Global Brand Activation
Turning Legal Authority Into Market Meaning
Brand Visual System | Marketing Activations | Content Marketing | Social Media | Email Comms | Integrated Campaigns
Challenge
Founded in 1864, Ropes & Gray needed to modernize its decade-old branding and strengthen its integrated marketing. The challenge was to connect cross-functional team workflows, sharpen strategic narratives, and stand out among elite Big Law firms. Success required unifying brand expression across global offices while building programs that spanned digital, social, and experiential channels.
Role
As Brand & Marketing Lead, I led the approach to brand activations and refreshed the firm’s brand system. I directed brand strategy and integrated marketing across digital campaigns, website, social, video, podcasts, sponsorships, and events. I also led performance marketing, setting KPIs, tracking results, and ensuring creative efforts delivered measurable impact.
Approach
We analyzed cultural codes of how business leaders and university recruits engage with content, refining the firm’s voice and using distinct visual treatments to resonate with people across audiences. By layering behavioral science into campaign design, we aligned messages with decision states and motivations, shaping journeys that invited exploration rather than forced commitment. Clarity and craft turned complex issues into intuitive formats, while a create-once, publish-everywhere model scaled video, web, email, and podcasts. High-impact initiatives such as IPO summits, university recruiting campaigns, and an employer brand site extended reach, while performance dashboards tracked engagement, social growth, and lead generation to guide continual improvement.
The Work
Produced multi-channel thought leadership across video, podcasts, social, and email
Directed flagship events and summits, along with sponsorships and recruiting programs
Managed integrated campaigns spanning web, digital, and experiential platforms
Established dashboards and KPI tracking to optimize campaigns continuously
Partnered with BD teams in London, Asia, and New York to align and scale initiatives globally
Built practice-area systems for decks, collateral, and client communications
Modernized the brand through unified visuals, templates, and guidelines
Impact
The transformation elevated Ropes & Gray’s visibility and business impact. Share of voice grew in high-priority areas like AI regulation, while digital engagement increased across social, video, and web. Flagship summits and sponsorships placed the firm at the center of industry conversations, generating leads and strengthening its market position. Recruiting campaigns and student-focused storytelling improved the employer brand and attracted top talent. By uniting heritage with forward-looking marketing, Ropes & Gray advanced its reputation as a modern global leader in Big Law.
Metrics
23%
increase in social engagement, expanding share of voice in priority sectors
600+
IPO Summit registrants generating 40+ qualified client leads
12%
lift in student applications
at target law schools
90%
compliance with new templates across global offices in year one
Brand Impact & Market Standing
Uncovering what made Ropes & Gray’s brand unique was key to expanding its presence. Redefining its voice and coordinating brand activations helped the firm resonate more deeply. In a field of sameness, building thought leadership directly with partners and clients put attorneys at the center of the dialogue, giving the brand distinction and authenticity.
Events & Sponsorships
Ropes & Gray’s event and sponsorship strategy is engineered to drive ROI across the entire client acquisition funnel. Signature conferences, targeted industry forums, and high-impact sponsorships aren’t just about visibility, they're lead accelerators. From the flagship IPO Summit to presence at J.P. Morgan Healthcare and Jefferies Conferences, each touchpoint is designed to generate demand, deepen engagement, and convert interest into lasting relationships. Speaking slots and strategic partnerships amplify credibility, while curated gatherings and workshops nurture long-term client value.
Event email invitations
Event program and digital collateral
Event display signage
Panel discussion teaser
Engagement Driving Client Interest
At the Jefferies Healthcare London event sponsorship, integrated messaging across email, social, and collateral set the stage for networking before the marquee session. Pre-event invitations, on-site experiences, and post-event follow-ups created a full journey of engagement. Takeaway summaries at the close extended the experience, drove traffic to the site, and reinforced the brand. The approach encouraged conversation, strengthened presence, and converted attention into results, with 10% of attendees qualifying as new leads and sparking client relationships.
Website digital experience
Client email alert communications
Web, Video & Podcast Content
We treat every shoot as a “create once, publish everywhere” engine, turning a single camera day into weeks of multi-channel reach across YouTube, the firm’s video hub, podcasts and social feeds. Snack-size thought-leadership clips covering everything from AI-privacy briefings to private-equity masterclasses keep general counsel current while framing partners as plain-spoken experts, and two-minute explainers translate thorny regulations into actionable guidance.
Recruiting podcast social promotion
Podcast channels for
thought-leadership
Video series featuring subject matter experts
Social Content-Marketing
Ropes & Gray centers its digital strategy on content marketing, blending bold visuals with an approachable tone to drive organic reach, amplified by attorney resharing. Paid boosts are used selectively for high-priority campaigns. Collaborating with Global Marketing & BD I helped the firm moved beyond traditional client memos, adopting a modern, multi-format approach with thought leadership, podcasts, and animated content to build authority and engagement.
Social promoting new website resources
Social series promoting report content
Partner presence
Social media Linkedin stream
Event social post teaser
Recruiting the Next Generation of Legal Talent
We activated the employer brand through campaigns, university outreach, and summer programs. A redesigned career site, trainee podcast, and live event activations brought the firm’s culture to life. By shifting voice and tone, the work made partners, associates, and trainees relatable and aspirational, positioning Ropes as a destination for top talent.
Practice Area Brand System
Developed a unified visual system that brings cohesion across all practice areas while preserving their individual character. Applied this system to client pitch decks, PowerPoint presentations, and a full suite of printed collateral, ensuring brand consistency, clarity, and a polished experience at every touchpoint.
Digital collateral system with practice area thematics.
Powerpoint template system and pattern library
Intuitive Visual Clarity
Ropes & Gray bases its design on three pillars: clarity, contrast, and craft. This approach produces intuitive layouts that untangle complex matters, bold visuals that reinforce authority, and human-centered execution that safeguards quality at every touchpoint. Because legal services are intangible, every client interaction becomes a brand moment where content and writing style matter. Each design choice therefore carries the firm’s values and elevates the overall service experience.
Visual explainer content
Data visualization
Event Communications
Email invitation design list management for client dinners, webinars, and flagship events, ensuring each message was clear, on-brand, and optimized for engagement. From subject lines to RSVP flows, every touchpoint reinforced the firm’s professionalism and strengthened client relationships.
Being purpose-led: participation in national fund raising cycling event. Branded outfits.
Purpose-led Life Science Initiative
A signature focus is the firm’s active participation in cancer-research initiatives, where life-sciences partners contribute expertise and funding to accelerate breakthroughs while reinforcing the firm’s specialist credentials. This practice-aligned philanthropy keeps promotional efforts relevant, values-driven, and deeply connected to client priorities.
Advertising: support, sponsorship, congratulatory ads.
The Brand Marketing Engine
I partnered with editorial, designers, digital teams, social managers and practice leads to deliver a steady stream of brand marketing assets to support the global efforts. From client alerts to event campaigns, our high-volume output strengthened the firm’s reputation and supported business growth.
