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This one is for the readers who are feeling stuck.
If you subscribe to this newsletter, then it’s safe to assume that you want to build a legal practice—after all, that’s all I write about.
You may experience a boost in motivation every Saturday morning when this comes out, but by Monday morning may default back to thinking: “This all sounds good, but I’m barely keeping up with client demands as it is—how am I supposed to find time for business development too?”
While I don’t have any magic words to share with you to make this sort of self-talk disappear, perhaps it’s comforting to know that you’re not alone. Every successful rainmaker has had that exact thought.
That said, knowing you’re not alone obviously doesn’t address the underlying problem.
The Rainmaker’s Paradox
The truth is: Client work will always expand to fill 100% of the time you allow it. It's the nature of our profession. And unless you deliberately carve out time for yourself, nobody—not your clients, not your firm, not your colleagues—will ever do it for you.
This is the paradox at the heart of business development—the tension between serving others' priorities (client work) and advancing your own priorities (building your practice). Many lawyers remain caught in this reactive cycle their entire careers, perpetually responding to urgent matters while postponing the important work of building their practice until "things slow down."
But let's be honest: things never slow down. The demands never cease.
Breaking the Cycle
Building your practice isn't about waiting for life to get easier. It's about making a deliberate, sometimes difficult decision to protect a small piece of your time—because achieving your goals depends on it.
Without this intervention, the path of least resistance will always lead back to serving others' priorities at the expense of your own. This isn't about being selfish or irresponsible; it's about thriving in your career. The lawyer who can generate their own business has options, autonomy, and security that others simply don't.
Start Small, But Start Today
The good news is that building momentum doesn’t require dramatic changes. You don't need to block off massive amounts of time. Start with just 30 minutes—a small, protected window where you focus exclusively on your future.
What can you accomplish in 30 minutes?
Draft a short post for LinkedIn
Reach out to two former colleagues
Research an upcoming industry conference
Prepare for coffee with a potential referral source
Update your bio with recent accomplishments
These small actions, performed consistently, compound over time. A single 30-minute session won't transform your practice, but 50 such sessions over a year absolutely will.
Step into the Identify of a Rainmaker
The path to becoming a rainmaker isn't about heroic efforts or dramatic transformations. It's about small, consistent actions that eventually stop feeling like extraordinary commitments and start feeling like the natural expression of who you are as a lawyer.
When you first carve out those 30 minutes, it will feel like a sacrifice. But with time and consistency, business development stops being something you do and starts becoming who you are.
The Rewards are Worth it
Are you ready? Are you committed? I hope so, because the rewards—greater autonomy, deeper client relationships, increased financial security, and enhanced professional satisfaction—are well worth the effort.
Remember: No one becomes a rainmaker overnight. The lawyers bringing in millions in business today started exactly where you are: making a decision that their future was worth investing in, even when present demands seemed overwhelming.
What small step will you take to invest in your future success?
Jay Harrington is president of our agency, a published author, and nationally-recognized expert in thought-leadership marketing.
From strategic planning to writing, podcasting, video marketing, and design, Jay and his team help lawyers and law firms turn expertise into thought leadership, and thought leadership into new business. Get in touch to learn more about the consulting and coaching services we provide. You can reach Jay at jay@hcommunications.biz.