“When you start out as a young associate, you’re very focused on particular work. If you’re working in Warsaw, you have this Warsaw-centric focus,” observes David Rapalski from Baker McKenzie during a recent Platforum9 session. “It’s the role of BD to open the eyes and illuminate lawyers on the need for cross-regional functionality.”
The Regional Coordination Challenge
For multi-office firms, coordinating business development efforts requires careful structuring. “The BD team works under one person who’s coordinating a region,” Rapalski explains. “It’s basically the job of the individual BD teams to liaise with this person and they coordinate tasks throughout the region.”
Breaking Down Practice Silos
Success comes from bringing teams together regularly. “We started holding monthly meetings of all the CE offices – partners, counsels, and senior associates, plus the BD teams involved in private equity,” Rapalski shares. “We did a round table discussion: What’s going on in your market? What are the important things we should know? Who are the clients that you’ve met with? I know for a fact that we actually won some mandates because of this endeavor.”
The Technology Factor
While technology is crucial, adoption remains challenging. “You really can’t do some of these things without having a good CRM tool and without having people that are engaged with that tool,” Rapalski notes. “Law firms are very slow to accept innovation… but as we’re able to do more and more with the CRM tools, then the function of being a regional firm and doing cross selling and breaking down silos is supported.”
Recognition and Client Strategy
“We have a handful of associates that are the client relationship contact for these clients,” Rapalski reveals, discussing how younger lawyers are being given more responsibility. “When a younger lawyer is getting noticed, they’re being promoted internally and externally. This gives them the impetus to make their mark in external jurisdictions as well.”
The Future of BD
With AI transforming routine tasks, BD roles are evolving. “The BD function of drafting and preparing everything to do with legal directories – there’s very possibly going to become a time very soon where you actually don’t need a BD person,” Rapalski predicts. However, this automation allows BD professionals to focus on higher-value activities: “The most interesting part of this job is being able to position the lawyer, get them visibility, do the content marketing, the creative work.”
Looking Forward
For multi-office firms, success increasingly depends on breaking down traditional silos while maintaining local market expertise. “You have to find what areas you’re interested in,” Rapalski advises. “If you look at it from a broader perspective, then you can find rooms where you can grow and focus on, and that’s easy when you say I’m interested in X. I know that there’s other jurisdictions that are interested in X also.”
As law firms continue their international expansion, effective BD management becomes crucial for success. The key lies in combining sector-focused approaches with strong cross-border collaboration, all supported by evolving technology and a commitment to developing next-generation talent.
