AI Playbook for Rainmakers & Rising Rainmakers:

5 Ways to Save Time and Win More Work

By: Julie Savarino

About 67% of law firm leaders say their attorneys are too busy billing time to develop business. That is not a talent problem. It is a time problem – and time is exactly what AI can give back.

The lawyers with the biggest books of business do not have more hours in the day. They spend the hours they have on the right things: preparing well, asking good questions, following up consistently, staying visible, and growing existing relationships. Each of those activities has a time-consuming part that AI can now help with in minutes.

In my new JD Supra Perspectives article, I share 5 practical ways rainmakers, and lawyers who want to become rainmakers, can use AI to save time and win more clients and work.

What the Article Covers

1.     Prep for any client or prospect meeting in 10 minutes – and walk in with better questions, not more facts to present.

2.     Never let a follow-up slip – it takes an average of 9 contacts to win a new client, and most lawyers stop at 4.

3.     Turn your expertise into visible content faster – then send it directly to the people who care about the topic.

4.     Find new work hiding in your existing clients – where most firms leave the majority of their potential client share on the table.

5.     Pressure-test your pitch before you walk into the room – using AI as a sparring partner, not a speechwriter.

For each one, the article includes a plain-English request you can use today, plus the business development judgment most lawyers miss. That second part matters more than the first. AI can draft, summarize, and suggest. It cannot build trust, read a room, or decide what a client needs. Only you can do that.

Also Inside

•       3 ground rules for using AI safely, including protecting client confidentiality

•       What becomes possible when AI is securely connected to your firm's calendar, email, CRM, and matter data

•       5 mistakes to avoid

•       A simple way to start this week

Read the Full Article

AI will not make you a rainmaker. Listening, following through, and sincerely caring about your clients' success will. But AI can give you back the time to do more of what actually wins work.

Read the full article, including the requests you can copy and use today, on JD Supra: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/an-ai-playbook-for-rainmakers-and-9921842/

Then pick one of the 5 ways and try it before Friday.

Trending across Am Law and top professional services firms: bringing business development (BD) coaching in-house.

Firms are increasing ROI on marketing and BD spend by hiring full-time, dedicated BD coaches. Several Am Law 100 firms have already made this move.

Why it works:

🎯 Capacity gap: Marketing and BD teams are fully utilized executing requests; attorneys are focused on client work. No one consistently owns pipeline discipline and follow-through.

🎯 Missed opportunities and revenue: Leads from events are often not captured or followed up upon, and opportunities stall from lack of structured tracking and execution.

Coaching solves for both: It creates accountability, momentum, and measurable outcomes.

What an experienced in-house BD coach can deliver:

➡️ Consistency: A unified, trackable approach across practice groups replaces fragmented, point in time programs and efforts.

➡️ Culture change: Rainmaking becomes a habit across levels, not a one-time training event. Coaching is embedded in real opportunities as they arise and evolve.

➡️ Leverage: Coaches draft and support outreach, meeting prep, and follow-up - freeing attorneys to focus on high-value interactions.

➡️ Cost efficiency: One strategic hire often outperforms a rotating bench of external vendors.

The result: stronger client penetration, more new matters, better referral flow - and less wasted partner time.

If you are considering this model, three factors drive success:

1. Pilot first: Start small, prove impact, then scale.

2. Select for commitment: Partner with practice leaders to identify who is interested, then confirm attorneys are willing to invest time - not just those who expressed interest.

3. Right-size the model: Begin with 50 to 60 participants and scale toward roughly one coach per 20 to 30 ACTIVE attorneys.

A pilot is the lowest-risk way to validate impact and build internal momentum.

This is a model I have helped firms design, staff, and implement in-house - from pilot through full rollout - with measurable results.

If you are evaluating an in-house BD coach save this post.

If you want to discuss this model, please reach to Julie Savarino, julie@busdevinc.com, (734) 276-1900.

