When you first start your legal career, you build your book of business by chasing down clients one-by-one through time-consuming networking efforts. Acquiring business on an individual basis is pretty much unavoidable at this stage, but it shouldn’t be that way for your entire work life.

As you gain expertise in your field, you can take advantage of promotional opportunities that will start to make your name synonymous with your specialties. To some extent, you may always have the typical coffees and lunches as part of your strategy, but wider-reaching speeches, TV interviews, social media exposure, and articles can allow you to become a minor celebrity in your practice areas so that clients request you specifically.

If you’ve authored books on the subject a client needs help with, they’re much more likely to accept higher fees as they feel confident in your qualifications and reputation. You’re unique among your competition, so pricing becomes less of an issue.

The unfortunate truth is that most lawyers never even try to create a personal brand or position themselves where potential clients ask for them by name. Many do twenty years of traditional networking and don’t think to employ these other tools. This works out in your favor if you’re willing to pursue brand-building opportunities that other attorneys may let pass them by.

If you’d rather not add hours and hours of networking events and meetings to your already busy schedule, begin establishing yourself publicly as an expert in your field. As you move forward in your career, the investments you make here will allow you to spend less time seeking new business because new business will come to you.