Most innovative law firm CMOs

D’Urso has helped modernize business development at Freshfields as the nearly 300-year-old law firm expands further in the US.

In September 2024, she oversaw the global rollout of Freshfields’ refreshed brand. The rebrand dropped the legacy “Bruckhaus Deringer” from the firm’s name and replaced its longtime Archangel Michael crest with a simpler black-and-white wordmark. The shift gave the firm a cleaner identity that matched how clients already referred to it and supported its push to compete more aggressively in the US market.

D’Urso has also looked outside the legal industry for ways to improve business development. At the 2025 Legal Marketing Association Annual Conference, she discussed what law firms could learn from investment banking, consulting, and the luxury auction market. She has also pushed Freshfields to rethink RFP responses, breaking old pitch materials into reusable pieces that better fit how clients now buy legal services.

Her team also launched Freshfields’ “Data Law Trends” campaign, which helped multinational clients understand AI governance, privacy, and data regulation across markets.

These efforts supported Freshfields during a major period of US growth. For the 2024-2025 financial year, the firm reported global revenue of £2.25 billion, up 6%, while US revenue rose 20% to £473 million.

Lilley joined Barnes & Thornburg in late 2024 and has been working to make client development more digital and data-driven across the firm.

One early focus has been cross-selling. Lilley helped the firm adopt Passle’s CrossPitch AI, a tool that matches a firm’s thought leadership with lawyers who may be able to use it in client conversations. She has called the tool a “force multiplier” because it helps lawyers find relevant colleagues faster and reduces guesswork around which clients may benefit from the firm’s broader expertise.

Lilley has also taken that work beyond Barnes & Thornburg. In April 2025, she became president of the first Best Lawyers CMO Advisory Board, where she is helping legal marketers focus on data, client engagement, and new ways to show marketing’s value. She was also selected for Law360’s 2025 Legal Industry Editorial Advisory Board, giving her a role in shaping coverage of the business issues facing law firms.

Barnes & Thornburg has continued to grow as Lilley has pushed to make client development more connected across the firm. In 2024, the firm reported gross revenue of $747.2 million, up 3.2%, and rose to No. 73 on the Am Law 200.