Small Favors Can Lead To Big Referrals
Some of the biggest accounts lawyers secure can come from relatively small favors that lawyer did for the referring attorney.
One question I routinely get asked by other attorneys is how I originated various clients I work for in my legal practice. In response, I tell people the often-circuitous way that I was able to secure some of the biggest clients for which I do work. Upon reflection of my own business development efforts and those of other people, I recently came to the realization that some of the biggest accounts lawyers secure can come from relatively small favors that lawyer did for the referring attorney. People should keep this in mind when they evaluate their own business development goals.
Toward the beginning of my career, I was an associate at a Biglaw shop, and most of the people in my office worked on one extremely large matter. This portfolio of legal work was worth tens of millions of dollars a year and hundreds of millions of dollars total once the legal matter was completely resolved. One time, I asked the partner in charge of the matter how he was able to secure such a lucrative amount of work, believing that this referral must have been the result of significant effort.
The partner told me that he was referred this matter by someone he worked with decades ago who moved to various in-house roles. At one point, the referring attorney was laid off from a job, and the partner told this person that he always had a place to work at the firm the partner was at during this time. The partner also helped the referring attorney get interviews with various opportunities in the legal profession, and this other attorney ultimately landed at another in-house position where he was the point person for an extremely large matter.
When it came time for this lawyer to choose a law firm that would handle a significant portfolio of work for the client, the lawyer chose the partner who had been nice to him after he lost his job years earlier. Sure, this partner still needed to do all of the pitches and other work that is typical when it comes to developing new business, but the partner had an advantage throughout the process due to his generosity in the past. As a result, the partner received a career-altering amount of work that completely changed the trajectory of his career (not to mention his finances as well).
In my own career, certain simple favors have led to some of the biggest referrals that have enriched my practice. Close to 10 years ago, I met a lawyer who does not practice in the same areas as I do, but who serves national clients that sometimes have legal needs in the jurisdictions in which I practice law. Over the years, this attorney has asked me various questions about the law in my jurisdiction just to make sure that his clients are safe when their operations tangentially involve the jurisdictions where I practice law. It usually only takes me about 30 minutes or so to answer these questions, and our conversations are always friendly, so I am happy to do this work just to help out a friend.
Over the years, this attorney attempted to refer work to me in the jurisdictions where I practice law, but this never led to much work. However, this lawyer more recently referred a matter to me that led to a significant amount of work for my practice. A regional business that was a client of this lawyer had a litigation matter in a jurisdiction where I practice law, and I handled that matter for the client. Eventually I handle more and more work for this client in the jurisdictions where I am licensed to practice law, and the amount of work from this client was significant to my firm.
All told, it never hurts to be nice to someone in the legal profession if another lawyer needs a favor. Not only is it usually the right thing to do, it might lead to major referrals that can change the trajectory of someone’s career.
Jordan Rothman is a partner of The Rothman Law Firm, a full-service New York and New Jersey law firm. He is also the founder of Student Debt Diaries, a website discussing how he paid off his student loans. You can reach Jordan through email at [email protected].
