Business Development: A Natural Extension of Legal Practice
Is marketing and business development (BD) a “burdensome extra” in legal practice? Not quite. At its core, BD is about visibility, building relationships, and staying relevant. It is an integral part of legal practice for all lawyers, regardless of seniority or firm size.
Visibility
Many lawyers hesitate to engage in BD as it can appear inconsistent with the profession’s preference for understated competence. Nevertheless, establishing visibility is essential for demonstrating expertise and generating new client opportunities. In practice, many routine activities already support BD, for example,
- attending professional or industry events
- authoring legal commentaries
- maintaining accurate professional profiles
Relationships
The legal profession is fundamentally relationship driven. Most new matters arise from the trust and credibility built through sustained professional and personal interactions. It is therefore important for lawyers to invest in strengthening their networks by:
- staying in touch with former clients
- maintaining collegial relationships within the Bar
- collaborating with accountants, bankers, and consultants
- engaging with community or interest groups
Over time, these relationships form a durable professional ecosystem that can generate work opportunities throughout a lawyer’s career.
Communicating Your Work
BD is more effective when lawyers can describe their work in clear, concrete terms. Broad labels such as “corporate”, “litigation” or “general advisory” are not memorable.
It is more helpful to frame it as:
- clients you serve
- problems you solve
- situations in which your skills are relevant
Examples include:
- “I advise companies on employment disputes.”
- “I help families with succession planning and estate administration.”
Modest Actions
BD is not just about seminars, major events, or lengthy articles. Small, regular actions often have long-term impact. For example,
- send clients brief congratulations where appropriate
- check in with former clients annually
- attend industry events regularly
- share quick thoughts on legal development
Consistency is more important than scale.
Internal Reputation Matters
External opportunities are often shaped by internal perception. How colleagues and even opposing counsel experience a lawyer’s work can influence case assignments and referrals.
Internal BD includes:
- delivering quality work consistently
- being reliable and responsive
- collaborating effectively
- developing a recognisable niche
A strong internal reputation reinforces external BD efforts.
BD Is Personal Work, Even in Firms With Marketing Teams
While BD or marketing teams can provide structure for events, pitches, rankings and communications, they cannot replace the lawyer’s own role in:
- building trust
- forming relationships
- demonstrating credibility
- defining a personal professional identity
Substance ultimately comes from the individual practitioner.
LinkedIn and Beyond
LinkedIn has become an established platform for lawyers to share insights and highlight their practice areas. However, BD extends beyond social media to more subtle channels such as:
- participating in professional bodies
- speaking or writing engagements
- connecting with clients and contacts
- attending industry events
- contributing to community initiatives
Even on LinkedIn, visibility can be discreet, such as profile updates, connecting with contacts, or thoughtfully interacting with others’ posts.
BD Is a Long Game
BD is a long-term investment. Relationships develop slowly. A brief interaction today may lead to a matter much later. Over time, small, consistent actions accumulate into trust and recognition.
BD is not transactional. It is part of the professional journey.
Practical BD Pointers
While the principles above apply across the profession, different environments present different constraints and opportunities. The following three appendices offer pointers tailored to associates, small firms and sole proprietors, and BD teams in larger law firms.
Associates
1. Build visibility through small, consistent habits
Attend events selectively, stay active within your professional circles, keep your online profiles current, and share practical observations when appropriate.
2. Focus on relationships
Maintain contact with former clients, peers, and colleagues. Genuine interactions rather than overt BD activities are more likely to lead to future opportunities.
3. Develop a clear and memorable practice identity
Describe your work through the problems you solve and the clients you help, rather than rely solely on practice-area labels. Use plain language.
4. Strengthen your internal reputation
Responsiveness, reliability, and good teamwork contribute to internal work assignments and external BD efforts.
5. Treat BD as a long-term investment
Relationships mature slowly. Consistent visibility and steady engagement form the foundation of a sustainable practice.
Small Firms and Sole Proprietors
1. Define a clear practice identity
Be explicit about your strengths, your typical clients, and the work you handle best.
2. Leverage existing networks
Strengthen and maintain relationships with peers, other professionals, and former clients as these often lead to new work opportunities.
3. Emphasise personal visibility
Short commentaries, community involvement, and speaking engagements can produce meaningful outcomes without resource-heavy marketing efforts.
4. Maintain a simple, trustworthy online presence
A clean website and updated LinkedIn profile reinforce credibility.
5. Use systems that work with limited resources
Templates, checklists, and reminders streamline BD management without additional manpower.
6. Let service quality be your strongest BD tool
Word-of-mouth and reputation often determine the success of small practices.
BD Teams in Large Firms
1. Operate as strategic partners
Go beyond coordination to shaping priorities, supporting strategic decisions, and guiding firm-wide BD efforts.
2. Provide practical BD guidance for lawyers
Break BD into manageable habits. Offer one-on-one support if possible.
3. Strengthen internal alignment and collaboration
Facilitate cross-practice initiatives and ensure consistent firm-wide messaging.
4. Help lawyers refine their practice narratives
Assist lawyers in articulating their expertise clearly. Support profile updates, content development, and LinkedIn engagement according to individual comfort levels.
5. Balance high-profile initiatives with quiet engagement
Pair conferences and publications with targeted outreach, smaller roundtables, and personalised interactions with clients.
6. Prioritise impact over activity
Measure the strength of relationships, client retention, and quality of engagement, not just number of events or outputs.
7. Reduce noise and prevent overextension
Streamline templates and processes, focus on high-value initiatives, and create frameworks that minimise last-minute or reactive work.
8. Promote a sustainable BD culture
Foster a culture where BD is steady, collective, and part of daily practice, not the responsibility of only a select few.
