Is Your Greatest Growth Opportunity Sitting Across the Table?

What You Know—and Don’t Know

Law firms know an extraordinary amount about their clients: revenue, profitability, realization, matters opened, and more. But how much do you really know about what your clients need, what they’re worrying about, and where they could use your help?

In a recent client interview, a head of litigation shared:

“They are doing all of the right things. They understand our business and our unique structure. They are incredibly responsive. I don’t have any complaints, but my advice to them is to take the time to understand everything else on our plate and help us understand how we could use them more. Or even better, take all that knowledge and insight from years of partnering and bring us themes, observations, improvements, and best practices so we can highlight those to our business folks. Help us be better internally. We want to work with them more, and they are sitting on a gold mine of information to do so.”

The client is extremely happy but seeking more from the firm. We often hear from clients wanting more, yet many lawyers struggle to ask their clients questions that push beyond legal issues or try to understand difficult business challenges.

An Opportunity Worth Considering

In Wicker Park Group’s 2025 client interviews, 91% of clients indicated they were open to introductions to additional lawyers from someone they already trusted. In 2018, that figure was 47%. Yet expanding existing relationships remains one of the most persistent challenges for law firms. I wonder if part of the disconnect is how firms approach the opportunity.

Clients aren’t necessarily looking to meet more lawyers. They want relevant expertise, alignment with how they like to work and communicate, fresh perspectives, and ideas that help them navigate their businesses more effectively. Perhaps the most effective growth conversations don’t begin with what else the firm can sell but with a better understanding of what the client is trying to accomplish.

Questions to Ask

As your firm begins thinking about its priorities and investments for the coming year, here are five questions to consider:

1. How well do we really know our most important clients? Beyond the work we’re doing today, do we understand their broader business priorities, challenges, and opportunities?
2. When was the last time we simply asked? Not about a specific matter or immediate legal need but about the business, challenges, the contacts’ experiences with the firm, and what would make us more valuable to them.
3. What are we learning that we didn’t already know? Are our client conversations challenging assumptions, uncovering opportunities, or helping us see the relationship differently?
4. What happens to the intelligence we gather? Are we connecting those insights across the firm and using them to inform how we serve clients, collaborate, and anticipate their needs?
5. What would our clients say has changed because we listened? It’s an interesting way to think about the impact of our client initiatives beyond the number of meetings, interviews, or relationship plans completed.

After more than 4,000 conversations with in-house counsel, one thing continues to stand out to me: Even your happiest clients often have more to tell you and more ways you can support them.

As you start planning for 2027, create more opportunities for those conversations, approach them with genuine curiosity, and be intentional about what you do with what you learn.