Building a Client Base as an Aspiring Law Partner

The #1 mistake new law firm partners make in BD—and how to avoid it 🧭 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 do it for you. The biggest mistake new partners make is assuming that business may magically arrive. It generally doesn't work that way. So what should you do instead? A few field-tested tips: 🧬 Start with your own network You likely know far more people than you realize—from law school, clients, friends, board service, pro bono, and past matters. Make a list. Reconnect. People know you. They generally trust and like you. It's a great way to begin to build your network. 🧬 Create your own marketing campaign Think about what it is that makes you unique. What is your niche and why is it that you are drawn to it? Utilize LInkedIn, but also think about how you market yourself in your firm biography and how you present your capabilities to the rest of the partnership. Join client calls and offer value. 🧬 Meet the partners who can help you grow Introduce yourself to those you may not yet know. Referrals, guidance, internal advocates—this is your time to build those relationships intentionally. Ask partners what’s on their radar. Share what work excites you, and make it easy for them to refer business to you. Think about what you can do to help them. 🧬 Think about how you present yourself What impression do you leave when you meet another partner? You don’t need a complete rebrand—but you do need consistency, clarity, and confidence. Knowing your niche and truly becoming an area expert will be the best way to do this. 🧬 Know when to call in help If you’re unsure where to begin—or feel stuck—speak to your marketing department if you have one or arrange to use a coach. Build your own internal and external board of directors. Reach out in whatever way feels comfortable, I’ve spoken at several partner retreats on this topic, and really believe that sometimes a few conversations and a one-page plan is all it takes. You’ve earned the title. Now it’s time to own your practice. #LawFirmLeadership #BusinessDevelopment #NewPartners #LegalMarketing #WomenInLaw

The no.1 career success hack lawyers aren't using. (It’s what got me to partner at 6 years qualified) When I was a junior, I hated speaking up: meetings, presentations, networking, you name it. I’d overthink everything I said for days. It was draining, and it was sabotaging my career. Then a mentor pulled me aside and dropped the truth bomb I needed to hear: "You’ll never make it if you don’t learn to do this one thing" 👉 "Build, Position, Showcase." This was the game-changer. Build ↳ Stop thinking only about billables: build your network and reputation. Position ↳Get yourself in front of the right people: partners, clients, decision-makers. Showcase ↳ Show your value through thought leadership, speaking, and REAL results. These 3 steps are how you go from “just another associate” to the “lawyer EVERYONE'S watching.” 👀 I used this method to hit partner in record time, and I’ve helped others do the same: securing partnerships, growing client bases, and standing out in the crowd. Stop being invisible. Stop waiting for someone to recognise your talent (hint: they won’t). Your future isn’t handed to you. It’s built. So start building: NOW. (PS: have you implemented this strategy yet?)

So you want to be a partner in a law firm? Partnership is not a gold star for working hard. It is a business decision. And business decisions always come back to value. Here is what firms look for: 👉 Skill. You must be a strong lawyer. 👉 Service. Clients need to trust you and want to work with you. 👉 Capacity. You need to manage work profitably. But there is one factor that outweighs them all: 👉 Can you bring in business? At the end of the day, a partner is expected to generate enough work to sustain themselves and support others. Without that, everything else is incomplete. Building a book of business is... exhausting. I've been there. I went to "business after hours" and Chamber of Commerce events for years, and it felt like I had nothing to show for it. And then, slowly, those years of showing up started to pay off. So how do you build that ability as an associate? ✔️ Grow your network. Your network is your net worth. The people you meet today are your future clients, colleagues, and referral sources. ✔️ Be visible. Write. Speak. Present. Share your insights publicly. Let people know who you are and what you do. Even if you’re still learning, show up with confidence. ✔️ Deliver on service. Every client interaction is a chance to prove your reliability. Word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool. ✔️ Track your numbers. Understand your billables, your collections, and which clients are "yours". Partnership decisions are tied to the business case. ✔️ Ask. Do not keep your ambition a secret. Many firms never set out a roadmap. If you want partnership, ask what is expected of you. Ask early, ask often, and ask clearly. Clarity on expectations is paramount. The leap from associate to partner is not just about hours worked. It is about impact made and opportunities created. What advice would you give to associates aiming for partnership? ♻️ Share this with someone building their career. 👉 Follow me for more reflections on law, leadership, and the business side of practice.

The best advice I was given as young associate was to network and develop a book of business. I knew early on I would never make partner in a law firm via the traditional model because I am simply not built to sit and bill 2000 hrs. in a year working on cases. So, to all the baby lawyers, no matter what the partner who wants you to keep focusing on their work is telling you, by your 4th year, if the thought of billing for eternity still makes your soul shutter, here’s what you should do: 1.     Look at your prior cases or assignments to find a niche that you were good at and enjoyed; 2.     Become an expert in that niche so that you’re able to provide solutions (emphasis on solutions, not billable hours); and 3.     Initiate and maintain genuine relationships with people that can send you business. Best of luck building that book!  #Lawyers #LawFirm #legalcareers #lawcareer #Attorney