Do You Need a Fractional Law Firm CMO

The Marketing Leadership Conundrum: Figuring Out What You Actually Need vs. What Everyone Says You Need

Let’s be real…

Most law firms don’t need a fancy Chief Marketing Officer with a six-figure salary and an even bigger ego. But some do. The trick is figuring out which camp you’re in without flushing your hard-earned money down the marketing toilet.

Sound familiar?

Let’s break this down into digestible pieces so you can make a confident decision that will drive your law firm forward.

The Seth Price Approach: One Partner for Law, One Partner for Marketing

This article requires a real-life example to break the ice into the discussion of hiring full-time CMO vs a fractional CMO for your law firm. The story is about Seth Price. A legend at this point in the legal marketing industry.

Set Price shared something interesting recently. When he and his partner started their firm, they made a clear division:

David: Focused exclusively on building the best legal team and handling cases

Seth: Dedicated himself to marketing, brand building, and the case intake funnel

And you know what? It worked brilliantly.

Unlike the rest of us who try to be everything to everyone (and end up being mediocre at most things), they specialized. Seth now owns multi-million dollar law firm and legal marketing agency.

The Four Stages of Law Firm Marketing Leadership Evolution

AKA: “How to Avoid Overpaying for Marketing Until You Actually Need It”

Stage 1: DIY Marketing (The Owner/Operator Approach)

This is where most firms start, and honestly, where many should stay longer than they do.

Who’s doing this well:

• Mike Morse : Obsessed with learning marketing fundamentals (in a healthy way, not the “I’ve watched 47 YouTube videos and now I’m an expert” way)
• Jennifer Gore : Actually uses data dashboards instead of just paying for them
• Amanda Demanda : Applied her marketing education to build a brand that doesn’t look like every other law firm website (shocking, I know)

To learn more on how the true law firm owners who are also marketers think see below video interview with Amanda Demanda where she discusses her approach to law firm marketing.

What you should be doing at this stage:

• Learn the basics of SEO, Google Ads, and Local Service Ads
• Figure out your actual case acquisition costs (not the fantasy numbers you tell yourself)
• Work with specialized consultants for specific projects
• Focus on building a brand that doesn’t make people’s eyes glaze over

Reality Check: If you don’t understand marketing basics, you’ll never know if your fancy marketing people are actually doing anything worthwhile. You’ll just keep writing checks while nodding along to buzzwords you don’t understand.

Stage 2: The Fractional CMO Approach (Getting Help Without Breaking the Bank)

When you’ve outgrown DIY but can’t justify a full-salary CMO, this middle ground can work—if you find the right person.

What a good fractional CMO actually does:

• Spends about 4 hours per week on your business (yes, that’s it—they’re “fractional” for a reason)
• Audits or sets up your legal CRM and marketing data (prepare for some brutal truths)
• Evaluates your vendors (and often tries to replace them with “their people”)
• Creates a roadmap that doesn’t just say “increase budget” for every solution

Red flags that your fractional CMO is useless:

• Immediately wants to rebuild your perfectly functional website
• Can’t explain your current performance metrics before suggesting changes
• Presents vague plans with no measurable objectives
• Takes credit for successes but blames “market conditions” for failures

Cynical Truth: Most fractional CMOs are just consultants who realized they can charge more by changing their title. Make them own outcomes, not just activities.

Stage 3: Full-Time CMO (When You’re Ready for the Big Leagues)

This is a serious commitment, so you better be sure you need it.

Signs you’re actually ready:

Let’s start with a simple test: Is my marketing budget even large enough to support a full-time role?

Here are some industry averages to follow when making this decision:

• Small Business / Startup → CMO Salary = 10-25% of the total marketing budget
• Mid-Sized Company → CMO Salary = 5-15% of the total marketing budget
• Enterprise-Level Company → CMO Salary = 2-8% of the total marketing budget

Now, what other aspects should you look at besides the budget:

• You’ve seen solid traction across multiple channels
• Your brand position is clear but needs consistent execution
• You need someone thinking about marketing full-time, not just when they get around to it

What you get with a good full-time CMO:

• 100% focus on your firm (not juggling 10 other clients)
• Deep understanding of your specific market position
• Ability to represent your brand in the community
• Consistent execution instead of intermittent attention
• Someone whose entire job is making you more money (at least that’s the theory)

Hard Truth: If your marketing budget can’t sustain both a CMO salary AND actual marketing spend, you’re not ready. A CMO with no budget is just an expensive person with opinions.

Stage 4: The Marketing Department (Now You’re Just Showing Off)

At this point, your CMO builds out a team of specialists, and you officially have a “department.”

