Business development in BigLaw begins much earlier than most associates thinkm but not in the way you might imagine or that your firm is suggesting. Junior lawyers are often told to focus on doing excellent work, meeting deadlines, and learning how to become strong lawyers, while client relationships and business development seem like responsibilities reserved for partners and senior associates. But long before lawyers are expected to bring in revenue, they need to learn how to build professional relationships. The partners with significant practices today did not suddenly develop networks when they became senior. Many of their most important relationships accumulated over years or decades and began when everyone involved was still relatively junior.
I explain in this episode how associates can start developing those relationships without trying to act like rainmakers before their time. BigLaw provides access to conferences, client receptions, trade association meetings, fundraisers, pro bono events, and other settings where you can meet people you would not otherwise encounter. The goal is not to collect as many business cards as possible or immediately turn every conversation into a business opportunity - no matter what your law firm may be suggesting about how you immediately start building your network. What is really important at this stage is to learn relationship skills: how to meet people, ask questions, listen carefully, and notice when you genuinely connect with someone. I also walk through what to do after that conversation, including when to connect on LinkedIn, when a brief email makes sense, how quickly to follow up, what not to send, and how remembering a personal detail can be more effective than sending another client alert. I also explain when you should keep a partner informed about a new contact and why you should not judge the value of a relationship solely by whether that person could someday become a client. These may seem intuitive or they may seem like steps you have to thoughtfully consider in a hierarchal law firm environement. You don't want to overstep but you also want to learn how to develop relationships in a natural way that doesn't make you feel like you're instantly selling (you shouldn't be) or just shaking a hand and then moving on (you don't to just be doing that either). Developing the right habits for what it means to form relationships early makes business development more natural and gives you years to become more comfortable in buidling relationships before the pressure to generate work becomes truly critical.
At a Glance
01:20 Why client relationships can feel inaccessible to junior BigLaw associates
02:19 Why "keep your head down and do good work" is incomplete career advice
02:38 Why developing business and developing relationships are different skills
03:02 How a casual conference conversation can become the beginning of a professional relationship even when an ask for work may be years away.
04:11 Why junior lawyers often hesitate to follow up after meeting someone
04:32 Why doing nothing because you are afraid of appearing presumptuous is the real mistake
04:51 Why business development begins years before anyone expects you to bring in revenue
05:23 How relationships that begin when lawyers are junior can become important decades later
05:54 Why access to conferences, receptions, and industry events is one of BigLaw's overlooked advantages for relationship potential
06:48 How to approach conversations when you are not yet responsible for generating business
07:12 Why you should follow up within days rather than waiting several weeks
07:38 How to write a personalized LinkedIn connection request that does not feel like a sales pitch
08:02 When a LinkedIn connection is enough and when a brief email also makes sense
08:26 Why your first follow-up should not include a client alert, brochure, meeting request, or sales pitch
09:08 How remembering personal details creates more meaningful reasons to stay in touch
09:28 Why lawyers should stop believing every follow-up needs to "add value" through legal content
10:20 When to tell a partner about someone you have met
10:43 How to build your own relationships while still contributing to the firm's client relationships
11:11 Why the firm does not need to be informed about every professional connection you make
11:32 Why you should not evaluate relationships solely by whether someone might become a client
12:25 A better way to measure success when attending conferences and professional events
13:17 Why developing relationship-building habits early makes business development easier later
13:56 Why junior associates should focus on becoming professionals people remember rather than trying to become rainmakers
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Show notes: https://www.lauraterrell.com/podcast