 

Fueling Innovation: Leading Pharmaceuticals Accelerating U.S. Research

Many forward-thinking pharmaceutical companies and other organizations already invest billions in university-led innovation - supporting everything from groundbreaking research and new technologies to cutting-edge facilities!

Join this free live stream on LinkedIn on July 30, 2025 to hear:

• Tari Suprapto, Senior Director, Global Search & Evaluation, Novo Nordisk US R&D
• John Wilson, Director, Academic Liaison, GSK, and
• Gaylene Anderson, US Director, Strategic Research Relationships, Boehringer Ingelheim

Discuss: 

1. The types of investments their pharmaceutical companies are making today.

2. Real-world examples of recent partnerships.

3. The areas of R&D and innovation they’re most interested in supporting and investing in.

4. Ways to propose a partnership, funding, or licensing opportunity.

4.              And take your questions live!

Don’t miss this opportunity to better understand how private-sector partnerships can help sustain - and supercharge - the future of U.S. research!

Link - https://www.linkedin.com/events/7345821353263964160/about/?originTrackingId=1iOzyDFfS4eJFXbcqdBKCQ%3D%3D

𝗖𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁? No worries! Click "Attend" on the link above, and you’ll automatically receive a replay link in your LinkedIn notifications after the live event ends.

 

Ready for new U.S. federal laws, regulations, and enforcement actions that may reshape industries, competition, pricing, M&A, consumer rights, and market dynamics in 2025 and beyond?

Attend this 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 and get an exclusive briefing on the critical cases and regulations currently in the DOJ and FTC pipelines that will transition to the new Trump administration and the potential implications!

🚨 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁: 𝗠𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱

📆 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰, 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟮:𝟬𝟬 𝗣𝗠 𝗘𝗦𝗧

🌟 Featuring Satya Marar, Visiting Postgraduate Fellow – Innovations, Competition & Governance at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University

𝗧𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗦:

• 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰: Key enforcement actions and cases moving forward under the new administration.
• 𝗙𝗧𝗖'𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀: Challenges to intellectual property rights and advancements in AI.
• 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: The impact of the new pre-merger notification rule and DOJ’s evolving enforcement strategies.
• 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀: Analyzing current and incoming U.S. antitrust leadership and their policy direction.
• 𝗡𝗲𝗼-𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Insights into the implications as the FTC and DOJ conclude their four-year run under this approach.

𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦? If you would like your questions to remain anonymous, send them to the live host Julie Savarino, and they’ll be addressed live during the discussion in a non-attributed manner.

𝗖𝗔𝗡’𝗧 𝗝𝗢𝗜𝗡 𝗨𝗦 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘? No problem! Click “Attend” via the link below to receive a notification on LinkedIn with a replay link to watch once the live event ends.

Don’t miss this opportunity to stay abreast of important information to optimize your business and practice in 2025 and beyond!

𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗞𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗡 - https://lnkd.in/esZ_igAm

𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 - https://lnkd.in/eMfamQtV

𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗨𝗕𝗘 - https://lnkd.in/eZz5eaCz

 

 

Want to boost visibility, engagement, and opportunities in 2025 - while saving time and resources?

Only TWO large law firms (both European-based) are actively live streaming as a firm-wide initiative off their company pages:

-- BIRD & BIRD: Their live stream, “Decoding the Data Act: Deep Dive Into Cloud Switching and Interoperability,” attracted 483 live attendees on LinkedIn alone and replay views typically exceed 50% of the live audience.

-- FIELDFISHER: “Debunking the EU AI Act: An Overview of the New Legal Framework” drew 242 live attendees and was reposted 22 times on LinkedIn.

Yet, other professional services firms are setting the standard:

-- DELOITTE: Reintroduced live streaming last year and now produces 10+ monthly live streams on thought leadership topics. One example, “Leading Conversations in AI: Retail & Consumer Products,” attracted 685 attendees, 77 comments, and 41 reposts on LinkedIn alone.

