A
few
months
ago,
I
spoke
to
a
friend
who
is
a
small-firm
attorney
about
our
practices
and
how
we
each
develop
business.
Like
many
other
small-firm
lawyers,
my
buddy
and
I
rely
on
stable
referral
sources
in
order
to
generate
a
steady
stream
of
business.
My
friend
claimed
in
our
conversation
that
lawyers
rarely
refer
him
work
and
that
he
does
not
believe
that
attorneys
can
make
good
referral
sources
for
other
lawyers.
This
friend
claimed
that
most
lawyers
take
good
work
for
themselves,
and
all
of
the
matters
referred
by
other
attorneys
include
bad
clients
that
are
not
as
profitable
as
other
work.
However,
by
cultivating
the
right
network,
attorneys
can
rely
on
other
lawyers
for
a
steady
stream
of
referrals.
Out-Of-State
Lawyers
One
of
the
best
ways
to
obtain
referrals
from
other
attorneys
is
to
make
connections
with
lawyers
from
around
the
country.
The
practice
of
law
is
extremely
interjurisdictional,
and
a
lawyer
in
a
different
part
of
the
country
might
have
a
client
who
needs
counsel
in
another
part
of
the
country
to
effectively
handle
a
matter.
Since
lawyers
are
only
typically
admitted
to
practice
in
one
or
a
few
jurisdictions,
they
might
refer
such
matters
to
counsel
in
the
locale
where
the
client
needs
help,
or
at
least
engage
counsel
in
that
jurisdiction
to
get
advice
about
a
given
legal
matter.
I
am
fortunate
to
practice
law
in
the
New
York
City
area,
which
is
a
popular
jurisdiction
for
all
kinds
of
litigation
and
transactional
matters.
People
also
often
designate
New
York
in
forum-selection
clauses,
so
parties
from
all
over
the
country,
and
all
over
the
world,
might
need
to
litigate
in
this
venue
for
different
kinds
of
disputes.
I
have
contacts
in
several
different
jurisdictions,
and
when
a
client
of
one
of
these
lawyers
needs
to
litigate
a
matter
in
New
York
or
needs
to
understand
an
issue
under
New
York
law,
they
usually
reach
out
to
me
to
assist.
If
lawyers
keep
in
touch
with
law
school
friends
who
practice
in
different
jurisdictions,
or
they
cultivate
such
contacts
at
conventions,
they
can
set
themselves
up
for
referrals
if
a
geographic-specific
referral
is
required.
Retired
Lawyers
Eventually,
even
many
of
the
most
prolific
lawyers
need
to
wind
down
their
practices
and
retire.
In
my
career,
several
of
the
attorneys
who
used
to
employ
me
have
retired
upon
reaching
their
late
60s
or
early
70s,
and
they
needed
to
figure
out
what
to
do
with
their
files
and
clients
so
that
they
can
have
a
seamless
transition
into
retirement.
For
lawyers
who
work
at
larger
law
firms,
it
is
usually
easier
for
attorneys
to
hand
off
files
and
retire,
since
other
attorneys
at
the
firm
can
step
up
and
continue
working
on
the
retired
lawyer’s
matters.
However,
lawyers
who
retire
from
solo
practice
or
a
small
firm
might
need
to
refer
their
clients
to
other
practices
since
there
is
no
clear
succession
plan
in
place.
During
my
career,
I
have
received
a
number
of
great
referrals
from
retired
attorneys.
Some
of
these
lawyers
referred
matters
to
me
while
they
were
in
the
process
of
retiring,
and
other
attorneys
referred
clients
to
me
that
had
approached
the
retired
lawyer.
Since
people
might
naturally
approach
retired
lawyers
for
years
after
they
retire
because
clients
trust
these
individuals,
such
retired
lawyers
can
be
a
solid
source
of
regular
referrals
for
practicing
attorneys.
In-House
Or
Government
Lawyers
A
variety
of
lawyers
cannot
take
on
work
because
of
the
nature
of
their
jobs.
For
instance,
government
lawyers
might
be
approached
for
legal
advice,
but
they
are
unable
to
assist
prospective
clients
since
they
do
not
have
a
law
practice.
In-house
counsel
might
also
be
approached
about
assisting
prospective
clients,
but
they
might
not
have
the
knowledge
or
capacity
to
assist
prospective
clients
due
to
their
work
arrangements.
In
such
instances,
it
is
not
uncommon
for
such
lawyers
to
refer
prospective
clients
to
practicing
lawyers
they
know.
Since
these
attorneys
are
incapable
of
handling
the
matter
themselves,
lawyers
do
not
need
to
fear
that
the
matter
is
being
referred
to
them
since
it
is
not
worth
the
time
of
another
lawyer.
I
have
handled
numerous
matters
on
behalf
of
lawyers
who
are
not
in
private
practice,
and
this
can
be
a
solid
referral
source
for
practicing
attorneys.
In
sum,
certain
types
of
lawyers
can
be
solid
sources
of
substantial
and
recurring
referrals.
As
a
result,
lawyers
looking
to
expand
their
practices
should
try
to
keep
in
contact
with
other
lawyers
as
well
as
business
contacts
in
order
to
best
build
their
referral
networks.
Jordan
Rothman
is
a
partner
of
The
Rothman
Law
Firm,
a
full-service
New
York
and
New
Jersey
law
firm.
He
is
also
the
founder
of
Student
Debt
Diaries,
a
website
discussing
how
he
paid
off
his
student
loans.
You
can
reach
Jordan
through
email
at
jordan@rothman.law.