[NEW INSIGHT] Why multimedia is becoming a CEOs most powerful thought leadership tool in 2026
Thought leadership for law firms is one of the most overlooked drivers of credibility, visibility, and ultimately, client quality in the legal sector.
As competition intensifies and client expectations continue to evolve, firms are increasingly being judged not just on what they do, but on how clearly they can articulate their expertise and perspective to the public.
In this article, we explore why thought leadership matters now more than ever, how firms can use it to win higher-value clients, and what it actually looks like in practice.
The global legal sector is expected to grow steadily over the next five years, expanding at an average rate of around 4.5% annually from 2025 to 2030.
Many factors are fuelling this surge:
Increasingly complex regulations driven by data privacy, ESG compliance, and emerging technologies such as AI.
Demand for specialist legal expertise to advise on and protect against cybersecurity, intellectual property, and other emerging business risks.
Rising cross-border business and the need to navigate complex international tax and legal systems.
High levels of corporate dealmaking and disputes, fuelled by M&A, private equity activity, and a more litigious global environment.
However, none of this is making the market any easier to operate in.
Profitability isn’t straightforward, with average margins typically sitting in the 30–40% range.
Smaller firms face increasing pressure from larger, established brands, with many at risk of being absorbed as major players pursue technological innovation, talent acquisition, and transatlantic expansion.
This trend is reflected in the growing number of mergers, with around 59 law firm mergers taking place in the US in 2025, an increase of roughly 18% year-on-year.
Larger firms are not immune to pressure either. As they scale, maintaining consistent service, adapting to new technologies, and meeting rising client expectations becomes increasingly difficult.
Many are held back by legacy systems, slower decision-making, and high cost structures, which has created a window for more agile, specialist firms and legal tech providers to win market share.
Even at the top end of the market, profitability isn’t straightforward, with average margins typically sitting in the 30–40% range. This is compounded by clients becoming increasingly cost-conscious, with a stronger focus on value and pricing transparency.
As a result, many businesses are changing how they access legal support, with up to 80% of legal departments planning to bring more work in-house over the next two years, according to Axiom.
With everything considered, if firms want to strengthen client confidence and maintain relevance in an increasingly competitive market, they must rethink how they build trust and credibility.
One crucial avenue is legal thought leadership.
If you’re regularly appearing in national outlets and broadcast media, colleagues, shareholders, investors, and potential clients will notice.
For years, the legal sector has been held back by one significant problem: it's inherently siloed. So much that legal thought leadership now pales in comparison to other sectors.
Because of this, the sector remains misunderstood and, in many ways, intimidating.
Work is private by nature, limiting what can be shared publicly without risk, while increasing complexity have made it difficult to communicate ideas clearly.
At the same time, many professionals have leaned into confidentiality to protect their reputations, reinforcing a culture of limited external engagement.
Now, as the industry cries out for differentiation, not enough firms are capitalising.
To address any anxieties: thought leadership isn’t necessarily about divulging the ins and outs of work.
Instead, it's about using expertise to share broader, high-level insight. Often in a way that enhances, rather than damages, your reputation.
Yes, your practical bandwidth can be a real barrier. Lawyers can work 60–80 hours during busy periods, and the industry is highly competitive internally, with progression closely tied to performance.
But in the grand scheme, visibility matters.
Think about it: if you’re regularly appearing in national outlets and broadcast media, colleagues, shareholders, investors, and potential clients will notice.
You’re going to build internal respect, reinforce credibility, and directly drive business toward your firm through your influence. Why wouldn't you use it?
There’s huge demand for legal thought leadership content across multiple industries.
Thanks to modern media and information becoming widely accessible, law is no longer confined to courtrooms alone. Issues such as AI, data privacy, cybersecurity, fraud, and ESG now affect businesses and individuals on a daily basis.
Understandably, people want to protect themselves.
Because of that, there’s huge demand for legal thought leadership content across multiple industries. And that’s only a good thing.
Leaders now have access to a large, highly engaged audience, with a clear opportunity to stand out and own the spotlight.
In fact, conversation topics are endless:
Workplace legal risk is becoming harder to manage, particularly as employee activism rises and hybrid work creates new areas of dispute.
Reputation issues are no longer just a PR problem, with more cases now escalating into legal action.
Innovation is moving faster than regulation, leaving businesses exposed in legal grey areas.
Ongoing economic uncertainty is putting pressure on contracts, as inflation and supply chain disruption reshape how agreements are structured.
The list goes on.
People become so familiar with your views and how you contextualise key issues that they want to receive regular updates.
Rightly, you’re probably still questioning how this connects with your pipeline. So, let’s dig deeper into the mechanics of thought leadership.
Essentially, once you get into a habit of producing content, you’re not only going to change how people perceive you, your firm, and industry for the better, but also gain a following.
Why? People become so familiar with your views and how you contextualise key issues that they want to receive regular updates.
Your LinkedIn followers grow.
Your blog sees more traffic.
Journalists reach out to share ideas with their readers.
A large proportion of this audience will, of course, be potential clients. And eventually, some, impressed with your expertise, will connect to organise meetings.
But what sets these meetings apart from ad-driven acquisition is that leads walk into them with confidence, already knowing and trusting you.
Considering that around 70% of the buyer journey is completed before a prospect ever speaks to a sales representative, that's a powerful position to be in.
When firms demonstrate clear expertise and authority, they don’t just attract more clients, they attract higher-value clients who are willing to pay more.
Right now, many firms are stuck in a rut:
Large firms often struggle with inefficient lead quality, where time is spent on opportunities that don’t convert or align with strategic priorities, stunting growth.
Meanwhile, smaller firms evolve too slowly, failing to compete with larger competitors for high-value clients, when, in reality, they’re just as capable.
