,” said Magdalena Engel, Communications, Marketing and Business Development Manager at Carey and director of the AICMJ.
The day began with the workshop “Legal Design Lab: Redesigning Law with Creativity”, led by Angélica Flechas, founder and CEO of HÁPTICA, who guided the participants in a practical exercise of client-oriented legal design using artificial intelligence tools.
“It was the first workshop in which we applied the Legal Service Design methodology combined with prompting and artificial intelligence to redesign real legal documents. The experience demonstrated how creativity and empathy can be integrated into legal work to generate more human and efficient solutions,” Flechas explained.
Then, Romina Buso, Business Development Manager for Latin America at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and co-founder of LMBD, gave her presentation “From overhead cost to strategic growth driver: The strategic role of business development”.
In it, she invited people to look at the experiences of the United States and Europe "as a window to the future," noting that observing those markets allows one to anticipate trends and adopt good practices.
He emphasized the importance of clearly defining the roles of marketing and business development, avoiding administrative tasks that do not contribute strategic value, and stressed that talent is the backbone of firms, both in legal teams and support areas. He warned about the impact of artificial intelligence, which is already transforming legal services and requiring firms to adapt, incorporate technology, and offer differentiated solutions.
“Business development is no longer a support area, but a strategic engine that drives the competitiveness and sustainability of firms. The cultural shift towards integrated management of marketing, business development, and leadership is now irreversible,” Buso stated.
The closing session was led by the panel “On the other side of the desk: what legal managers want and need”, moderated by Pablo Iacobelli, managing partner of Carey, along with Gonzalo Smith (Falabella), Macarena Vargas (Codelco) and Natalia Jiménez (Crystal Lagoons).
“Listening directly to customers is an exercise of enormous value. This dialogue allows us to better understand which practices generate trust and how to build more strategic and collaborative relationships,” Iacobelli emphasized.
The panel of general counsels addressed the evolving role of in-house legal counsel within organizations, highlighting that their function is increasingly strategic and that, in this context, the support of external firms is essential, although its scope and complexity vary depending on the engagement. The panelists agreed that they particularly value agility, quality, transparency, and adherence to initial commitments, along with a clear sense of accountability. The most highly regarded external lawyers are those who understand the business, the value chain, and the challenges of the sector, demonstrating alignment, commitment, and in-depth knowledge of the client's environment.
In crisis situations, they emphasized the importance of availability, speed, and transparency, valuing the closeness of those willing to work side-by-side, just a message away. They also agreed that corporate reputation and third-party references carry more weight than self-promotion by research firms, as they represent objective validation of their quality and reliability.
Alejandra Rojas, co-founder of LMBD Latam and partner at Upwyse, as well as Monica Malcotti, co-founder of LMBD and Business Development Director at BLP, valued the call and the need to continue generating spaces for joint learning in the region: “The maturity of the marketing and BD areas in Latin America demonstrates that there is a new generation of professionals who understand legal management from the perspective of strategy, innovation and the impact on the business.”
