Faster and more competitive markets are driving unprecedented volumes of lateral hires. And as AI levels the playing field on legal work, relationship capital is competitive advantage.

But most firms audit the financials, negotiate the terms, and neglect to map, value and integrate the client relationships they just paid for.

The result is most lateral partners missing their revenue projections, over half leaving within four years.

Marketing and Business Development professionals are rarely in the room when these decisions get made, but they are the people best placed to fix this.

This session focuses on the practical work of relationship integration: How to assess the strength of a lateral's book before they start; Where the gaps and overlaps actually sit; and How to build a structured plan that gives new hires a real chance of hitting their numbers.

You will leave this session with a framework you can apply to the next lateral hire you are involved in, and the data to make the case internally for why M&BD needs a seat at this table.

Steven Ongenaet, VP Client Services & EMEA Managing Director, Nexl

Mark McGowan, Senior Account Director EMEA, Nexl

Law firm Marketing Summit

15th October 2026

Engines for Growth: Revenue, Relationships and Reputation