However, when firms demonstrate clear expertise and authority, they don’t just attract more clients, they attract higher-value clients who are willing to pay more.
And when you start to do that, you attract even more through testimonials, which statistically give law firms a 70% higher chance to win new clients.
Even then, if your thought leadership is performing well enough to land you on broadcast news or in national publications, that exposure can act as a powerful testimonial in itself.
All-in-all, you earn yourself a premium positioning.
Legal thought leadership typically requires a Managing Partner, CEO, or Chair to become a spokesperson.
Though thought leadership benefits brand image and reputation, it is very much individually focused.
Unlike marketing content, it’s less about brand-heavy tone and more about injecting personality to humanise your brand and connect with audiences, so you appear genuine instead of self-serving.
Since it hinges on credibility, too, legal thought leadership typically requires a Managing Partner, CEO, or Chair to become a spokesperson.
This seniority acts as an initial springboard for engagement, making campaign reception much more predictable as opposed to any other professional who might take longer to earn similar influence.
However, no matter who you are, you still need a good strategy. If you comment on one hundred different topics at once and expect results, you risk over-saturating your content, or worse still, appearing too contrived.
Tackle one topic at a time, and do so sensibly.
That doesn’t mean you can’t use multiple comms channels at once. In fact, this is encouraged since it strengthens your messaging and allows you to reach a wider audience.
So, what are the different channels you can use and why are they so key?
It can also improve your search engine visibility as content is published, helping you increase website traffic and reach new audiences.
Blogging is a great stepping stone for legal thought leadership. It gives you maximum control over content and allows you to be more brand-led.
Here you can:
Explain legal work and case studies.
Promote positive testimonials.
Write long-form opinion pieces.
Share media coverage.
All of which shows high-intent visitors that your firm is active, credible, and consistently engaged in its field.
It can also improve your search engine visibility as content is published, helping you increase website traffic and reach new audiences.
But most importantly, it gives you a safe environment to create low-risk content, develop your writing skills and tone, and find your feet on the issues you want to discuss.
After all, once you become more visible, there's no going back.
Media relations must be handled with care, particularly as a legal professional where the stakes are even higher.
Media relations completely contrast with blog writing. Any content needs to be earned, you have little control over output, and what the final result looks like can vary widely.
Let’s explore this further:
Earning media coverage involves contacting journalists relevant to the topics you want to discuss. You do so with a pitch, which explains why the story is relevant and valuable to a publication's audience.
Producing content typically means writing an opinion article, press release, or short-form quotes that journalists publish. Or, giving an interview.
Opinion articles involve making a punchy, but well-supported argument, where you share a prediction, revelation, or hot-take about a current or future trend.
A press release involves an announcement such as an industry report or acquisition, where you provide comments that add perspective and colour.
Short-form quotes allow journalists to directly insert your views into a wider article, where you may feature against other recognised thought leaders.
An interview, in print or broadcast, allows the journalist to take the initiative. You respond to questions and what they want to know.
The final result can vary since journalists can reject your pitch, or, if it's accepted, edit your work, and even publish comments that are taken out of context or framed differently from how they were intended.
With everything considered, media relations must be handled with care, particularly as a legal professional where the stakes are even higher.
First, you need a strong story that’s relevant, timely, and valuable to the journalist’s audience.
Second, you need to target the right journalists, whether it’s a trade publication like Law.com or national publications such as The Times, so you don’t burn any bridges.
Third, you need to prepare content carefully. Written articles and comments must be well-written, accurate, and fair. And any media interviews need to be pre-briefed, so you know the key points to cover, what the journalist might ask, and how to avoid making statements that you might regret later on.
Platforms like LinkedIn keep you front of mind with clients, journalists, and peers, reinforcing credibility over time rather than in isolated moments.
Social media is one tool that you can’t miss. Unlike media relations, you control the narrative entirely.
Here you can:
Share short-form insights on legal, regulatory, and industry developments.
Break down complex topics into simple, engaging commentary.
Comment on breaking news and trending issues in real time.
Showcase company culture, people, and expertise in a more human way.
Done well, platforms like LinkedIn keep you front of mind with clients, journalists, and peers, reinforcing credibility over time rather than in isolated moments.
However, consistency matters. Sporadic posting limits impact, while regular, high-quality engagement builds familiarity and trust with your audience.
To pitch yourself as a panel speaker or get invited, you need to have prioritised other legal thought leadership channels first.
Event appearances are about putting a face to a name and showing up in the rooms where the most influential conversations are happening, such as the ILTA Conference.
They’re also about association, positioning yourself alongside other experts, and signalling authority, relevance, and expertise at a high level.
Just as importantly, they create opportunities for direct relationship-building that content alone can’t replicate.
However, to pitch yourself as a panel speaker or get invited, you need to have prioritised other legal thought leadership channels first.
Bring personality and tone to topics that can otherwise feel abstract.
Multimedia plays a very different but no less important role in legal thought leadership. Its main strength lies in its ability to make complex topics digestible.
Think: video, podcasts, webinars, and visual explainers.
In practice, it also helps you:
Bring personality and tone to topics that can otherwise feel abstract.
Increase engagement across audiences who wouldn’t typically read long-form content.
Repurpose key ideas across multiple channels for wider reach.
Create assets you can use across all channels and even marketing.
So, don’t leave it out of your legal thought leadership strategy.
Legal thought leadership is no longer a “nice to have” for firms looking to stand out.
In a market where competition is increasing, margins are under pressure, and clients are more informed than ever, visibility and credibility have become competitive advantages in themselves.
Firms that embrace this shift will not only stay relevant, but position themselves to win higher-value clients in the long term, rather than fade into obscurity.
This guide gives you the foundation to start.