BD isn’t a personality type. It’s a skill set, one that can be learned, practiced, and improved.
Ask ten lawyers what business development means, and you’ll get ten different answers. Networking events. Client dinners. Golf outings. Writing and speaking. And then there’s the group that goes quiet and changes the subject. That last group may be the most honest.
Here’s the truth: most lawyers have a complicated relationship with BD because they’ve been taught to think about it all wrong. They associate it with selling, and selling feels uncomfortable, transactional, even a little beneath them. So they avoid it, minimize it, or convince themselves that their work will speak for itself.
It won’t.
It’s Not Selling. It’s Solving.
The single biggest misconception lawyers carry about business development is that it’s sales. It isn’t. Sales start with a product and end with a signature. Business development starts with a relationship and ends—eventually, over time—with trust. The transaction is a byproduct.
Think about the lawyers you most admire. The ones who effortlessly attract work and get called first when something important is on the line. Are they selling? No. They’re solving. They know their clients’ businesses inside and out. They anticipate problems before they’re asked. They show up consistently as the person with their client’s best interests at the center of everything.
That’s trusted advisory. And it’s the highest form of business development. The lawyers who do this best spend most of their time in client meetings listening, asking questions, and learning, not pitching. They’re diagnosing. And because they listen so well, when they do offer a recommendation, it lands with authority.
It’s Not the Event. It’s What You Do Around It.
Another misconception? That BD is synonymous with cocktail hours and conference circuits. These things have their place, but they’re opportunities for BD, not BD itself.
Too many lawyers attend an event, collect cards, have a pleasant conversation, and go home feeling like they’ve checked the box. They haven’t. Showing up is the floor, not the ceiling.
The real work happens before and after. Research the people you need to meet. Reach out ahead of time. Walk in informed. After the event, follow up within three days with something specific and useful: a resource, a referral, a next step.
And here’s what else matters… You don’t have to love networking to be a great business developer. Some of the most successful rainmakers are introverts who build practices through deep one-on-one relationships, thought leadership, and intentional follow-up with former clients who’ve grown into senior roles. None of that requires a single golf outing.
The Relationship Economy
Business development lives and dies in the relationship economy. And the most underinvested category? Current clients.
Your existing clients are already sold on you. They trust your judgment. They know your work. And yet, most lawyers underinvest in these relationships the moment the active matter closes. The work ends, the invoice goes out, and the lawyer moves on. When the client has a new problem, they don’t think to call—not because the work wasn’t good, but because the lawyer became invisible.
Retention is not passive. It requires regular contact, genuine interest in the client’s business, and a willingness to show up when there’s no billable matter driving the interaction.
Equally important, and often overlooked, are referral sources: the accountants, bankers, financial advisors, and fellow lawyers whose clients routinely need what you do. One trusted referral source who understands exactly who you serve can send more work over a decade than ten random networking contacts ever will.
Why Lawyers Get This Wrong
BD isn’t a personality type. It’s a skill set, one that can be learned, practiced, and improved. The quiet lawyer who sends one thoughtful check-in email a week to their top relationships is doing more effective BD than the extrovert who attends every event but never follows up. Consistency beats charisma every time.
The lawyers who struggle most are the ones who wait—for partnership, for a slow quarter, for the perfect moment. That moment never comes. BD doesn’t reward waiting. It rewards small, consistent actions taken over a long period of time.
Now that you know what business development actually is, the work can begin.
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EJ Stern is the co-founder of Fractional Law Firm CMO, a company dedicated to helping small and mid-sized law firms strengthen client relationships, maximize marketing, and achieve sustainable business growth. With nearly 20 years of experience leading AmLaw 100 marketing strategy, EJ advises law firms on how to effectively expand their business and generate greater revenue. Connect with EJ on LinkedIn.
