Many lawyers invest dozens of hours annually in their professional development. They delve into new legislation, take continuing professional development courses, and continuously sharpen their legal knowledge. This is logical, as expertise forms the foundation of the profession.
Strikingly, another success factor often receives much less attention: the ability to build relationships, be visible in the market, and acquire new assignments. That is where the problem lies.
For no matter how good a lawyer is, without clients, legal expertise remains invisible. Yet the word 'sales' still evokes resistance in many law firms. As if commerce is not part of the profession. Or worse: as if commercial skills detract from legal quality.
That thought deserves some nuance.
Why does commerce feel uncomfortable for many lawyers?
For many professionals, commerce evokes images that do not align well with the identity of a lawyer. Thinking of sales quickly leads to associations with pushing, persuading, chasing targets, or selling products. That image clashes with how many lawyers see themselves. They want to provide independent advice, be strong in substance, and place their client's interests first.
Therefore, a curious contradiction often arises: a lawyer wants to help clients but feels resistance to anything resembling acquisition or commercial development. The only question is whether that contradiction actually exists.
After all, what is commerce, really?
At its core, commerce revolves around understanding needs, developing relationships, and creating value for others. That is surprisingly close to what many lawyers do every day.
That is precisely why it is striking that skills related to relationship development, visibility, and practice building still receive relatively little attention within many firms.
Can you still rely fully on word-of-mouth advertising these days?
Word-of-mouth marketing remains one of the most powerful ways to acquire new clients. A recommendation from an existing contact often has more impact than any marketing campaign.
At the same time, reality has changed. Potential clients today orient themselves differently than they did ten or twenty years ago. They search online, compare firms, read articles, view LinkedIn profiles, and form a first impression even before an introductory meeting takes place.
That does not mean that word-of-mouth advertising has become less important. It does mean, however, that reputation is built in multiple places these days. A recommendation might open the door. Visibility, relevance, and trust then determine what happens behind that door.
When do you actually work on your practice as a lawyer?
Most lawyers pay close attention to improving their legal knowledge. Much less attention is paid to questions such as:
- How visible am I to the market in which I want to be active?
- How do new clients get in touch with me?
- Which relationships deserve more attention?
- How do I distinguish myself from other firms?
- Which clients actually fit my expertise best?
- How do clients experience the conversations I have with them?
Those are not marketing questions. Those are practical questions.
For a successful law practice consists of more than legal quality alone. Trust, visibility, relationships, and the ability to make a difference for the right clients also play an important role.
That is precisely where a blind spot often lies. Many professionals assume that these skills develop automatically as their experience grows. In reality, this also requires awareness, self-knowledge, and development.
What makes commercial lawyers successful?
Successful lawyers rarely distinguish themselves through legal knowledge alone. Within many specialized fields of law, the substantive quality is high. The difference often arises in the way they develop and maintain relationships and draw attention to their expertise.
A number of characteristics recur regularly.
They actively invest in their network
Strong relationships do not form the moment a task is required. They are built over years through encounters, conversations, and genuine interest in the other person.
They make their expertise visible
Good lawyers do not wait for the market to discover how expert they are. They share insights, publish articles, speak at events, and are present where their target audience is located.
They understand their client's world
Legal knowledge remains important, but clients primarily seek someone who understands their challenges. Professionals who know how to connect legal expertise to their client's practice build trust more quickly.
They view commerce as part of their profession
Not as something that exists alongside the work, but as a logical part of it.
- A client meeting.
- A networking conversation.
- A presentation.
- An article.
- A LinkedIn post.
They are all moments when relationships are strengthened and trust is built.
Why does commercial development begin with self-knowledge?
Ultimately, commercial development does not begin with techniques, but with insight into your own behavior. Many lawyers invest a great deal of time in their legal development, but less often reflect on the impact of their behavior on clients, relationships, and practice development.
Questions that play a role in this include, for example:
- How do you really listen to a client?
- Which questions do you ask, and which ones do you avoid?
- How do you deal with resistance or critical feedback?
- How do you build trust in conversations?
- How do you present yourself and your expertise?
- How visible do you want to be in the market?
These questions seem simple, but they have a major impact on how clients perceive you and whether they ultimately choose you. Moreover, changing behavior requires self-reflection, feedback, and the willingness to critically examine established patterns. That is precisely why commercial development is much less about sales techniques than is often thought, and much more about communication, visibility, relationships, and trust.
Is it time to take sales out of the taboo sphere?
Sales remains a loaded word for many lawyers. Yet this does not alter the reality that every commercial practice is ultimately dependent on clients. The question, therefore, is not whether commerce is part of the profession, but how it is implemented.
The specific implementation varies from lawyer to lawyer. While one publishes and speaks at events, another opts for relationship management, network development, or an active presence on LinkedIn. What these activities have in common is that they:
- Making expertise visible;
- Strengthening relationships;
- Building trust;
- Connecting the right people.
Commercial activity is therefore much closer to the profession than is often thought. It is not about selling in the traditional sense of the word, but about being visible, developing relationships, and adding value for the people who need your expertise. For many successful lawyers, this is not a side issue, but an essential part of sustainable growth.
From legal expertise to a successful practice
Legal expertise forms the basis of every successful law practice. The question is what happens after that expertise.
How do you build visibility? How do you develop sustainable client relationships? How do you ensure that your knowledge leads to trust, new assignments, and growth?
Those are precisely the challenges Stan van Wersch can help with. In training sessions on practice development, acquisition, network development, and communication skills, participants discover how to grow their practice in a way that aligns with their personality, ambitions, and expertise.
Curious how your firm or practice can become more visible in the market? Stan would be happy to discuss this with you.
