Here’s what most partners miss: The time to think strategically about client portability isn’t when you’re considering a move. It’s right now, while you’re building and nurturing those relationships.
You may be perfectly happy at your current firm today. But what happens if your firm merges with another and the culture no longer feels like a fit? What if you develop an interest in a practice area your firm doesn’t support, or you want to expand geographically into markets they won’t enter? What if your priorities shift and you need more flexibility than your current platform can provide?
A $1 million, $10 million, or $40 million book of business means options in those scenarios. But only if those clients come with you. If your “book” is just work that flows through you from firm-driven relationships, you don’t have a portable practice. You have a job that happens to generate revenue.
The most successful rainmakers we work with understand this distinction. They don’t just bring in business—they build relationships structured for maximum mobility. Not because they’re planning to leave, but because career changes happen. Industries evolve. Firm dynamics shift. Personal priorities change.
Here’s how the most strategic partners think about building relationships that travel with them.
The foundation of a portable relationship
The difference between a portable book of business and one that stays behind often comes down to a single question: When your clients have a business decision to make, are you their first call?
True client portability starts when you become more than just their lawyer for specific matters. You become their go-to resource for everything from business strategy to personal recommendations.
I’ve seen partners receive calls about travel agent recommendations, college counselor introductions, and even restaurant suggestions for important client dinners. These lawyers know their clients’ graduation dates, anniversaries, and business milestones.
They’re providing valuable legal services, yes, but just as importantly, they’re embedded in their clients’ decision-making process. They’re someone who truly understands their business and their world.
Does your relationship extend beyond your practice area(s)?
Here’s where many partners miss a crucial opportunity. When your client needs IP work and you’re a corporate lawyer, are they asking you which lawyer to use? Are you making the introduction and staying involved in relationship management?
If your clients are calling other firms directly for different practice areas, you’re missing a key indicator of the depth of your relationship. Portable clients see you as “their lawyer” with others as your team, not as one of many lawyers they happen to use.
How to make your relationship more portable in three steps
Building portable relationships requires intentional and systematic relationship maintenance that extends far beyond active matters. Ensure that you incorporate the following into your client relationship management.
1. Audit your clients’ needs
Look at your top clients and honestly assess: Are these transactional relationships or trusted advisor relationships? When they have a business decision that could involve legal issues, are you involved in the conversation from the beginning?
Identify gaps in cross-practice area trust. If your clients are using other lawyers within your firm but not going through you, that’s valuable information about the depth of the relationship.
2. Regular relationship maintenance matters
The most successful rainmakers we work with have quarterly check-ins with their top clients that aren’t tied to billable work. These aren’t “Hey, do you need anything this month?” calls. They’re scheduled relationship time where you ask about their business, challenges, and goals.
Are there new regulations affecting their industry? Market pressures they’re facing? Growth opportunities they’re considering?
This ties directly into what we call “learning continuously.” You need to stay current on their industry, not just the law.
3. Add value to your interactions and engagements
The partners with the most portable relationships are constantly providing value beyond legal work:
- Industry insights and market intelligence: You’re writing client alerts on issues that affect their business, speaking at their industry conferences, and getting published in the periodicals they read.
- Strategic networking: You’re attending their events, sponsoring their charities, and serving on boards of organizations they care about.
- Proactive outreach: When something happens in the news that affects their industry, you’re picking up the phone to ask if they need help, not waiting for them to call you.
One practical tip: Reach out to your top 10 clients annually and ask how you can assist them beyond their legal work. You may have sponsorship dollars available, or you can make strategic introductions within your network.
Thinking about going to a new firm? These factors could impact your clients
If you’re considering a move, the portability question becomes more complex. Not every client relationship will transfer, and that’s often due to the services you can provide, not just the strength of the relationship.
Is your (potential) new firm full-service or boutique?
Consider this scenario: You’re currently at a boutique regional firm handling corporate work for a client, but they also need labor and employment, real estate, and IP services. If you move to a more full-service firm, will that client follow you for all their work, or just the employment matters?
The answer often depends on how your client views you and your relationship.
If you’re their trusted advisor who happens to practice employment law, they might consolidate all their work with your new firm. If you’re their employment lawyer, who they also use for some corporate work, they may be more likely to split their business.
Will you have greater geographic and practice area reach?
Sometimes a move enhances your ability to serve clients. If you’re at a regional firm but your clients need national coverage, moving to a firm with broader geographic reach might allow you to capture a greater range of your clients’ business.
The key is understanding what your clients need that your current firm can’t provide, and being honest about whether those unmet needs represent real opportunities or just wishful thinking.
The ethics of client portability
This is where the conversation gets more nuanced. While it makes sense to want to know before a move which clients might be willing to come with you, ethics guidelines can make those conversations either impossible or put them in a gray area (which is never a good spot for lawyers to operate from when it comes to ethics rules).
You cannot and should not try to have these conversations on your own. Model Rule 1.6 establishes strict boundaries regarding the use and disclosure of client information. If you’re working with a recruiter, they should be able to recommend an ethics counsel who specializes in these issues.
As we discussed in our conversation about what most recruiters won’t tell you, there are trusted advisors who can help you navigate these waters properly rather than risking an ethics violation.
Your next steps
Think of client portability as career insurance. Even if you never make a lateral move, building these deep relationships benefits both you and your current firm through better client service and stronger client retention. Moreover, it can benefit you directly, if your current firm recognizes the portability of your clients, they’ll be apt to treat you better.
Whether you’re considering a move or just want to strengthen your practice, understanding the value of your book of business starts with understanding the depth of your client relationships.
If you’re curious about what your personal and professional life could look like when your firm supports your vision, let’s talk about what’s possible. The right firm will invest in helping you build even stronger client relationships because it understands that happy, well-supported partners serve their clients better.
