Marketing against the law: Exploring the legal sector's perceptions of adopting a marketing-oriented approach to Key Account Management

The legal sector has been criticised for its approach to marketing, believing it to be unseemly and demeaning to the profession. However, research has suggested that law firms have in fact adopted marketing practices such as relationship marketing without being aware that they are doing so. This paper explores recent marketing activity in the legal sector and finds that both the practices and perception of marketing within this sector have improved dramatically. The findings from in-depth interviews suggest that although a more professional and marketing-oriented approach to relationship marketing has been evidenced, along with an improvement in the profit-focus of these organisations, law firms are only beginning to recognise the importance of key clients to their business.