Keeping Tabs - Spring 2020

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