After some stabilization, the increase in associate starting salaries seems to be having a trickle down effect throughout law firms to the senior administrative ranks. Leading the increases are Chief Marketing Officers, and compensation nearing (and in some cases exceeding) the firm’s profit per partner is not unusual. Since, often, these positions are more highly paid than the COO or other principal administrators, some firms are moving senior marketing staff out of the “C Suite” and into a category of their own reporting directly to the managing partner or marketing committee.

 

At the same time, we are seeing firms provide previously unheard of flexibility in the physical location of these positions. It is not at all unusual to see the managing partner, COO and CMO all in different cities where the firm maintains offices.