Many law firms excel at legal work but struggle with consistent, strategic business development. Too often, firms rely on referrals, respond to RFPs and wait for opportunities instead of actively creating them. While good work brings in business, in today’s competitive legal market, it’s not enough. The firms that thrive are the ones that prioritize business development and marketing as a core part of their strategy – not as an afterthought.
So how can law firms take control of business development and move beyond reactive strategies? Here are eight key approaches to help firms strengthen relationships, expand their market presence and create sustainable growth.
1. Make Business Development a Daily Habit, Not a Last-Minute Task
Too many lawyers treat business development as a task they’ll get to “when they have time” or when billable work slows down. This stop-and-start approach leads to missed opportunities and unpredictable results. The most successful rainmakers don’t wait for slow periods to think about growth – they make business development part of their daily routine. They build relationships, stay visible and look for ways to add value to clients and prospects consistently. By treating business development as an ongoing process, rather than an afterthought, lawyers create a steady pipeline of opportunities instead of scrambling for work when they need it most.
How to Make BD a Habit:
- Dedicate Time Weekly: Block out time each week for outreach, networking and marketing efforts. Treat it like any other important meeting – schedule it, commit to it and don’t let billable work push it aside.
- Follow Up Promptly: After a conference, event or introduction, don’t let new connections go cold. Send a personalized follow-up email, reference something from your conversation and suggest a next step – whether that’s a call, a meeting or simply staying in touch.
- Engage on LinkedIn Consistently: Commenting on posts, sharing insights and posting regularly keeps you visible to your network and can open doors for new opportunities. Instead of just “liking” posts, add thoughtful comments or share perspectives that reinforce your expertise.
- Track Your Efforts: Use a system (CRM, spreadsheet, the notes section of your phone or even a notebook) to track client touchpoints, referrals and business development actions. Reviewing your activity helps you identify follow-ups you may have missed and ensures you’re consistently nurturing relationships.
- Be Proactive in Client Communication: Don’t wait for clients to reach out to you with a need, check in with them regularly. Share industry updates, relevant insights or even just a quick note to stay top of mind. A simple “I saw this article and thought of you” can go a long way.
- Develop a Relationship-Building Mindset: Every interaction from colleagues, clients, referral sources or opposing counsel – is an opportunity to strengthen your network. Be intentional about cultivating relationships, not just when you need something, but as an ongoing professional practice.
- Leverage Existing Firm Initiatives: Many firms offer marketing resources, training sessions and client development programs. Get involved in firm-hosted events, contribute to thought leadership pieces or join industry groups your firm is affiliated with.
- Make Small, Daily Actions Count: Business development doesn’t have to be overwhelming. A quick LinkedIn comment, a five-minute follow-up email or a brief client check-in call each day adds up over time and keeps you engaged in meaningful ways.
2. Stop Relying on Referrals as Your Only Growth Strategy
Referrals are valuable, but they shouldn’t be your firm’s only source of new business. A referral-based strategy leaves growth to chance and limits your ability to control who you work with. Firms that actively market themselves can attract higher-value clients, expand into new industries and build a more stable revenue pipeline.
Ways to Expand Beyond Referrals:
- Develop a Thought Leadership Strategy: Writing and speaking about your practice area builds credibility and positions you as a trusted authority. Publish articles in legal and industry publications, contribute to well-known blogs and share insights on legal trends that matter to your target clients. Focus on providing practical, actionable advice that helps clients understand risks, navigate challenges and stay ahead of industry changes.
- Speak at Industry Events: The best lawyers don’t just attend conferences, they participate in them. Speaking on panels, hosting webinars and presenting at industry events raises your profile and connects you with potential clients and referral sources. Identify events where your ideal clients and industry leaders gather, apply to speak and prepare content that aligns with their business challenges.
- Invest in SEO: Many law firms overlook search engine optimization, but clients and referral sources rely on Google to find trusted advisors. Optimizing your website and blog content makes it easier for the right people to find you. Focus on topics that answer client questions, showcase your expertise and demonstrate your firm’s ability to solve complex legal issues.
- Run Targeted LinkedIn Campaigns: LinkedIn is one of the most effective platforms for reaching decision-makers, but organic reach alone isn’t enough. Use LinkedIn’s advanced targeting features to put your content in front of specific industries, company sizes and executives who are likely to need your services. Promote white papers, case studies or legal insights that highlight your strengths.
