ALM Intelligence, in collaboration with Calibrate Legal Inc., released a treasure trove of data this week on the careers of marketing professionals in the legal industry. The data, which is based on responses from more than 870 legal marketing and business development professionals, sheds light on issues related to compensation, career paths, and the level of contentment for professionals ranging from the very top of marketing and business development departments to the lower levels.
While the data can provide insight into a range of topics, the area that immediately stood out was the difference in compensation between men and women. The reason this stood out originates from the fact that the marketing and business development is one of the few areas within the legal industry where women outnumber men, especially in leadership roles. In fact, nearly 80 percent of the professionals in legal marketing departments are women. Seventy four percent of directors in marketing and business development departments are women and 69 percent of department heads are women. This stands in stark contrast to the low percentage of female senior lawyers at most law firms (see figure below).
