Being a great lawyer isn't enough to build a practice

Law firms are very good at teaching lawyers how to be better lawyers. And with AI likely to make much of the traditional grunt work easier, faster and more accurate in the years ahead, technical capability alone may become less of a differentiator.

Being a good lawyer is not the same as building a practice

I'm not convinced we're always as good at teaching lawyers how to build a practice.

I've experienced this from several angles over my career: as a lawyer, in business development, as a recruiter working closely with Partners and law firms, and as an entrepreneur who has built businesses both within and outside the legal and professional services sectors.

Law firms have long distinguished between Finders, Minders and Grinders.

The Grinders do the work. The Minders manage the work and the client relationships. The Finders bring in the work.

There will always be a place for excellent Minders. But as AI increasingly changes the nature of the work traditionally performed by Grinders, I believe the ability to become a Finder will become even more valuable. And that's a skill that isn't always taught.

From lawyer to rainmaker

Some lawyers inherit established clients and need to farm and grow those relationships. Others need to hunt and build from scratch. Most need to do both.

Over the next few months I'm going to share some of what I've learnt and observed about building a practice: networking, referrals, personal brand, winning new clients, cross-selling, becoming a trusted adviser and ultimately developing into a rainmaker.

There is no single formula. But there are principles, habits and frameworks that make a significant difference.