- Engage in Media Commentary: Legal journalists and industry publications often seek expert opinions on breaking news and regulatory changes. Build relationships with reporters covering your area of law, offer timely insights on key issues and contribute guest articles to high-visibility publications. Being quoted in respected outlets boosts credibility and increases exposure.
- Host Private Roundtables or Webinars: Instead of waiting for opportunities to speak at industry events, create your own. Hosting small roundtables, private client briefings or exclusive webinars helps you establish authority while building stronger relationships with key players in your industry. Keep the focus on valuable discussions rather than direct selling.
- Get Involved in Professional Organizations: Many lawyers join industry groups but remain passive members. Take on leadership roles, contribute to committees and participate in initiatives that increase your visibility. The more active your involvement, the more opportunities you create to connect with decision makers and expand your professional network.
- Strengthen Direct Outreach Efforts: Too many lawyers hesitate to reach out to contacts unless they need something. A well-timed follow-up or thoughtful message can lead to new business opportunities. Check in with past clients, referral sources and industry peers regularly. Send relevant articles, congratulate connections on professional milestones and suggest meetings over coffee to keep relationships warm.
- Leverage Your Alumni Network: Former colleagues, law school classmates and connections from professional organizations can be valuable sources of business. Reconnect with people from your past, stay active in alumni groups and look for ways to collaborate. Many successful lawyers build strong practices by maintaining relationships that naturally lead to referrals.
3. Strengthen Relationships with Existing Clients
Law firms often focus too much on winning new clients and not enough on strengthening relationships with the ones they already have. Long-term clients provide steady revenue, opportunities for cross-selling and referrals when they feel valued and well-served.
How to Deepen Client Relationships:
- Schedule Consistent Check-Ins: Waiting until a transaction or dispute arises is a missed opportunity. Regular conversations help you understand a client’s evolving needs, business priorities and challenges before they turn into urgent matters. These check-ins position you as a long-term partner rather than just a service provider.
- Share Valuable Insights Before Clients Ask: Clients appreciate lawyers who anticipate their needs. Send timely legal updates, industry reports or regulatory changes relevant to their business. Providing useful information before they request it shows you are thinking about their success and staying ahead of key developments.
- Facilitate Meaningful Introductions: Helping clients expand their professional network strengthens your relationship and demonstrates your commitment to their business beyond legal matters. Introduce them to potential business partners, industry experts or other professionals who can support their growth. These introductions reinforce your value and make you a trusted connector.
- Host Exclusive Client Events: Small, invite-only roundtables, private briefings and client-focused webinars create opportunities for deeper engagement. These settings allow for more meaningful discussions, industry insights and relationship-building outside of the usual legal work. Providing a space for clients to connect with peers and discuss common challenges positions your firm as a strategic partner.
- Personalize Your Approach: Every client has different expectations and communication styles. Some prefer in-depth reports, while others value quick insights over a call. Pay attention to their preferences and tailor your approach to strengthen trust and engagement.
- Be Proactive About Business Development Conversations: Many lawyers hesitate to discuss additional services unless a client brings it up first. If you see an opportunity where your firm can provide value, start the conversation. Clients appreciate lawyers who help them anticipate risks, explore opportunities and proactively address legal needs.
4. Create a Distinct Personal Brand for Each Lawyer
A strong firm brand is important, but in professional services, people hire people – especially people who they know, like and trust. Clients choose lawyers they trust, not just law firm names they recognize. Developing a strong personal brand helps lawyers attract new business, build credibility and establish themselves as go-to professionals in their practice areas.
Steps to Build a Personal Brand:
- Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile: Your LinkedIn profile is often the first impression you make. Ensure it’s polished, complete and compelling. Highlight your key strengths in your headline, write a strong “About” section that positions you as an industry expert and showcase relevant experience, thought leadership, and accolades.
- Create and Share Valuable Content Regularly: Thought leaders don’t just consume content – they create it. Post articles, LinkedIn updates, and insights on legal trends, client challenges and industry shifts. Share case studies (when appropriate) and provide practical takeaways to establish credibility.
