The State of the Industry Report, second annual edition
From Adoption to Execution
AI use has spread across law firm marketing and business development faster than the strategy, ownership and measurement behind it. This year's benchmark shows where 87 firms stand and gives MBD leaders a clear way to decide where AI belongs next.
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Benchmark at a glance
These eight numbers show how far MBD AI has come. They also measure how much of the connective tissue is still missing.
Strong leadership support with dedicated resources
Documented, active AI roadmap within MBD departments
Enabled or integrated AI adoption across MBD
Multi-step pilots or production automation for defined MBD work
Implemented AI policy at participating firms
No measurement or only anecdotal measurement of AI outcomes
Likely to increase MBD AI investment during the next 12 to 18 months
Reviewing or measuring AI-search visibility in 2026
What changed since 2025
Pitch, proposal and RFP support jumped 37 points in a year, and the increase was nearly identical at large and smaller firms.
Year-over-year comparisons use a standardized 2025 base of 71 firms, processed with the same firm-level method as 2026.
Executive summary
The full report breaks each one down by firm size, compares it with 2025 and shows what it means for the next decision.
Pitch, proposal and RFP support rose from 42% to 79%, yet only 17% report multi-step workflow pilots or production automation.
Strong leadership support rose from 20% to 51%. Marketing Operations now ranks second as the owner of MBD AI, yet only 7% have an active, documented MBD AI roadmap.
Implemented AI policies rose from 77% to 92%. How those rules translate into recurring MBD workflows is far less settled.
41% cite incomplete matter and experience data and 38% say relevant content is scattered across systems. Only 28% report role-specific MBD training.
55% of firms with more than 500 lawyers have an MBD AI roadmap active or in development, compared with 22% of firms with 500 or fewer.
78% expect MBD AI investment to increase and 84% see competitive advantage, while 60% have no measurement or rely on anecdotal evidence.
Three-quarters of participating firms are already reviewing or measuring how they appear in AI-generated answers. No respondent selected "no current plans."
Firms have moved quickly on AI activity. Coordination is what has to catch up.
Read the full findingsInside the report
About the research
This is an industry benchmark of participating firms, not a probability sample of all law firms. Results are descriptive, with no weighting or imputation. Numeric year-over-year comparisons appear only where the 2025 and 2026 questions support them.
Report authors
Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer, InnovAItion Partners
A former attorney with more than 20 years in legal marketing, Guy helps law firm marketing and business development teams put AI to work in client development, content and research, using the same tools he deploys for clients.
AI Advisory Practice Leader, Gladstone Growth Strategies
Jay leads Gladstone's AI Advisory practice, working with law firm marketing and business development leaders to apply AI to strategy and execution. He brings decades of senior business development experience in Am Law firms and professional services organizations. He also served as President of the Legal Marketing Association's New England Chapter.
Questions
The report is written for CMOs, CMBOs, and directors and managers of marketing and business development. It also serves the marketing operations, BD and innovation leaders who decide where AI fits in law firm MBD work.
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This is the second annual benchmark. It adds year-over-year comparisons against a standardized 2025 base, splits results by firm size, and looks closely at ownership, workflow integration, measurement, budgeting and AI-search visibility.
It focuses only on law firm marketing and business development, with data from law firms. MBD teams depend on different systems, information and measures of success than the practice of law, so the benchmark treats them on their own terms.
Yes. Check the 2027 box on the form and we will invite your firm when the next survey opens.
Yes, with attribution. Suggested citation: Gladstone Growth Strategies and InnovAItion Partners, The State of the Industry Report: AI in Law Firm Marketing and Business Development 2026: From Adoption to Execution (2026).
The technology will keep moving. The operating discipline should not.Guy Alvarez, InnovAItion Partners · Jay Wager, Gladstone Growth Strategies Get your complimentary copy
