This article was published in PLI Chronicle: Insights and Perspectives for the Legal Community, https://plus.pli.edu. January 2026
Deborah B. Farone
Farone Advisors LLC
The Myth of the “Right Way” to Build Business
For years, many lawyers believed there was one “right way” to build business—the golf outings, the endless networking dinners, the conferences that blur together. Yet what I’ve seen in my work with some of the world’s most successful women rainmakers is something far different: They’ve discovered that the most powerful business development strategy isn’t a script or a formula. It’s authenticity.
The women who truly excel at developing business don’t mimic what others do. They experiment. They test different ways of connecting until they find the ones that feel natural to them. And when they do, everything changes. Their interactions feel effortless. Their relationships deepen. Their confidence grows. And clients respond.
Finding Joy in the Work of Relationship Building
The women I interviewed for “Breaking Ground: How Successful Women Lawyers Build Thriving Practices” had one thing in common—they found ways to make business development enjoyable. That joy becomes contagious.
Authenticity doesn’t mean avoiding effort; it means aligning effort with your genuine interests. One woman told me that when she realized she loved mentoring younger women, she began organizing informal roundtables for female clients and colleagues. Another found that her passion for sustainability became a natural bridge to clients in the renewable energy sector. When rainmakers pursue what truly interests them, business grows organically from shared enthusiasm rather than forced obligation.
A Night at the Opera in Milan
Take Annalisa Reale, a partner at Chiomenti in Milan and a trained classical violinist. Her office sits just a block from La Scala, the famed opera house. On many evenings, Annalisa can be found there with clients—not for the sake of entertaining them, but because music, including the opera, is her passion. Over dinner before or after a performance, she and her guests often discuss the opera and its relevance to modern society. Those evenings don’t feel like marketing because they aren’t. They’re authentic experiences that build genuine connection.
Annalisa’s story is a reminder that clients want to know the real person behind the lawyer. When you bring your interests and your humanity into your professional relationships, you create something memorable and lasting.
From San Francisco to Anywhere: The Power of Doing What You Love
In the San Francisco Bay Area, Susan Eandi, a successful partner at Baker McKenzie, has found a way to blend her personal passions with her professional relationships while avoiding the formal label of business development. Susan loves hiking, and she often invites clients and friends to join her for early morning walks in the hills. These outings aren’t planned with a business purpose in mind; to her, they’re simply opportunities to spend time with people she enjoys while doing something that brings her happiness.
Yet over time, those walks have become something more. Away from offices and screens, authentic conversations emerge naturally about work, life, and everything in between. Without trying, Susan has built deeper, more lasting relationships with clients and other friends who value not only her legal expertise but also her genuine warmth and humanity.
Her approach underscores a vital truth: Authenticity breeds trust. When you do something you love, your enthusiasm shines through. Clients sense it, and that sincerity is far more persuasive than any sales pitch.
Authenticity Requires Courage
It’s tempting to follow someone else’s path, to believe that what worked for a colleague or competitor will work for you. But authenticity takes courage. It requires confidence to say, “This is how I connect best,” and to design your approach accordingly.
Women rainmakers who succeed at this often give themselves permission to experiment. They attend some events and skip others. They host gatherings around causes they care about. They share stories that feel personal, not rehearsed. And, importantly, they approach business development not as performance, but as relationship building.
Practical Ways to Cultivate Authenticity
Authenticity is not an innate gift; it’s a mindset that can be developed with practice and reflection. Here are a few ways to begin:
1. Audit your energy. Notice what kinds of activities leave you energized versus depleted. Those are clues to where your authentic strengths lie.
2. Align your outreach with your interests. If you love the arts, attend gallery openings. If you’re passionate about mentoring, create forums for it.
3. Be consistent. Authenticity isn’t a one time act; it’s a practice. The more you align your professional interactions with your genuine interests, the more natural and effective they become.
4. Share stories, not slogans. Clients remember real experiences and honest perspectives. Vulnerability, when appropriate, can be a strength.
The Freedom to Be Yourself
At its core, authenticity liberates lawyers from the idea that there’s one template for success. The best rainmakers, women and men alike, learn to merge professionalism with personality. For women especially, that freedom to operate in ways that reflect who they are can be transformative.
In the end, authenticity isn’t just a superpower; it’s a strategy. When you show up as yourself, you build the kind of trust that endures—and that, in any business, is the foundation of rainmaking.
This article is part of a broader conversation featured in Deborah Farone’s latest book, Breaking Ground: How Successful Women Lawyers Build Thriving Practices, from PLI Press.
