As part of The Managing Partners’ Table, we recently spoke with Jonathan S. Goodgold about building referral relationships, developing distinct practice areas, and finding the right partners to grow a law firm. Here are the key takeaways.
Referrals are a major source of business for many law firms, but building a strong referral network involves more than knowing a lot of people. Your professional contacts also need to understand the work you handle and recognize when to send someone your way.
For Jonathan S. Goodgold, managing member of Goodgold West Maitlin & Klein, those two elements go hand in hand. His approach to business development centers on maintaining relationships, becoming known for specific types of legal work, and bringing together attorneys whose practices create additional opportunities.
Give referral sources a clear reason to remember you
Jonathan has spent years developing his practice in collections, particularly matters involving professional services and consumer debt. It’s work that other attorneys, accountants, and business owners regularly encounter, even when they don’t handle it themselves.
Having a clear focus makes a difference. When another attorney needs help collecting on a judgment, they know the type of work Jonathan handles and have a reason to contact him.
The same principle applies across his firm. Jonathan describes colleagues who handle professional licensing, cryptocurrency-related matters, real estate litigation, and construction receivables. Each attorney has a targeted practice area that makes it easy for professional contacts to recognize potential referral opportunities.
For managing partners, it’s worth considering whether your attorneys are equally easy to identify by the work they do. If someone in their network encounters a particular type of matter, would they immediately know whom to call?
Build relationships where referral opportunities already exist
Jonathan’s approach to networking is straightforward: he enjoys meeting people, stays involved in professional organizations, and makes time to maintain relationships.
One example came from a New Jersey Association for Justice conference where he spoke on a business torts panel. Through the event, he connected with fellow panelists, spent time with existing clients, received introductions, and developed new client and referral opportunities.
He describes the trip as more than paying for itself.
Of course, the moral of the story isn’t that Jonathan attended a conference. He participated in a professional setting connected to the work he handles, where the people he met had reasons to encounter that work or introduce him to others who might.
For law firm leaders evaluating business development activities, the question isn’t necessarily how many events an attorney attends. It’s whether those activities help them establish and maintain relationships with people who are likely to encounter relevant referral opportunities.
Let attorneys develop business through their strengths
Jonathan is comfortable walking into a room full of people he doesn’t know. He also recognizes that not every attorney at his firm enjoys or excels at that type of networking.
Some partners develop business through existing professional relationships, colleagues, and connections formed while working on cases. Jonathan doesn’t expect everyone to attend the same conferences or join the same networking groups.
That’s an important point to keep in mind when setting goals for business growth. Rather than requiring every attorney to follow one approach, managing partners can look at where individual relationships already exist and how those connections can be developed.
An attorney who regularly works alongside other lawyers may benefit more from maintaining those connections than attending another networking event. Someone who enjoys presenting may find speaking engagements a better fit.
The objective remains the same: develop professional relationships that can lead to appropriate business opportunities.
Find partners who complement the firm
Jonathan’s approach to relationships also influences how he thinks about adding attorneys.
He looks for people who bring established practices, have compatible expectations, and want to contribute to the firm’s growth. Attorneys with complementary practice areas can create opportunities to refer work internally while broadening the matters the firm handles.
The firm’s operating structure supports that approach. Its COO, Harris Podvey, manages day-to-day financial and administrative responsibilities, allowing Jonathan to continue practicing law and developing business. That shared administrative support can also appeal to experienced attorneys who want to spend less time managing an office.
For Jonathan, recruitment is about finding people whose work, relationships, and approach to practicing law make sense for the firm.
Make referral clarity part of your marketing
At FocusWorks Marketing, we see a direct connection between how attorneys develop referrals and how their firms present themselves online.
A referral source may know an attorney personally, but that doesn’t mean they remember every type of matter the attorney handles. Clear attorney biographies, practice-area pages, and relevant website content can reinforce those associations.
Consider how your firm describes its attorneys. Do their profiles identify the types of matters they regularly handle, or do they rely on broad descriptions that could apply to almost anyone?
The goal isn’t to limit how attorneys describe their practices. It’s to communicate their work accurately and specifically enough that clients and referral sources can recognize when they may be a good fit. Jonathan’s experience illustrates how relationships, clearly defined practice areas, and thoughtful recruitment can work together as part of a firm’s growth strategy.
For more on his approach to networking, partner recruitment, and running a lean firm, watch or listen to our full conversation with Jonathan S. Goodgold on The Managing Partners’ Table.
🎥 Watch the full episode here → The Managing Partners’ Table
🎧 Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts
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