Keeping Tabs - Spring 2020
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TAS REPORT<br />
Six Business Development<br />
Tips for Litigators in their<br />
First Six Years<br />
Ivan Merrow, Glaholt Bowles LLP<br />
Business development serves many purposes: greater independence,<br />
more work in a practice or industry niche, richer relationships with clients<br />
and referral sources, as well as financial security. No matter the motivation,<br />
the path to a sustainable practice is paved with hard work. The challenge is<br />
that not all efforts to “bring in business” lead to results.<br />
During The Advocates’ Society’s recent multi-part program “Business Development<br />
for Litigators,” the following six tips were particularly helpful for<br />
litigators in their first six years of practice<br />
1. Be excellent. We’ve all heard that exceptional service, legal work, and results<br />
are the bedrock of our reputation. By doing great work we increase the<br />
likelihood that our clients and other professionals will refer us work.<br />
2. Ask for the work. Others may not refer us<br />
work unless they know what we can do and what<br />
types of files we are seeking. We need to know<br />
what type of work we want and who can refer that<br />
work to us, so we can ask for it.<br />
3. Develop connections. Before a file arrives,<br />
several stars must align. Someone must have<br />
a potential file, know what we do, trust us,<br />
believe we are the right person for the work,<br />
reach out, and get a timely response. Current<br />
clients should meet all six criteria. For that<br />
reason, current clients are the best source of<br />
future work. The trick is get to know clients<br />
and grow our “pipeline” of potential files while<br />
delivering great work.<br />
4. Know yourself. To be sustainable, business<br />
development activities should not<br />
drain us. Pursuing initiatives that bring<br />
us joy and energy make it more likely we<br />
will stay consistent. If we enjoy writing,<br />
we should write. If we enjoy lunching, we<br />
should lunch. Knowing our strengths makes<br />
business development less burdensome.<br />
5. Build a specialty. To become and stay<br />
top-of-mind with potential clients, it helps to<br />
have a specialty or two. Whether our focus is<br />
on an industry, a practice niche, or a type of client,<br />
we all have areas where we excel. By consistently<br />
communicating those strengths and<br />
interests we are more likely to come to mind<br />
when a litigation opportunity arises.<br />
6. Follow up. Whether it’s a business card, an<br />
email, a meeting, or a passing conversation, we<br />
need to follow up to keep relationships moving<br />
forward. After going to the effort of attending<br />
a conference, writing an article, or speaking<br />
on a panel, we should create opportunities to<br />
continue to engage. Think about the next step,<br />
how others may get to know us better, and<br />
how we may make it more likely we will come<br />
to mind as the right person to call.<br />
While these tips do not do justice to all of the<br />
insights shared at “Business Development for<br />
Litigators,” they are a good start to developing<br />
internal firm work sources and external clients.<br />
Consider sending me or a colleague a message<br />
to start a conversation about the type of work<br />
you are looking to grow in the coming months.<br />
It may lead to a great opportunity.<br />
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