21 Ways to Accelerate Business Development for Lawyers

The shift to a digital-first world has transformed how professionals across industries connect and grow their networks, and the legal industry is no exception. While lawyers have long relied on in-person networking and word-of-mouth referrals, COVID-19 in 2020 pushed the industry away from traditional methods like client dinners and sports outings, making digital platforms and virtual interactions a regular part of business development. 

Instead, there’s a growing opportunity to focus on digital channels, such as enhancing your social media presence. If virtual networking feels unfamiliar or challenging, don’t worry—we’ve got you covered with 21 tactics proven to help lawyers achieve business development success.

Business Development for Lawyers

1. Leverage Technology

Lawyers can accelerate their business development through face-to-face digital interactions. Set up Zoom coffee meetings, host online seminars or webinars, and more. In addition to using technology tools to automate marketing and sales efforts, there are plenty of platforms that allow you to continue networking. Look into which tools will help you foster more digital relationships.

2. Join Industry LinkedIn Groups

These groups help you stay connected to like-minded individuals and are a great way to keep up to date on what’s happening in your sector. LinkedIn is especially helpful for targeting industries through groups. Make sure you offer value by posting unique content and being active in conversations. There is definitely a right way and a wrong way to approach groups—members tend to see right through self-promotional posts.

 In a previous blog post, we explored the right way lawyers should approach LinkedIn groups.

3. Optimize Your Social Profiles

Having a strong social media presence is an important aspect of business development for lawyers. Make sure all your profiles are complete, consistent, and on-brand. Optimizing your social media pages makes it easy for others to trust you and helps you reach your target audience. Use keywords where appropriate, ensure you have a professional headshot, an impactful headline, and more. Need some guidance on crafting the perfect bio? Check out Social Media Bio Tips for Lawyers.

4. Offer Educational Resources

One of the best ways to build a business is to offer something of value. The bulk of the content you create as a lawyer should be centered around education. Try creating content that answers questions for your audience and provides solutions. Items like blogs, podcasts, informative videos, and eBooks are a good place to start.

5. Maximize Business Development with a High-Performing Law Firm Website

Your law firm’s website is more than just a digital brochure—it’s a powerful business development tool that can help you attract, engage, and convert potential clients. A well-optimized website enhances your credibility, improves search engine visibility, and creates a seamless user experience that guides visitors toward taking action.

Key Elements of an Effective Law Firm Website for Business Development:

• User-Centered Design – A clean, professional layout with intuitive navigation ensures potential clients can easily find the information they need.
  
• SEO Optimization – Implementing the right keywords, metadata, and technical SEO strategies can help your firm rank higher in search results.
  
• Strong Calls to Action (CTAs) – Encouraging site visitors to contact you, book a consultation, or download a valuable resource helps turn passive visitors into engaged leads.
  
• Thought Leadership Content – Regularly publishing blogs, case studies, and white papers not only positions your firm as an authority but also keeps prospects coming back.
  
• Lead Capture Forms & Chat Features – Integrating contact forms, live chat, or AI-powered chatbots gives prospects a simple way to reach out.
  

6. Create a Virtual Education Content Plan

In addition to a traditional content plan for blogs and articles, develop a strategy for modern digital education. Fortunately, technology has never been more accessible, making it simple for lawyers and legal marketers to lean into podcasts and webinars. With no geographical barriers, both are great ways to educate and engage a wide audience.

7. Clean Up Your Relationship Tracking

Many professionals don’t take advantage of a CRM system, which costs them time and deals in the long run. Use any extra time now to learn a new system and organize your database. If you don’t have a formal CRM system, an Excel spreadsheet is better than having no system at all.

8. Revise Your Business Plans

If you’ve never written a comprehensive plan for how to obtain more business, this is the time. Set realistic goals and evaluate different ways to build credibility and brand awareness. If you’re entering the next year without a clear business development strategy, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Start by developing a few SMART goals, and then identify which marketing channels and campaigns you’ll use to achieve them.

