Drawing on interviews with more than 60 leading women rainmakers, Deborah Brightman Farone identifies five consistent approaches to business development and what they mean for firms and BD teams.
When I set out to write Breaking Ground: How Successful Women Lawyers Build Thriving Practices (PLI 2026), my goal was straightforward: to understand how some of the most successful women in the legal profession actually develop business.
Not in theory, but in practice, across firms, geographies and personalities.
Through interviews with more than 60 women rainmakers around the world, a clear pattern emerged. While their styles differed, their underlying approaches were strikingly consistent.
Here are five key findings, and what they mean for lawyers (men and women) and the marketing and business development teams that support them.
1 Use authenticity as a strategic advantage
The most successful women lawyers are not trying to replicate a single model of rainmaking. They are building practices that reflect who they are.
For some, that means hosting small, highly curated gatherings. For others, it involves connecting through shared interests or community involvement.
Lawyers are much more likely to repeat business development activity if it is something with which they are comfortable. Not everyone likes public speaking at conferences, and some lawyers avoid cocktail parties like the plague.
Susan Eandi at Baker McKenzie is a fantastic labour and employment lawyer based in California. She has built meaningful client relationships through many ways that we might not normally call ‘BD’. For example, when her clients or prospects are in town, she often asks if they want to join her for a walk, or hike. These informal walks, an approach that reflects her personality, creates space for genuine conversation.
Authenticity is not just a personal preference; it is a strategic advantage.
It allows lawyers to engage consistently, build credibility and sustain their efforts over time.
The takeaway: There is no single ‘right’ way to develop business. The most effective approach is one that aligns with the individual lawyer, and firms should support and budget appropriately so that lawyers can utilise a range of methods rather than a single model.
2 Build trust deliberately and consistently
Trust emerged as one of the single most important drivers of business development success.
The women in Breaking Ground are not focused on selling. They are focused on becoming trusted advisors, people clients rely on for judgement, perspective and consistency.
While I couldn’t find many studies that covered how trust is built within the law firm perspective, there are several examples within the private banking industry which I believe are directly translatable to the legal profession.
This trust is built through small, repeatable actions: responsiveness, follow-through, thoughtful communication, and a genuine understanding of the client’s business. Natasha Harrison, who has built an incredible legal powerhouse, Pallas Partners, is widely recognised for her ability to combine legal expertise with commercial insight, reinforcing her role as a trusted advisor to clients.
It’s that combination, and the fact that she and her partners are incredibly responsive to clients, that has built her stunning reputation.
Importantly, trust is also built internally. Strong internal relationships often lead to collaboration, referrals and broader client opportunities.
The takeaway: Trust is not built in a single interaction. It is earned over time through consistency, and it should be treated as a core business development priority. We need to let lawyers in on that secret.
3 Invest in relationships long before you need them
The most successful lawyers are consistently investing in relationships, without an immediate agenda.
They stay in touch with clients, former colleagues and contacts across industries. They send notes, share relevant insights and acknowledge milestones. These efforts are often quiet and informal, but they are highly intentional.
As Annalisa Reale, a labour lawyer with the Italian firm Chiomenti, has demonstrated in her own practice, relationships built through shared interests and sustained engagement often lead to opportunities over time, without the need for overt pitching. She often entertains clients with their families, suggesting that they invite their spouses and families to join her at the opera. Her approach is long term and while she doesn’t expect work to immediately arise from these evenings, it generally will over time.
This over-time approach requires patience, but it ensures that when opportunities arise, these lawyers are already top of mind.
The takeaway: Relationship-building should be continuous, not reactive. Marketing and BD teams can support this by providing tools, prompts and content that make it easier for lawyers to stay engaged.
4 Make business development a daily habit
A common misconception is that business development happens in bursts, at events, conferences or during slower periods.
In reality, the most successful lawyers integrate business development into their daily routines. It may be as simple as sending a quick email, sharing an article or making time for a short conversation.
These actions are not time-intensive, but they are consistent. Over time, they compound. Ellen Holloman, a busy litigator at New York’s Kaplan Martin, often meets clients, prospects and friends for coffee. It’s something that even she, with a heavy client load, can find the time to do on a consistent basis.
This approach also reduces the pressure often associated with business development. Rather than viewing it as a separate task, it becomes part of how lawyers work.
The takeaway: Small, consistent actions are more effective than sporadic efforts. Firms should encourage daily habits and provide simple, practical ways for lawyers to stay engaged.
5 Shift from a transactional mindset to a relational one
The most successful women lawyers are not focused on individual transactions. They are focused on long-term relationships.
They see themselves as trusted advisors who understand their clients’ businesses, anticipate needs and provide value beyond the immediate matter. This mindset shapes how they allocate their time, communicate with clients, and define success.
It also leads to stronger, more durable client relationships, resulting in repeat work, referrals and sustained growth.
Lise Lotte Hjerrild of HortenDahl, a law firm in Denmark, recounts the story of a standout M&A transaction – a US corporation seeking a deal in Denmark – that came together because of two referrals from lawyers she had met years earlier. “You never know where a referral is going to come from,” she says. “Sometimes it’s someone you helped out with no expectation. That unpredictability is exactly what makes it so valuable.”
To stay connected, Lise-Lotte has developed a consistent approach to relationship-building. “I try to do at least one business development-related thing each day – whether it’s reaching out to someone, participating in an event, or posting something on LinkedIn,” she explains.
This shift is not limited to senior lawyers. It can, and should, be developed early in a lawyer’s career.
The takeaway: Business development is not about winning the next piece of work. It is about building relationships that generate work over time. Law firms should teach their lawyers at an early stage of their career to develop these relationships with those they met in law school, as summer associates and through all of their circles of friends.
A more sustainable model for growth
Taken together, these findings point to a more effective model of business development, one that is aligned with how clients make decisions and how relationships actually develop.
It is not about being the most visible or the most aggressive. It is about being consistent, thoughtful and aligned with the client’s needs.
For marketing and business development teams, this creates a clear opportunity: to support lawyers in building authentic relationships, developing trust and sustaining engagement over time.
The firms that do this well will not only differentiate themselves in the market, but they will also build practices that are more resilient, more collaborative, and ultimately more successful.
Deborah Brightman Farone is the founder of Farone Advisors LLC and former Chief Marketing Officer of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. Her firm helps lawyers, law firms and others in their business development and marketing. Breaking Ground: How Successful Women Lawyers Build Thriving Practices is available on Amazon or at www.pli.edu/breakingground.
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