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New York - Legal Marketing & BD Salary Guide
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Welcome to Ambition’s Legal Marketing & BD salary guide, specifically for law firms in New York.
The salary data in this guide is drawn from the salaries of roles we have actively recruited for this year as well as from market data. You will notice that the salary bandings are relatively broad, reflecting the differences in firm sizes and their respective pay scales.
For more tailored advice, whether for yourself or your team, please contact us directly.
Market update
Hiring across marketing and business development teams remained very strong in 2025, driven by both newly created roles and replacement hires.
Demand was particularly high at the mid-management level, with steady movement from professionals making lateral moves as well as those seeking their first step into management, though the pool of candidates ready for promotion continued to tighten.
For individuals at this level, the market offered a wide range of opportunities, making 2025 an excellent year to explore new roles.
Changes in senior leadership at many firms throughout 2025 and late 2024 also led to the creation of new positions aligned with leadership’s evolving strategic vision. Within general practice BD roles, there was a clear increase in focus on client development and relationship management, either as centralized functions or as part of broader BD responsibilities.
In addition, demand for external communications, brand, and client intelligence roles rose above 2024 levels, representing one of the few areas where law firms actively sought talent from outside the legal sector.
At the senior end of the market, there was significant movement at the Associate Director and Director levels. While many opportunities were concentrated in corporate and transactional practices, there was also strong demand for senior marketing and BD professionals supporting litigation teams.
Firms also became more location-agnostic in their hiring approach, recruiting across multiple markets to expand their candidate pools and access a wider range of talent.
New York remained the most active market overall, consistently seeing the highest volume of open roles. This created abundant opportunities for candidates but also made the market extremely competitive for hiring managers.
Demand at the Manager-to-Director level was especially strong across M&A, private equity, and capital markets, with these roles appearing consistently throughout the year. The business development manager market continued to be challenging for employers, while offering significant choice for candidates considering either lateral moves or their first management role.
New York also saw the highest concentration of newly created client intelligence and relationship management positions, reinforcing broader national trends.
The shift toward a four-days-in-office model continued throughout 2025, with especially limited pushback in New York compared to other markets. While this model is becoming the norm, particularly among AmLaw Top 50 firms, those firms offering greater flexibility still used it as a meaningful differentiator to attract professionals who place a high value on hybrid work arrangements.
Overall, New York remains an exceptionally busy and competitive hiring market, with open roles continuing to outpace available talent and firms working harder to engage a largely passive candidate pool.
For professionals considering new opportunities, it remains the top market for variety and volume, with multiple options available year-round - a trend we expect to continue into 2026
Salaries remain competitive. Regarding these surveys, salaries can vary based on the size of the firm, the responsibilities of the role, geography, etc.
The team at Ambition is always happy to answer any specific questions you have, so please do contact us if we can be of assistance.
Legal Marketing & BD Salary Guide 2026
Legal Business Development & Marketing Salaries in New York
Job title | Salary per annum |
Business Development Director / Marketing Director | $300,000 - $475,000+ |
Associate Business Development Director / Associate Marketing Director | $250,000 - $330,000+ |
Senior Business Development Manager / Senior Marketing Manager | $210,000 - $255,000 |
Business Development Manager / Marketing Manager | $165,000 - $220,000 |
Business Development / Marketing Senior Specialist | $130,000 - $155,000 |
Business Development Specialist / Marketing Specialist | $110,000 - $135,000 |
Business Development Senior Coordinator / Marketing Senior Coordinator | $75,000 - $115,000 |
Business Development Coordinator / Marketing Coordinator | $55,000 - $80,000 |
Legal Communications Salaries in New York
Job title | Salary per annum |
Communications Director | $250,000 - $350,000+ |
Associate Communications Director | $240,000 - $300,000 |
Senior Communications Manager | $210,000 - $260,000 |
Communications Manager | $155,000 - $220,000 |
Communications Specialist | $100,000 - $145,000 |
Communications Coordinator | $70,000 - $95,000 |
Legal Events Salaries in New York
Job title | Salary per annum |
Senior Events Manager | $180,000 - $230,000+ |
Events Manager | $145,000 - $210,000 |
Events Specialist | $100,000 - $140,000 |
Events Coordinator | $70,000 - $95,000 |
Legal Bids/Pitches Salaries in New York
Job title | Salary per annum |
Senior Bid Manager | $195,000 - $260,000 |
Bid Manager | $165,000 - $220,000 |
Bid Specialist | $110,000 - $145,000 |
Bid Coordinator | $60,000- $95,000 |
Notes on salary table:
The above salaries are based on remuneration in global law firms. Titles and levels vary from firm to firm.
The salary ranges given are only approximate guides. For tailored salary advice, please contact us directly.
12-month base salaries are assumed.
All other benefits and bonuses are in addition to these figures.
Bonus ranges can vary significantly from firm to firm and will be influenced by market conditions, and business & individual performances.
For more tailored salary advice, contact marketing@ambitionsearch.com or call Ben Curle on 212 540 9207.
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