9. Leverage Social Media

In today’s digital landscape, your brand identity is strongly tied to your social media presence. Building a personal brand and growing a following helps enhance your reputation, build trust with clients, and open new opportunities.

Many lawyers don’t use social media to its full potential because they’re unfamiliar or uncomfortable. Learn the basics, then invest time in posting content, joining groups, and connecting with prospects.

10. Collaborate With Other Thought Leaders

Accelerate business development by collaborating with colleagues or industry partners. Co-author a white paper, host a Zoom webinar, or invite them on your podcast. Connect through social media and stay up to date on their latest projects. If you see something you like—or could contribute to—reach out. Podcasters and YouTube channels are always looking for guests, and appearing on someone else’s platform can significantly boost your visibility.

11. Focus on Current Clients

Client relationships are one of the most important factors in selecting a law firm. Consider your top clients and think about how you can deliver additional value. Go above and beyond—send a small gift, set up introduction calls, or email a timely client alert. Have a plan for keeping current clients engaged and aware of your continued support.

12. Have a Plan for Times of Uncertainty

If COVID-19 taught us anything, it’s that traditional marketing tactics can’t always be relied upon, and that a digital presence has become essential. The upside is that we’re more connected than ever online.

If you’re relying on in-person events for lead generation, create contingency plans or complementary digital campaigns. Sending emails post-event or targeting attendees with ads can help keep your name top of mind.

13. Block Off Time

There are many reasons to postpone business development—especially client work. But discipline is key. Set aside time every day to focus on outreach and relationship building. Many people find mornings most effective.

Add blocks to your calendar to respond to inquiries, review campaign results, plan future strategies, and follow through on your development goals.

14. Take Action

Every time you think, “I should really call XYZ at ABC Company,” but don’t do it, you let an opportunity pass. If you consistently put things off, you’re likely missing out on countless business-building moments. Take action when you think of it.

15. Delegate When Possible

Do you need to write every proposal, or could a junior team member handle it? Do you really need to refresh that slide deck yourself, or could a virtual assistant help? Automate nurturing activities with email tools and set CRM reminders to streamline your workload. Delegating frees up your time for more strategic business development.

16. Hone Your Skills

Law school prepared you for legal practice—not marketing. Today, marketing and business development skills are crucial to staying competitive. Looking to up your marketing game? Check out HubSpot Academy for hundreds of courses on blogging, digital strategy, and more.

17. Leverage the Press

Did you just win a big case or land a new collaboration? Now’s the time to share the news. Draft a press release and send it to media outlets. And even if the story doesn’t get picked up, you can still post it to your site and share it on social media.

18. Start a Referral Program

You might be surprised how many of your clients are willing to recommend you—if they’re given the opportunity. While digital marketing dominates today, referrals still matter.

Turn the old referral model digital by launching an email campaign letting clients know they’ll receive a reward if someone they refer signs on.

19. Create Case Studies

Case studies are essential for law firms. They prove—through real outcomes—that you can meet client expectations. Post them on your website, make them easy to find, and promote them through social media or email marketing.

20. Conduct and Publish Research

Conducting research on a relevant legal topic and publishing your findings is a strong way to establish authority and generate online visibility. It takes effort, but the reward could be a steady stream of high-quality leads.

21. Stay Up to Date on Reviews

Online reviews matter more than ever. Monitor them regularly and respond to negative comments right away. Share your best reviews on your website using tools like Birdeye, and encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews.

Strong, recent feedback boosts both client trust and search engine visibility.

Takeaway:

As the digital world continues to become increasingly critical to client acquisition, successful lawyers will be those who are smart about developing business online. Our 21 tactics can help you and your firm drive growth—provided you’re consistent. Remember, this is a long-term effort, not a short game.Looking to improve your law firm’s business development strategy? We’ve helped some of the most successful firms implement programs that drive meaningful growth—and we’d be happy to do the same for you. If you want to learn more about how your firm can attract, engage, and convert more of your ideal clients, contact us today.