In a recent interview with Above the Law, Elsberg Baker & Maruri CEO Josette Winograd shared her advice for young lawyers on taking ownership of business development early, the strategies that no longer work, and how to use AI without sacrificing the personal relationships that matter most. Here is what she had to say.
Staci Zaretsky (SZ): What are lawyers still doing that doesn’t really work anymore, and what should they be doing instead?
Josette Rodriguez-Winograd (JRW): Waiting. The traditional model was passive. Partners “waited for the phone to ring” or waited for a rainmaker to retire, at which point they’d slowly pass on the relationship to the next generation, who would repeat the same pattern 15 to 20 years later.
That model doesn’t work anymore because the industry has drastically changed. Waiting for a relationship partner to bequeath their book is a lot like waiting for an inheritance that will never come. Clients hire lawyers, not firms, so even if a young lawyer positions themselves as a successor, they should recognize that there are incumbents at other firms competing for that same opportunity.
Business development is a significant part of your job. Lawyers have to take responsibility for building their own client base from the start. To do that, young lawyers should invest in the relationships they already have. Keep your law school friends close. Get to know the people on in-house legal teams and the co-counsel you work alongside. Make a conscious effort to meet people outside your immediate circle through industry and professional events. You never know where your first client will come from.
SZ: When does technology make BD better, and when is there no substitute for being in the room?
JRW: AI is a great tool for getting up to speed on a client’s history, issues, and competitors quickly. Checking LinkedIn to identify points of connection before a meeting is useful. Maintaining contact with a law school classmate across the country is certainly better than letting the relationship go stale. Technology can help you do all of those things more consistently and efficiently.
But they are also things everyone else has access to. They don’t differentiate you.
Winning business requires trust, and trust is still built through human interaction. AI can help you prepare. LinkedIn can help you connect. Zoom can help you stay in touch. But there is still no substitute for sitting across the table from someone, listening carefully, and building the kind of confidence that leads a client to hire you. Every firm has access to technology. Relationships remain the differentiator.
Read more here > Above the Law
