Steve Bell

A pioneer of law firm sales and business development, Steven (Steve) Bell created one of the legal industry’s first sales functions in 2001 when at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice (now Womble Bond Dickinson). Professional services firms around the globe now seek his guidance in structuring and operating successful sales departments, navigating ethical requirements, and designing compensation systems for salespeople that attract and retain high-caliber talent.

An early student of the Miller Heiman methodology, which focuses on relationship building, authenticity, and mutual benefit, Steve is fluent in every major sales training language and process. He began his career in professional services as account executive for the C-Suite at companies such as Northrop Grumman, United Technologies, and MCI. While at Price Waterhouse (now PwC), he was integral to the development of the firm’s sales function, initiating meetings with prospective and current clients as well as leading teams of accountants on global sales initiatives. He originated the sales function at Grant Thornton and when at Womble, in addition to overseeing the firm’s entire sales and marketing program, led significant sales pursuits resulting in the origination of multimillion-dollar client matters such as British Petroleum (BP Horizon Oil Spill), Dell Computers, World Bank’s DC real estate portfolio, and more. He was also the primary liaison for Womble’s near 20-year partnership with the Association of Corporate Counsel, the world’s largest organization dedicated to in-house counsel.

Steve’s experience and expertise has helped numerous law firms navigate opportunities and challenges resulting from unforeseen global events such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the burst of the dot.com bubble, the ‘great recession,’ and – most recently – the global pandemic. He also served for seven years as the Vice-Chairman, Americas for Lex Mundi’s Marketing & Business Development Committee, helping steer the global branding, marketing, and business development initiatives and create the BD function of the 160-member-firm, 21,000-lawyer organization.

Just prior to his tenure in the professional services industry, Steve was an accomplished journalist, public relations manager, and corporate communications executive, garnering numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and a Gold Quill Award, a premier honor given by the International Association of Business Communicators to recognize excellence in the field of business communication around the world.

Steve is a certified Gallup Strengths Coach – focusing on leveraging a person’s strengths versus fixing real or perceived weaknesses – and an in-demand thought leader, author, and speaker on the subjects of building and managing sales forces, sales strategy and tactics, strategic account management, marketing automation, and business and executive communications.