I always wanted to write a book to help people build their practices, and five years ago “Best Practices in Law Firm Business Development and Marketing” was published by Practising Law Institute (PLI) Law Institute. Thanks to the many law firms, companies and law schools that asked me to present my findings on how successful lawyers develop practices (and how law firms can effectively structure their marketing and business development efforts.)
Here are my two “oh boy, should I include these” commercial sentences.
In the last five years, my practice has expanded from strategic planning for firms and practices, to helping marketing departments restructure. I’ve also committed to taking on ten private coaching clients each year.
Here are three truisms from the book that I feel even stronger about today.
As Jeffrey Klein, the employment and sports law guru, states in the book “Marketing is muscle.” To become a business developer, the number one ingredient is practice.
Yes, you need a strategy of which clients fit with your practice and firm, but the only way to become proficient and comfortable with asking for business is to practice the skill.
Women still need to catch up on business development skills. Because traditionally, women were not invited to the same pitches or given the same type of work as their male counterparts, we still see few women advancing in this area.
I want to see us even the playing field. Business development training in groups or with individual coaching can help with this. We need more women in leadership positions in law firms, and I think this is one of the paths to getting there.
Business development training at law firms is a work in progress. While some firms are doing exciting work in this area, most still don’t recognize that lawyers need to rely on different skill sets at different stages of their careers.
My advice: Start your lawyers early on this process. Teach them how to network, how to work with clients, and how to remain in touch with others they meet along the way.
