Make It Matter: Rainmaking in a Market Transformed

The most successful rainmaker of 2000 wouldn’t stand a chance in 2025. Not because they lost their charm or skill — but because the market has changed so dramatically in recent years.

Back then, proximity and inheritance often mattered more than process. A handful of rainmakers built their books on the golf course or at the bar, over long dinners and conference hallways. Clients rarely moved. Decision‑makers stayed put. Business flowed through loyalty and personal chemistry.

Today, the only constant in the legal services market is increasing competition and uncertainty — a reflection of market shake‑ups over the last several years. CLOs and GCs operate as strategic advisors; panels rotate; budgets are managed with rigor. Diversity broadened who gets access and who gives it. Client needs are more complex and their expectations for outside counsel higher. Client experience is a differentiator.

You’ve mastered excellent lawyering. The goal isn’t to take on a new burden or continue to turn to account management when you have time. It’s to commit to carving out time and work smarter — with technology and teamwork — and to be consistent and strategic in how you show up for the relationships who matter most right now. Your success there will determine your ability to tap into and create opportunities that lead to the new business you want most.

So how does an ambitious rainmaker find success in a market transformed?

Start by accepting that growth is core to modern lawyering. The administrative parts of relationship management used to make it feel like a burden best left to marketing. Marketing is vital — and so is your direct, consistent engagement. Today, AI and technology take on much of the admin so you can invest your energy where it counts most: staying top of mind with the people who matter most.

Recent research backs this up. In November 2024, Harvard Business Review published “What Today’s Rainmakers Do Differently,” a study of doer‑sellers — professionals who both deliver work and develop business. The research revealed that rainmakers who keep growing share three habits that compound over time: they commit to business development as a vital part of the job, they engage key contacts on a regular rhythm, and they stay curious about where they can create value next.

Keep those habits front and center and your rhythm gets clearer: build consistency, expand your network, strengthen existing client relationships. When that cadence slips, top‑of‑mind awareness fades, trust erodes, and good opportunities go elsewhere.

As a law firm CMO, I’ve helped hundreds of lawyers win new opportunities and find their path to growth. At Nexl, we use technology and a simple, adaptable process — grounded in being of service to your most important clients and contacts — to help lawyers stay in the right conversations at the right time. There isn’t a one‑size‑fits‑all plan. What follows is a straightforward foundation you can adapt to sustainably integrate growth into your day‑to‑day.

Think 12–18 months ahead. Which clients, markets, and matters should define your growth? Be intentional about the work you want more of, the expertise you want to deepen, and where you want a presence.

Start by asking:

· Which matters deliver both profit and satisfaction?

· What work creates repeat business or deeper relationships?

· Where do your expertise and curiosity intersect?

Use the data you already have for account planning — originations, referrals, expansions, matter mix, margin, and client feedback. Let it paint a picture of each relationship: where trust is strong, where your work lands, and where there’s appetite for more.

With clear goals in front of you, align practice development with your investment in client and business development. Concentrate your presence where clients already pay attention, publish in the outlets they read, show up at the forums they attend, and keep building capabilities tied to the matters you want next. Keep content, talks, client updates, and CLE pointing to the same throughline. Bring in Marketing/BD to shape materials that support the relationships you’re prioritizing. And widen the circle: collaborate with peers and adjacent professionals along the value chain—accountants, bankers, consultants, technologists—as well as colleagues across the firm to co-author, co-sponsor, or co-host when it advances the client. The result is a cohesive market posture that meets the audience on its terms.

For example, if you’re a white‑collar practitioner, write for leading FCPA outlets, attend the NACD conference, pursue recognition in the space, and build your referral network and focus list around those in the FCPA community.

Don’t over‑segment your network. Keep a single list of important relationships — clients, prospects, colleagues, alumni, referral sources, and the interesting people you meet along the way. Prioritize against your plans and available time. Some weeks you’ll do more; other weeks less. A steady system lets you go with the flow without losing momentum. Think of your list as a relationship portfolio, and your system as the minimum investment it deserves.

A sample cadence to consider:

· Annually — reset your focus and goals (start with a financial target).

· Quarterly — reprioritize your relationship investments; add emerging voices; rekindle dormant ties.

· Weekly — decide what is critical to get done to show up for important relationships; plan the interaction; follow through; capture what you learned in your firm’s relationship system.

· Daily — keep abreast of developments using CRM dashboards, news feeds, and input from your BD team.

Keep the touches human and specific: coffee after a hearing, congratulations on a promotion or move, an intro that solves their problem. Relationships move from “we just met and you’re interesting” to “you’re my first call when something important happens.” A steady rhythm beats episodic presence.

To be effective, you need technology to help you manage important relationships and to collaborate with colleagues and professional peers. Technology doesn’t replace judgment; it supports service. Think of it as your BD assistant — helping you put the pieces together and manage multiples with grace.

Watch for engagement signals:

· How contacts interact with your marketing (events, webinars, newsletters, downloads).

· Touchpoints with others at your firm (who knows whom, recent meetings, introductions).

· Thought‑leadership consumption (which topics resonate with which contacts).

· Matter and timing clues (natural moments to check in).

At Nexl, we help lawyers bridge the gap between where they are and where they want to go by turning dispersed relationship data into a practical dashboard — surfacing warm paths, highlighting engagement with your marketing and thought leadership, and prompting timely action. Subtle, supportive, and focused on timing — so you can show up more often, with better context.

If your firm has marketing and business development professionals, use them. The most common mistake I see is not tapping the people who have a firm‑wide view — of lawyers and matters, strategic direction, and the resources that accelerate progress. Along this journey, your team can help you sharpen focus, connect with colleagues, package your ideas, amplify visibility, and keep momentum when you’re busy. Don’t go it alone.

· Service first — relationships decide outcomes; let everything serve that goal.

· Focus — choose the work you want more of in 12–18 months; set financial targets and let data inform account planning.

· Mindset — niche + who you serve sets your course; invest in practice development to become the big fish in your pond.

· One List — keep a single list of important relationships, refreshed quarterly; prioritize each week based on time and goals.

· Cadence — annually reset; quarterly reprioritize; weekly plan/engage/review; daily light visibility.

· Signals — watch marketing engagement, firm touchpoints, thought‑leadership consumption, and matter timing.

· Use your firm’s resources — partner with Marketing & BD to smooth and speed the path to success.

· Tech as helper — let CRM/ERM (and Nexl) be your BD assistant; they help you manage multiples and stay informed.

Lynn Tellefsen-Stehle is Head of Client Collaboration at Nexl and the 2025 President of the Legal Marketing Association’s Northeast Region. A former CMO and senior leader at top AmLaw firms, including Cahill Gordon & Reindel, she brings 25+ years of tech-forward experience in business development and client relationship strategy. Lynn helps lawyers build and scale client-development programs using smart technology and time-tested approaches. Connect with Lynn at: LinkedIn