Carey hosts the First Latin American Legal Marketing Forum, gathering the Elite of the sector in the region  

Marketing and Business Development solidify as strategic drivers of law firm growth in Latin America
 

More than 100 legal sector professionals from Latin America gathered in Santiago, Chile, at the offices of Carey, the country’s largest law firm, to attend the First Latin American Legal Marketing and Business Development Forum: Transforming How Law Firms Grow. This unprecedented event, organized by the Ibero-American Association of Legal Communications and Marketing (AICMJ) and the LMBD Latam network, aimed to reflect on how marketing and business development are driving the strategic growth of law firms.

The forum brought together professionals from Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Panama, Colombia, and Costa Rica, among other countries, marking a milestone in the professionalization of legal marketing in the Latin American region.

Magdalena Engel, Communications, Marketing, and Business Development Manager at Carey and director of the AICMJ, highlighted that the meeting seeks to "build bridges" between the visions of partners, support teams, and clients, with the purpose of building a solid professional community that raises the standards of the discipline.

The day began with the workshop "Legal Design Lab: Redesigning Law with Creativity", led by Angélica Flechas, founder and CEO of HÁPTICA. The workshop applied the Legal Service Design methodology combined with prompting and artificial intelligence to redesign real legal documents, demonstrating how "creativity and empathy" generate more human and efficient solutions.

Subsequently, Romina Buso, Business Development Manager for Latin America at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and co-founder of LMBD, presented "From overhead cost to strategic growth driver: The strategic role of business development". Buso urged attendees to consider the experiences of the US and Europe "as a window to the future" to anticipate trends. She underscored the need to clearly define the role of marketing and business development areas to avoid administrative tasks that do not add strategic value. Furthermore, she emphasized that talent is the "backbone" of firms and warned about the impact of artificial intelligence, which requires firms to adapt, incorporate technology, and offer differentiated proposals. Finally, she stressed the importance of strengthening relationships with priority clients through personalized service and exploring new avenues for generating opportunities through practice group cross-selling, specific matters, and the alumni network. Buso concluded that "business development is no longer a support area, but a strategic driver" and that the cultural shift toward integrated management is "irreversible."

The forum concluded with the panel "From the other side of the desk: what legal managers want and need", moderated by Pablo Iacobelli, Managing Partner at Carey, and featuring legal managers Gonzalo Smith (Falabella), Macarena Vargas (Codelco), and Natalia Jiménez (Crystal Lagoons). Iacobelli emphasized that "listening directly to clients is an exercise of immense value" for generating trust and building more strategic relationships.

The General Counsels (legal advisory directors) addressed the evolution of their role, which is increasingly strategic, making the support of external firms essential. They agreed that they especially value agility, quality, transparency, compliance with initial commitments, and a clear sense of accountability. The most appreciated external lawyers are those who understand the business, the value chain, and the challenges of the sector. In crisis situations, they value availability, speed, transparency, and the proximity of those willing to work "side by side." They also pointed out that corporate reputation and third-party references carry more weight than self-promotion by the firms, as they represent an objective validation of their quality and reliability.

Alejandra Rojas, co-founder of LMBD Latam and Partner at Upwyse, along with Monica Malcotti, co-founder of LMBD and Business Development Director at BLP, praised the attendance, highlighting that the maturity of the marketing and BD areas in Latin America reveals a "new generation of professionals who understand legal management from a perspective of strategy, innovation, and business impact."

The event concluded with a networking breakfast-lunch, which allowed for the strengthening of ties between teams from different countries and the opening of new regional collaboration opportunities.

LMBD (Legal Marketing & Business Development Latam) is a community of business development (BD), marketing, and communication professionals in the legal sector in Latin America. It was founded by a distinguished group of professionals: Eugenia Sermeño (Business Development & Chief Marketing Officer at Arias), Mónica Malcotti (Business Development Director at BLP), Marisol Saravia Aguirre (Marketing and Business Development Manager at Echecopar) and Alejandra Rojas Castañeda (founder of UpWyse Legal Marketing).

AICMJ is a community of communication and marketing professionals from business law firms in Spanish-speaking countries who join forces to share knowledge and improve the specialty. It was founded by Lidia Zommer, Director of 360º, and Magdalena Engel, Communications Manager at Carey.


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