• SEO specialists who actually know what they’re doing (not just saying “content is king” every meeting)
• Content writers who understand legal ethics (imagine that!)
• Social media people who don’t just post inspirational quotes
• Analytics experts who tell you what’s working and what’s not
• A videographer that shoots and edits several videos per day

Wants VS Needs Trap (AKA: Internal Team VS Vendors)

Who doesn’t want to have a large team to call their own?

One thing to be cautious about is the actual costs. With the success you’re already seeing, does it make sense to switch from well-performing vendors to now hiring a full-time team?

The internal team and vendors could work in tandem and most likely will, but ultimately you need to ask your law firm CMO for clear vision.

Why are we making the switch and what is the long-term return of this?

Hiring Process: How Not to Make a $150K Mistake

It’s time to bring on a fractional CMO or full-time… Let’s break down the steps on what the hiring process should look like!

For Fractional Law Firm CMOs:

Phase 1: The Audit

Have them review your CRM and tell you what’s wrong with it

Make them evaluate your current marketing channels with actual data

Get their honest assessment of your brand positioning (prepare for ego bruising)

Phase 2: The Plan

Demand a 12-month marketing plan with quarterly objectives

Ask for specific strategies, not vague “increase visibility” nonsense

Insist on clear success metrics that aren’t easily manipulated

Make them own outcomes, not just activities

For Full-Time Law Firm CMOs:

Interview 1: The Vibe Check

Focus on experience, energy, and whether you can stand being in the same room with them

Look for self-awareness and honesty about past failures

Make sure they can explain complex concepts without hiding behind jargon

Interview 2: The Practical Test

Give them your growth goal and budget constraints

Ask how they’d approach it (and watch for the panic in their eyes when they realize your budget isn’t what they hoped)

Don’t expect perfection, but look for strategic thinking

See if they understand resource allocation or just want to spend your money

Final Assessment:

Use personality assessments to ensure they won’t drive your team crazy

Have them meet key team members (without you hovering)

Check references (and ask the references the questions that make them uncomfortable)

Set clear expectations for their first 90 days (so they can’t hide for three months)

Budget Reality Check

What should you pay for a Fractional CMO vs a Full-Time CMO?

Fractional CMO:

• More affordable but less dedicated time
• Make sure they’re focused on ROI, not just keeping their retainer going
• Typically charge $2K-$10K+ monthly for a few hours a week

Full-Time CMO:

• Salary should be in the range of 10-25% of the marketing budget
• If spending $500K on marketing, a $80-100K+ CMO makes sense
• If your marketing budget is $150K, you can’t afford a $150K CMO (that’s just math)
• Consider base salary plus performance incentives (so they have skin in the game)

Uncomfortable Truth: Many firms hire marketing leaders they can’t afford because it feels like they “should” have one. Then they wonder why there’s no budget left for actual marketing.

Alternative Approaches Before Hiring Fractional CMO

Before jumping into a big hire, consider:

The Internal Promotion Option:

• Is there someone on your team with untapped marketing potential?
• Could your client success director evolve into a marketing role?
• Sometimes the best talent is already on your payroll, just in the wrong seat

The Vendor Evaluation Reality Check:

• Some of your current vendors might be delivering exceptional results
• Not every marketing function needs in-house oversight
• Good vendors can be strategic partners, not just order-takers

The Marketing-Minded Partner:

• If a law firm partner naturally gravitates toward marketing, formalize this role
• Let them lead the marketing function with support from specialists
• This can create better alignment between legal and marketing strategies

The Growth Stage Acknowledgment:

• Different growth phases require different types of marketing leadership
• Someone perfect for $2-5M growth might be lost at $10M+
• Be honest about whether you’ve outgrown your current approach

Here’s an interesting perspective from two well–respected law firm marketers Gyi Tsakalakis and Conrad Saam on what you should expect from your firm’s associates on their involvement in firm’s marketing:

The Bottom Line: Only Thing That Matters is New Cases

Before making any hiring decision:

Assess your own marketing knowledge (ignorance is expensive)

Understand your firm’s true growth potential (not just what you hope for)

Be honest about your marketing budget constraints

Remember that no marketing leader can work miracles without resources

The right choice isn’t universal—it’s what makes sense for your unique situation. And sometimes, that means not hiring a CMO at all.

But whatever you do, don’t hire marketing leadership just because the firm down the street did it. Their marketing might be just as ineffective as yours, only more expensive.

The best marketing investment is the one that brings in cases.

Roll-up the sleeves and make marketing a priority. Identify if you’re going to do it or someone else at your firm.

Once the owner is clear, dig deep, track your investment, and test confidentially!