An Associate's Perspective On Business Development

By Jason Idilbi (October 24, 2014, 9:33 AM EDT) -- The late actor Robin Williams, in one of our generation's most iconic films, "Good Will Hunting," gave the ordinary phrase "it's not your fault" a lasting pop culture legacy. To borrow the phrase in a much less somber context, I suggest to you, fellow associates, that it's not your fault if your perception of business development is slightly off the mark. From your first tentative steps in your law firm's hallowed halls, you have likely heard about the all-important and ever-present need to develop business to succeed in private practice. Hearing these abstractions, you might be tempted to mimic the visible and external-facing business development methods you see among your superiors. But that would be a misguided approach to your business development. Let's face it: taking your friends or acquaintances to Justin Timberlake concerts, professional sports games, 18 holes of golf at the Ocean Course, Sur La Table cooking classes, or high-brow steak dinners — all with the lofty goal of bringing in billable matters — is not how you as a law firm associate are going to develop your business....

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