BD & Marketing 

Business development and marketing teams across professional services continue to show a clear shift towards more commercially focused and proactive models. 

A number of firms have been reviewing and restructuring their functions. Reasons for this vary, but for most this is about evolving to support firms in achieving growth and operating effectively in an increasingly complex and competitive market, rather than a need to reduce headcount.

With this in mind, Totum sees hiring activity remaining steady, with functions moving away from narrow specialisms towards roles with broader commercial capability. Firms are looking for BD professionals who can support origination, client targeting and relationship development, with a clear focus on measurable revenue outcomes. 

At CMO and senior leadership level, firms are looking for individuals who can set and drive strategy, behaviour, mindset, and accountability. Firms are prioritising BD and marketing leaders who empower teams, set direction, and embed a more confident, forward‑looking approach to BD. These roles are less about advising or enabling from the sidelines and more about taking shared responsibility for growth alongside the partnership.

We also see a nuanced but noticeable shift in how sector‑aligned BD roles are positioned. Increasingly, BD leaders are operating in either perceived or actual equal partnership with highest‑performers who hold sector leadership roles. 

Rather than focusing on traditional opportunity spotting or support activity, these individuals are co‑owners of sector performance. They work alongside sector leads to marshal firmwide resources, meet clients, shape sector strategy, build and maintain key relationships, win new clients and increase the firm’s visibility and profile in the market. In the most advanced models we see, BD leaders carry genuine responsibility for sector growth in the same way partners do.

At a macro level, the use of technology and discussions around how to embrace AI both within teams and in client delivery, is increasing. AI is moving from concept to practical application within BD and marketing teams, with firms trialling tools to streamline operational tasks and exploring AI‑enabled support for administrative work. The focus is on freeing teams to spend more time on higher‑value, client‑facing activity.

In‑house content capability is also becoming more sophisticated, particularly within mid‑market firms. Here, growing investment in videography, podcasting and multimedia content is supporting thought leadership and client engagement. 

To learn more about Totum’s BD & Marketing recruitment, contact our Head of Practice, Joanna Milne on [email protected]

Technology

Artificial intelligence remains a key focus. Firms are moving rapidly beyond experimentation, adopting platforms such as Harvey, CoCounsel, Jylo and Legora to improve productivity, streamline legal work, and embed AI into core operations.

Data has also become a key strategic focus. Although firms sit at varying levels of data maturity, there is a clear trend towards establishing formal data functions. Many are making their first strategic data hire, typically at Head of, Manager or Lead level. These roles all have similar responsibilities: Define data strategy, introduce governance and build technical engineering teams. This is clearly key for all clients who are hoping to implement AI tools in the future. Salaries for these roles range from £65-140k.

Clients who have requested sector experience alongside data experience find they are waiting longer to fill their requirements, as the industry has a skills shortage. This means they can sometimes end up paying substantial salaries to attract the right candidate.

We have also seen a higher demand for architecture talent, particularly Solutions, Applications and Enterprise Architects. Firms are seeking experienced candidates with legal application knowledge to align application solutions within a cloud first environment, with a strong emphasis on integrations. In addition, we are seeing an increase in IT Trainer roles, three of which have been focused on adoption of AI.

Technology salaries continue to rise with many firms finding it increasingly difficult to compete with US firms, which continue to pay significantly above market rates. We have recently supported a US firm placing a Desktop/2nd Line Support Analyst at £70k. 

To learn more about Totum’s Technology recruitment, contact our Head of Practice, Ross Mackenzie on [email protected]

Legal Operations

The intersection of legal operations and artificial intelligence continues to evolve rapidly, shifting from experimentation to implementation at scale. In 2026, the focus is no longer on whether to adopt AI, but how to operationalise it effectively. Most firms have opted for Harvey or Legora as their software of choice.

Over the past 18 months, firms have moved beyond isolated AI pilots into enterprise-wide rollouts. Legal operations teams are now embedding AI into core workflows such as contract lifecycle management, eDiscovery, legal intake, and knowledge management. The emphasis has shifted toward measurable return on investment – reducing cycle times and manual workloads. This has empowered the commercialisation of knowledge functions, particularly when AI and innovation teams are integrated alongside knowledge. 

While general purpose AI models remain foundational, there is growing demand for legal-focused solutions trained on domain-specific data. Legal operations professionals are emerging as key orchestrators of AI adoption. Their role now extends beyond vendor management and process optimisation to include data governance, risk mitigation and cross-functional alignment with IT, compliance and security teams. Organisations with mature legal operations functions are seeing faster and more successful AI integration.

Adoption is as much a people challenge as a technology one. Firms are investing in upskilling, training employees to work alongside AI tools. Resistance to change persists, but there is a growing recognition that AI literacy is becoming a core competency for growth and competitive advantage.

We are seeing an increase in salary for those with AI literacy and use case experience. Across the market, we’re seeing up to 30% uplift for those roles driving solutions underpinned by AI.

To learn more about Totum’s Legal Operations and Transformation and Change recruitment, contact our Head of Practice James Boyes on [email protected]

People & Operations 

Chief Operating Officer roles in firms are becoming increasingly varied, shaped by each firm’s structure and strategic priorities. In some organisations, the COO drives cohesion and oversees core business services; in larger firms, the role often sits alongside a CFO to provide balance and support more complex management needs.

Modern operations leaders are expected to bring strong transformation experience as firms work to futureproof their businesses. Technical fluency and people‑focused leadership are now essential, and many COOs are emerging from functions beyond finance, including IT, HR, and strategy.

New titles such as Chief of Staff and Chief Strategy Officer are becoming more common, reflecting a shift toward more sophisticated operational models. While sector experience remains desirable, firms are increasingly open to exceptional candidates from wider professional services, particularly those with proven change management expertise.

Totum is also seeing Chief-level operations roles expanding beyond the UK Top 20. These positions are often about removing operational burdens from Partners, enabling them to focus on legal work and business development. At the same time, rising private equity investment and the prospect of more transatlantic mergers are creating significant opportunities for COOs to lead integration efforts, aligning brands, systems, and cultures across increasingly complex organisations.

We have seen salaries in people functions level off recently, after a couple of years of high  growth. We continue to see a move towards ‘people’ titles and away from ‘HR’, with the Chief title becoming more prevalent over Director, even in smaller firms. 

Most firms now recognise that the Chief People Officer is one of the most important positions in a firm – creating a culture and getting employees engaged is key. We’re increasingly seeing more of these roles sitting on Boards, which is where they should be. 

Consequently, leaders want people professionals who are commercial and strategic in their outlook, understanding how the function aligns to overall business strategy. While there is still a place for operational HR, the focus is on elevating the function. 

Within people and operations, we’re seeing a big influx in learning and development roles, as firms continue to invest in the ongoing growth of their people.

To learn more about Totum’s People & Operations recruitment, contact our Director Laura McNair on [email protected]