Beyond Referrals: How Clients Scout Lawyers in 2025

Let’s get it out of the way: Referrals still reign supreme when it comes to getting new clients. In the 2025 edition of Greentarget and Zeughauser Group’s survey of decision-makers, “recommendations from sources you trust” is the No. 1 method clients use to find new outside counsel, cited by 92 percent of in-house counsel and 86 percent of C-suite executives.

While referrals remain the dominant go-to method for your potential clients, they are also frustratingly finite: Your potential referrals are limited by your personal network. While the Pew Research Center estimates that most of us have about 634 ties in our overall networks, the number of relationships we can maintain for mutual benefit (i.e., I do your legal work, and you refer me to a friend) is 150.

So how can you attract clients outside your 150 ties? Let’s look at the other tactics your prospects turn to:

Publications and Presentations.

Writing and speaking take second place, with both in-house counsel and C-suite leaders, used by 78 percent and 74 percent, respectively. And for good reason: both provide the equivalent of free samples of your perspective and your approach – exactly why they would hire you. The influence of your writing and speaking is amplified when it is delivered through a publication, organization or event they highly trust.

Professional Biography.

If your law firm website was a store, the biography is your product description, showing potential clients your experience, background and – ideally – the benefits they can expect by hiring you. Bios are reviewed by 67 percent of in-house counsel and 74 percent of business leaders.

Related, your LinkedIn profile matters, too: It’s consulted by 62 percent of in-house lawyers and 74 percent of the C-suite.

Content.

While they lack the third-party endorsement of a major publication or trade organization newsletter, blog posts on topics that are relevant to their particular industry or issue are used by a majority of potential clients in the scouting process – 62 percent of in-house counsel and 57 percent of executives.

Peer-Driven Rankings and Directories.

Love them or hate them, accolades like Chambers, Benchmark, IP STARS and others still carry weight with more than half of your prospective clients – 56 percent of in-house lawyers and 62 percent of executives.

Quotes in Relevant Media Outlets.

Being quoted as an expert source helps with fewer than half (42 percent) of in-house lawyers, but earned media remains a popular way to reach business leaders, with 51 percent considering quotes in their attorney searches.

What’s not on the list?

Posts on X (formerly Twitter) took a precipitous drop in this edition of the survey, going from use by 48 percent of the C-suite to just 36 percent, and from 21 percent of in-house lawyers to just 13 percent.

Meanwhile, law firms should not be overly concerned with their Wikipedia pages, referred to by 24 percent of C-level executives and 13 percent of in-house lawyers.

What does this mean for you?

To reach potential clients outside your immediate network – and to bolster your standings among referrals who look you up – consider four activities:

1. Pursue writing and speaking opportunities with outlets that are relevant to your target clients. Think beyond bar events; what conferences or conventions do your prospects attend? Where do they speak or sponsor? What do they read? Some light Linkedin stalking can be very informative.
   Want to be a true authority in your priority industries or markets? Consider conducting a survey to position yourself as an authority with exclusive insights.
2. Update your firm biography. This website page may be the most powerful document in your marketing arsenal, capturing the attention of two out of three in-house counsel. Make it current and compelling, and make sure it provides evidence of your capabilities, not just claims.
3. Show your expertise through content. Publishing insights and analysis on your firm’s website gives you an owned media channel that can impress potential clients and draw additional traffic, expanding your network even more. Make it useful, current and concise.
4. Take a purposeful approach to awards and rankings. The Greentarget/Zeughauser report refers to these as “icing on the cake” for your prospects; they may not get you the work on their own, but they can serve as a third-party seal of approval in the consideration process. Survey your competition: Where are they ranked? Where can you unseat them? Are there any industry awards – e.g., the Widget Industry Lawyer of the Year – that could mean more to your clients than another lawyer-to-lawyer prize?

Choose one award you can either add or upgrade, and play to win.

In 2025, nearly half of attorneys and law firm marketers said that business development will be harder than in 2024, according to BTI Consulting – and that was before increased chatter about a possible recession. In this kind of environment, it’s dangerous to rely on passive referrals alone; improve your business development probabilities with marketing communications tactics that are shown to get the attention of the prospects who matter most.