Insights

I am asked this several times a month, usually over coffee with a managing partner, a marketing leader or a journalist. Here is what I’ve been seeing. These are the mistakes I see time and again. Treating marketing as a support function, not a strategic one. Your marketing team can help shape the firm’s future—but only if they’re at the…

Why should we build a strong network — even when we're not in a “looking for business" mode? Too often, we think about networking only in the context of business development of job hunting. But building a strong, diverse network brings so many other benefits: It helps you do your job better. Talking with industry peers keeps you informed about…

Most law firm leaders ask: “How do we develop the next generation of rainmakers and create a BD culture?” Maybe the better first question is: “What do our lawyers actually need to get there?” Here are 10 practical steps to build a real business development culture, one that empowers your lawyers and sustains firm growth: Go on a listening tour…

I hear a lot about lawyers venturing into law firm land later in their careers. So, if you were just named partner after a stellar career in government or an in-house department, congratulations—and welcome to a new chapter. Now comes the part they didn’t teach in law school (or the public sector): business development. It may feel unfamiliar, and not…

Before my very first job as a new business coordinator at Ketchum Communications, my mother took me shopping for what she called a “serious suit.” It was blue and white seersucker with a fitted blazer, a matching skirt, and a selection of small rosette ties to switch things up. I remember that outfit vividly—not just because it felt so grown-up,…

Why is it so hard to make that “ask” for business — even when you know you can truly help someone? In doing research and meeting with various lawyers and their firms, I’ve learned that both men and women — even the most highly qualified professionals — often feel uncomfortable when it comes to making the ask. Even if they…

You just made partner. Congratulations! You’ve worked hard, built trust, and delivered great results. But here’s the challenge I’ve seen time and again: New partners often wait. They wait to be pulled into new matters. Wait for someone to assign them clients. Wait to be told how business development “should” work. But here’s the truth: No one is going to…

I find myself in conference rooms drawing a lot of circles. When I work with law firm leaders and professionals, I use several exercises to help them identify their niche. The Venn diagram exercise is just one—and it’s a simple but powerful way to visualize where you can thrive. I’ve used it for both individual professionals, practice groups and law…

It’s a question someone asked me after a session with a group of law firms from Asia. We were talking about outreach strategies, and I mentioned how an American lawyer might say, quite directly, “I’d love to earn your business.” That kind of candor works well in the U.S.—it’s seen as confident and clear. But in many parts of Asia,…

Your Friends and Neighbors (Not the Apple+ series with Jon Hamm, where trust breaks down…) In real life — and in business development — your “friends and neighbors” are everything. Law firms often wait too long to train associates on how to build a network. But the most valuable relationships — the ones that lead to future business — are…