Successful lawyers are not just good at being legal specialists. The really good ones have taken the time to get to know and understand their clients’ businesses (the lack of such knowledge has long been a pet peeve of clients, according to numerous surveys over the years). For those who have taken the time and effort to do so, the legal marketing rewards are significant.
Most business people do not have the time nor desire to educate lawyers on how the legal work may impact their company. If a lawyer is business savvy, the chances of being retained by the client are greater, not only for more legal work but for business counseling as well.
As pointed out in a recent post on The Greatest American Lawyer, “(L)awyers have become so myopic that they often forget how much knowledge, information and expertise they really have.” I’m not sure how myopic lawyers are; but, if they were to focus beyond just the legal issues, and more on the business’ overall situation and concerns, they could be in a position to develop more work as a client’s business advisor.