Midsize and regional firms can vary in their maturity — some may have robust marketing departments, while others may solely operate in a responsive and event-driven manner. Irrespective of where your firm sits in the maturity phases, it's imperative to identify and build scalable systems and strategic improvements that give you confidence, reduce staff turnover, and enable your attorneys to focus on what they do best. (Of course, these processes must be contextualized within the cultural lens of your firm!)

Below is a sample list of some of the operational marketing process and system questions that midsize and boutique law firms should be asking. After all, the correct answers to these questions help firms to win business and new pitches, and, of course, the systems that are created now will scale up as your firm grows top-line revenue. While many of these seem readily apparent, many of these low-hanging operational/"blocking and tackling" issues are slipping through the cracks in most firms — and they are the biggest key to winning mandates.

The cascading effect of having the right systems/tech in place creates more time to complete high-value tasks (think pitch rehearsals, client targeting, and deep customization) and saves potential embarrassment and reputational damage to the firm (not to mention potential bleeding of roughly $400K annually for firms who pitch 100+ times).