- Diversify Your Thought Leadership Efforts: A personal brand isn’t built on LinkedIn alone. Expand your visibility by writing for legal publications, speaking at industry conferences, participating in webinars and engaging in media commentary. Your brand should be present across multiple platforms where your target audience is paying attention.
- Be Consistent in Your Messaging: Whether through social media, articles, speaking engagements, or networking conversations, reinforce your core areas of expertise. Repetition builds recognition. Define 3 to 5 key themes or topics you want to be known for, and make sure your content and conversations align with them.
- Engage with Others Strategically: Building a brand isn’t just about posting, it’s about being part of the conversation. Comment on industry leaders’ posts, engage with peers and provide meaningful insights that add value. Relationships are built through interaction and credibility comes from consistently contributing to discussions in your field.
- Develop a Signature Perspective or Niche: The most recognized lawyers in any practice area have a distinctive approach. Don’t just restate common industry points – develop a unique perspective or niche within your field. This could be an innovative legal strategy, a deep focus on a specific industry or a fresh take on an emerging issue.
5. Focus on Niche Marketing to Attract the Right Clients
Generalist marketing often fails to generate strong leads because it doesn’t speak to a specific audience. Law firms that focus their business development efforts on well-defined niches such as practice area, industry, company size or legal issues can more effectively position themselves as experts and attract the right clients.
How to Develop a Niche Strategy:
- Identify High-Growth Industries: Look at emerging sectors where legal needs are increasing, such as fintech, healthcare startups, or renewable energy.
- Tailor Content and Messaging: Speak directly to the unique challenges and pain points of your target industries.
- Build a Reputation in the Space: Attend industry-specific events, contribute to niche publications, and engage with industry leaders on social media.
- Develop Specialized Practice Groups: Highlight your firm’s expertise by structuring teams around key industries or legal challenges.
6. Use Technology to Strengthen Business Development Efforts
Many law firms fail to use technology effectively in business development, leading to missed opportunities and inefficiencies. The right tools can help firms track relationships, manage outreach and measure the effectiveness of marketing efforts.
How to Use Tech for Business Development:
- Use a CRM to Track and Manage Relationships: A well-organized client relationship management (CRM) system helps you track interactions, follow-ups and referral sources in one place. Instead of relying on memory or scattered notes, a CRM ensures that no opportunity falls through the cracks and makes it easier to maintain consistent communication with key contacts.
- Analyze LinkedIn Engagement to Refine Your Approach: LinkedIn provides valuable insights into what resonates with your audience. Reviewing engagement metrics helps you understand which topics generate the most interest and allows you to adjust your content strategy. Regularly analyzing post performance and connection activity ensures you stay relevant and top of mind.
- Automate Routine Client Outreach Without Losing Personalization: Email marketing tools allow you to send newsletters, legal updates and personalized follow-ups efficiently. Scheduling regular updates keeps clients informed, while segmentation tools help tailor messages to different audiences, making outreach more relevant and valuable.
- Optimize Your Website for Search Visibility: A strong online presence helps potential clients and referral sources find you. Search engine optimization (SEO) ensures your website and content appear when people search for legal services in your practice area. Regularly updating your site with industry insights, blog posts and client resources improves search rankings and strengthens your credibility.
- Integrate Data to Identify Business Development Opportunities: Technology provides more than just efficiency – it offers insights that can drive smarter decision-making. Reviewing client data, referral trends and engagement patterns helps pinpoint which strategies are working and where new opportunities may exist. A data-driven approach ensures business development efforts are focused and strategic.
- Use Scheduling Tools to Make Meetings Easier: Coordinating client meetings can be time-consuming. Online scheduling tools eliminate back-and-forth emails and allow clients and contacts to easily book time with you based on your availability. Making the process seamless encourages more frequent interactions.
- Enhance Virtual Networking and Outreach: Technology expands the ways lawyers can connect with potential clients and industry leaders. Participating in virtual events, engaging in live discussions on LinkedIn and hosting webinars all create opportunities to strengthen relationships and expand visibility beyond traditional in-person meetings.
7. Train and Incentivize Lawyers to Be Business Developers
Business development shouldn’t be left to a small group of partners. When all lawyers participate in client relationship building and outreach, the firm’s pipeline of opportunities grows exponentially. However, many lawyers are hesitant about business development because they were never taught how to do it.
