How Lawyers Should Pitch Themselves to Clients

While lawyers easily advocate for clients, they often have a hard time selling their own services. A leading rainmaker, James Gilliland of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, breaks down how to market yourself. These tips apply to not only firm lawyers building books but also in-house lawyers who also need to build relationships:

1. Listen to your clients so you can fully understand the problem. Then commit to solving it. (“If solving the problem means winning the case, then the client must be confident my team and I can do that. If it means finding a prompt, beneficial resolution to end the dispute, then we need to be ready and able to do that too. In every instance the client’s needs must be first and foremost at all times.”)
2. Before meeting with prospective or current clients, put yourself in their shoes. Ask yourself what they would want to know to make a big decision.
3. Be authentic. For external lawyers, it’s ok to tell a client that you are not the right person for the job, e.g., if they are looking for a lawyer to be a jerk on a case and that’s not your style. (You gain credibility for honesty and for when you pitch what you are great at.)
4. Build relationships. James notes that “every person you work with is a potential client someday.” The junior lawyers and in-house counsel may make hiring decisions in the future. Show them today that “you are a capable, responsive, problem solver and then stay in touch with them as their careers progress. When they have the opportunity to decide who to hire in the future, they will remember you. Nurture those relationships!”