-- PwC SWEDEN: Hosts quarterly, industry-specific Q&A live streams, such as “Market Trends and the US Election: How Will the Fund Industry Be Affected?” This session drew 138 live attendees on LinkedIn.

WHY SHOULD LAW FIRMS EMBRACE LIVE STREAMING? Live streaming - especially on LinkedIn, the world’s largest business-to-business marketplace - offers:

🔹 INCREASED REACH: Amplify webinars, publications, and podcasts through algorithm-friendly, on-platform links and reposts.

🔹 COST EFFICIENCY: Use affordable, all-in-one streaming platforms to simultaneously broadcasting on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms that support live streaming.

🔹TIME SAVINGS: Streamline, stream, and repurpose podcasts, webinars, CE/CLE programs, and publication content.

🔹BUILDING RUST FASTER: Real-time engagement and interaction enhances credibility.

🔹 OPPORTUNITIES: Live streaming is growing by 30% annually.

COMMON LIVE STREAM MISTAKES TO AVOID:

1⃣ Ignoring comments: Display comments during the live stream and assign someone to respond to comments and engage live and after the event.

2⃣ Inconsistent branding: Ensure clear, polished titles and branding across streams.

3⃣ Underwhelming visual impact: Coach speakers to optimize on-screen presence.

4⃣ Disjointed processes: Centralize live stream production, hosting, and follow-up to streamline efforts, and track and report results.

5⃣ Wasting content: Use automatically generated transcripts and recordings to extend the value of the live stream content.

While literally ANYONE can live stream these days, producing and delivering live streams that get measurable results is NOT easy to do. Quality live streams drive real results, but they require careful planning and execution.

If you would like to:

✔️ Enhance your live streams,
✔️ Pilot a live stream event, or
✔️ Build a practice group or firm-wide live streaming program,

Please contact Julie Savarino for assistance.

 

Is Your Law Firm Missing out?

Leading professional services firms and companies are gaining significant advantages by live streaming, such as:

▪️ Boosting their brand
▪️ Reaching wider audiences
▪️ Increasing engagement
▪️ Generating opportunities

Join me and Zander Van Gogh LIVE on LinkedIn to hear about “How Live Streaming Builds B2B Brands & Drives Business” on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 at 12 noon ET!

Topics include:

-- Benefits of live streaming for businesses and ways to start.

-- Some top professional services firms successfully using live streaming.

-- Differences between live streaming and webinars.

-- Why incorporate live streaming into your firm’s marketing mix.

If you are interested but cannot make the live event, click “Attend” on the link below anyway -- because once the live event ends, you will automatically receive a link to the replay in your LinkedIn notifications to watch at your convenience.

LINK: https://lnkd.in/e6TeVMwB

 

Join us live on LinkedIn on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 at 12 noon ET to hear world-class expert, Deborah Grayson Riegel, the author of the excellent book, “Overcoming Overthinking: 36 Ways to Tame Anxiety for Work, School, and Life" discuss a myriad of ways to overcome anxiety and over thinking.

 

Deborah is a keynote speaker and consultant who teaches leadership communication at the Duke and Columbia Business Schools. She is a regular contributor for Harvard Business Review, Inc., Psychology Today, Forbes, and Fast Company. 

Deborah consults and speaks for clients all over the world, including for Amazon, BlackRock, KraftHeinz, and The United States Army and her work has been featured in worldwide media, including Bloomberg Businessweek, Oprah Magazine, and The New York Times.

 

Every live attendee will have a chance to win a FREE COPY of her outstanding book, “Overcoming Overthinking: 36 Ways to Tame Anxiety for Work, School, and Life"!

 

• To join the LIVE stream on LinkedIn, click here and then click the "ATTEND" button.
• On Wednesday, August 28, 2024 - look for this LIVE event to appear in your LinkedIn notifications or email inbox.
• If you’re interested, but can’t make the live event, click “Attend” anyway, because all attendees automatically receive a link to watch the replay after the live event ends.