How to Get Lawyers Engaged in BD:
- Use a CRM to Track and Manage Relationships: A well-organized client relationship management (CRM) system helps you track interactions, follow-ups and referral sources in one place. Instead of relying on memory or scattered notes, a CRM ensures that no opportunity falls through the cracks and makes it easier to maintain consistent communication with key contacts.
- Analyze LinkedIn Engagement to Refine Your Approach: LinkedIn provides valuable insights into what resonates with your audience. Reviewing engagement metrics helps you understand which topics generate the most interest and allows you to adjust your content strategy. Regularly analyzing post performance and connection activity ensures you stay relevant and top of mind.
- Automate Routine Client Outreach Without Losing Personalization: Email marketing tools allow you to send newsletters, legal updates and personalized follow-ups efficiently. Scheduling regular updates keeps clients informed, while segmentation tools help tailor messages to different audiences, making outreach more relevant and valuable.
- Optimize Your Website for Search Visibility: A strong online presence helps potential clients and referral sources find you. Search engine optimization (SEO) ensures your website and content appear when people search for legal services in your practice area. Regularly updating your site with industry insights, blog posts and client resources improves search rankings and strengthens your credibility.
- Integrate Data to Identify Business Development Opportunities: Technology provides more than just efficiency – it offers insights that can drive smarter decision making. Reviewing client data, referral trends and engagement patterns helps pinpoint which strategies are working and where new opportunities may exist. A data-driven approach ensures business development efforts are focused and strategic.
- Use Scheduling Tools to Make Meetings Easier: Coordinating client meetings can be time-consuming. Online scheduling tools eliminate back-and-forth emails and allow clients and contacts to easily book time with you based on your availability. Making the process seamless encourages more frequent interactions.
- Enhance Virtual Networking and Outreach: Technology expands the ways lawyers can connect with potential clients and industry leaders. Participating in virtual events, engaging in live discussions on LinkedIn and hosting webinars all create opportunities to strengthen relationships and expand visibility beyond traditional in-person meetings.
8. Track, Measure and Adjust Your Strategy
Business development isn’t about working harder – it’s about working smarter. The most successful firms don’t just encourage more outreach, content or networking; they focus on what drives real results. By consistently tracking key metrics, firms can refine their approach, allocate resources more effectively, and ensure they are spending time on strategies that generate new business and strengthen client relationships.
What to Track:
- New Client Acquisition: Understanding where your best clients are coming from helps refine marketing and outreach efforts. Are most new clients coming from referrals, industry events, thought leadership or targeted outreach? Identifying these patterns allows firms to double down on what’s working and adjust efforts that aren’t yielding results.
- Client Retention and Expansion: Winning new clients is important, but long-term growth depends on keeping existing clients engaged. Are clients staying with the firm for multiple matters? Are they increasing the volume or scope of work they send your way? Tracking retention rates and cross-selling success helps firms evaluate the strength of their client relationships and identify areas for improvement.
- Marketing Performance: Content marketing, social media engagement and speaking opportunities should lead to tangible business opportunities. Which LinkedIn posts, blog articles or webinars generate the most interaction? Which topics resonate with your audience? Tracking engagement metrics helps ensure that marketing efforts align with client interests and drive meaningful connections.
- Referral Sources and Network Strength: Strong referral networks are built through intentional relationship management. Are key contacts consistently introducing you to new business? Are existing clients referring others to your firm? If referral activity is slowing, it may be time to re-engage your network, provide more value to referral sources or adjust your outreach strategy.
- Conversion Rates on BD Efforts: Tracking how many initial conversations or pitches turn into paying work provides insight into the effectiveness of your BD approach. If engagement is high but conversions are low, refining messaging, follow-up strategies or the way services are positioned may be necessary.
Strategic Business Development Is Attainable for All Law Firms
Business development isn’t about luck – it’s about having a plan, executing consistently and positioning your firm and lawyers for success. Law firms that take control of their marketing, strengthen relationships and leverage technology will be the ones that grow sustainably and attract the best clients.
The legal market is more competitive than ever. The question isn’t whether to invest in business development – it’s whether your firm is doing enough to stay ahead.
Now is the time to take action. Will your firm lead, or will it be left behind?
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