If you’d like to receive more content like this, join 5,000+ other lawyers and legal marketers who subscribe to my Legal Growth email newsletter here.
She had the track record. She had the reputation. She had the $15 million guarantee.
Sixteen months later, she was moving on.
You may have seen the story: a private equity partner, one of her firm’s most expensive lateral hires ever, quietly exited after just over a year. Headlines focused on the eye-popping comp and the speculation about why it didn’t work out. One reported reason: the anticipated deal flow never materialized.
We don’t know exactly why the business didn’t follow. Maybe it was the market. Maybe clients preferred the old firm’s execution team. Maybe the lateral move created internal friction. Maybe the timing was off, or the integration failed.
The point is: not everything is within your control.
But here’s what is within your control—how you show up, how often you engage, and whether you're building the kind of trust that survives change.
And this isn’t just about switching firms. It’s about any shift in context: launching your own firm, starting a new initiative, scaling back outreach, or simply assuming your reputation will carry you through a quiet stretch.
We tend to believe relationships are sticky. That credibility is enough. That people will call when they need us.
But business development—real, sustainable business development—is rarely that simple.
Three Reminders About How Clients Actually Choose Lawyers
1. The deal doesn’t chase you—people do.
And people need reminders. They forget. Priorities shift. Internal politics change. Just because someone respects your work doesn’t mean they’ll think of you in the right moment—unless you’ve stayed top of mind.
2. Business doesn’t flow from belief—it flows from behavior.
Clients may believe you’re excellent. But if your name isn’t mentioned in internal conversations, if you haven’t been adding value recently, or if someone else is more responsive or visible, the work may go elsewhere.
3. You can’t outsource trust.
No firm name, brand, or team can substitute for the confidence a client feels in you—but that confidence erodes without consistent investment. Trust atrophies when neglected.
The Bigger Point
Consistency matters more than charisma. Track records have an expiration date. The lawyers who stay busy aren’t always the most impressive on paper—they’re the most intentional in practice.
So before assuming your next great client or matter is inevitable, ask yourself:
Am I staying visible in the right way?
Am I cultivating real trust—not just admiration?
Am I putting enough into key relationships to expect something out of them?
In business development, your past gets you remembered—but your present gets you hired.
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.