In an exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Deborah Farone, a leading expert in legal marketing and business development, shares her insights into building successful, authentic client relationships and creating effective marketing strategies. With over 30 years of experience in the legal field, including as the CMO at prestigious firms such as Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP, Deborah has helped countless law firms develop their marketing, business development, and operations strategies.
Deborah Farone is a leading expert in professional services marketing and a former Chief Marketing Officer at two prestigious U.S. law firms, Cravath, Swaine and Moore LLP and Debevoise and Plimpton LLP. With over two decades of experience, she advises law firms on strategic planning, operations, marketing strategy, and business development. She is the author of the bestselling book Best Practices: Marketing and Business Development for Law Firms and Breaking Ground: How Successful Women Partners Build Thriving Practices. Farone is also an active speaker, educator, and advisor, contributing to academic institutions and professional organizations across the legal industry.
You’ve advised many of the world’s leading law firms and just published Breaking Ground: How Successful Women Partners Build Thriving Practices. Why did you decide to focus this book specifically on women partners, and what gap in the conversation were you hoping to address?
For many years, I had been hearing a quiet but persistent drumbeat from many of the women lawyers I worked with. While my work has always involved both men and women, women partners would often tell me that they had few female role models when it came to developing business. Many felt they were trying to learn a critical skill without clear examples to follow, even though they knew that the ability to develop business was essential to long-term success at their firms. At the same time, I was meeting extraordinary women who had become exceptional rainmakers. They had built thriving practices, often by developing approaches that felt authentic to them. In many ways, this book grew out of a desire to bring those two groups together. I wanted to capture the stories and strategies of the women who had found their own paths to business development and share those insights more broadly. While the lessons in this book are not limited to women—and I believe men will find them equally valuable—I chose to focus on women because many face particular challenges in building practices. Developing the ability to generate business can give lawyers greater control over their careers, the flexibility to shape their work and lives, and the opportunity to pursue leadership roles or even build their own firms.
In your research, you’ve found that the most successful rainmakers don’t follow a rigid formula, but lean into their own style. What did you learn about authenticity in business development, and how can professionals start finding approaches that feel natural rather than forced?
I have always been deeply interested in helping lawyers build strong, sustainable practices, whether that means developing new business, deepening client relationships, or becoming more confident and intentional about client service. That work has never been limited to women. But over many years of advising law firms, I kept hearing the same quiet refrain in conversations with women partners.
That led me to interview 60 of the most successful women rainmakers I could find. The goal was not to create a single model of success, but to surface the many different, authentic ways these women built thriving practices and to make those insights visible, practical, and usable for the next generation of women partners.
Many talked about the absence of senior women they could point to as role models. Others described missing out on the informal networks where relationships are built, opportunities are surfaced, and confidence is reinforced. Those networks often form naturally among people who look alike or share similar life experiences, and historically, that has favored men.
I realized there was a real gap in the conversation. We were talking a lot about the challenges women face, but far less about what actually works. I wanted to shift the focus from barriers to blueprints. One of the biggest tips in any blueprint I heard was that the women who are most successful engage in marketing that is authentic to them. They don’t necessarily go to cocktail parties and golf outings, but many are involved in interesting community programs or they may even be athletic and invite their clients and other colleagues to join them on walks. They are finding activities that they enjoy partaking in, and inviting clients along!
Trust sits at the core of any professional services relationship. Beyond obvious technical expertise, what behaviours or habits actually build trust with clients over time—and what are some small, everyday ways professionals can demonstrate that trustworthiness?
Trust really is the foundation of any professional services relationship, and while technical skill is essential, it is only one part of the equation. The lawyers and advisors who earn deep, lasting trust tend to do three things consistently.
First, they never stop refining their skill and expertise. Clients assume competence, but trust grows when they see a professional staying current, anticipating issues, and offering thoughtful guidance before a problem becomes urgent. That ongoing commitment signals reliability and seriousness about the client’s business.
Second, they show up authentically. Clients can tell when someone is performing a role rather than being themselves. Trust builds when professionals communicate in a way that feels natural and honest, admit when they do not have an immediate answer, and follow through on commitments. Small habits matter here. Being clear instead of overly polished, returning calls when promised, and saying “I will find out” rather than bluffing all reinforce credibility.
Finally, trust is strengthened through empathy. The strongest relationships come from truly understanding what a client is dealing with beyond the legal issue in front of them. That means knowing the pressures they face, the risks they worry about, and the internal dynamics they are navigating. Everyday actions like asking thoughtful questions, remembering context from prior conversations, and tailoring advice to the client’s real-world constraints demonstrate that you are not just solving a problem, but invested in their success. There has been a great deal written about trust in the banking profession, but unfortunately, not that much attention has been paid to it in the legal business.
You describe business development as a long-term cycle of staying in touch, tracking where people go, and following up with genuine care. How should early- and mid-career professionals think about building a network from scratch, and what role can technology realistically play in supporting that?
Business development is rarely about a single moment or a single pitch. It is a long-term cycle of staying in touch, paying attention to where people go, and following up with genuine interest over time. For early- and mid-career professionals, the most important mindset is to start early and think long-range.
Your first network is often closer than you realize. The people you went to school with, trained alongside, or worked with early in your career are all on their own professional journeys. Today’s junior associate at a bank or startup may become a general counsel, CEO, or founder years down the line. Staying in touch does not mean asking for business. It means maintaining real relationships, checking in periodically, and being curious about what others are building. One of the women I interviewed for my book “Breaking Ground,” remains close to the people she attended elementary school with, and today, they refer business to one another.
It is also important to remember that business development is a learned skill, not an innate trait. Rainmakers are not born overnight. They develop through practice, repetition, and comfort built over time. Small, consistent actions matter more than grand gestures.
Technology can be a practical support if used realistically. Simple systems like a CRM, a spreadsheet, or even calendar reminders can help track contacts, career moves, and follow-ups. The goal is not automation for its own sake, but using tools to support thoughtful, human connection rather than replace
Many firms want to make your findings actionable but struggle with one-size-fits-all training. What can organizations do differently—around early BD training, personality-aware opportunities, and modeling empathy—to help more of their professionals become effective, authentic rainmakers?
Many firms struggle because business development training is often delivered as a single program for everyone, regardless of seniority, practice, or temperament. What I’ve seen works much better for my clients is meeting professionals where they actually are.
Early-career lawyers need foundational exposure that feels practical and low-pressure. That might include understanding how relationships develop over time, how to stay in touch appropriately, and how business development fits naturally into excellent client service. As lawyers become more senior, training should become more tailored to their practice area, client base, and personal style. Different practices develop business in different ways, and training should reflect that reality.
Personality-aware opportunities also matter. Not everyone thrives in group settings, and many lawyers are understandably sensitive to public criticism. Offering coaching alongside training allows people to ask honest questions, work through discomfort, and build confidence privately. Coaching helps normalize the learning curve and reinforces that business development is a skill, not a personality test.
Finally, organizations need to model empathy. When leaders acknowledge that this work can feel uncomfortable and give lawyers room to grow at their own pace, they create the conditions for more authentic, resilient rainmakers to emerge.
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CanadianSME Small Business Magazine. Our platform is dedicated to fostering dialogue and sharing insights that inspire and empower small and medium-sized businesses across Canada.
