Associates in law firms of any size shouldn’t wait for direction from the firm to undertake legal marketing. You should be doing so for your own self-interest in developing the marketing skills that you will need as your career advances. Not only to develop your own client base, but to demonstrate that you’ve got what it takes to be a partner (more and more a requirement for entry into the “club” – legal skills are a given in this equation).
Larry Bodine on his new Associate Marketing Mentor blog has a checklist of marketing items he suggests associates in large firms undertake at various points in their career. The list works for lawyers in any size firm, but because associates in smaller firms need to undertake marketing earlier then their counterparts in larger firms, you may want to adjust the timeline somewhat for your own legal marketing needs. Take a look.