Get more clients · 7 min read
How to Get Clients as a Lawyer
People hire the lawyer someone sent them to, or the one they found when it got urgent. Here’s how to be both — step by step, inside the advertising rules.
In short: How solo and small-firm lawyers get clients: one clear practice, lawyer-to-lawyer referrals, being found when it’s urgent, teaching, fast intake — inside the rules.
AI Hustle Team · Updated November 9, 2026
Here’s how most people find a lawyer.
They ask someone they trust. Or they search, worried, late at night.
That’s it. Two doors.
Your job is to stand behind both — and answer fast when someone knocks.
You do it with one hand tied. Lawyers can’t sell the way other businesses do.
That’s fine. The methods that work best are allowed.
What the rules let you do
Start here, so nothing below gets you in trouble. These are the ABA Model Rules:
| Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Advertise in any media (Rule 7.2) | Anything false or misleading, like promised outcomes (Rule 7.1) |
| Contact other lawyers directly, even live (Rule 7.3) | Live person-to-person solicitation, for your own gain, of people who need a specific matter (Rule 7.3) |
| Pay a qualified lawyer referral service its usual charges (Rule 7.2) | Paying anyone else for recommending you (Rule 7.2) |
| A non-exclusive reciprocal referral deal, with the client told (Rule 7.2) | Calling yourself a “specialist” without an approved certification (Rule 7.2) |
| A nominal thank-you gift (Rule 7.2) | Contacting anyone who told you to stop (Rule 7.3) |
Your state’s version is what binds you.
Many states add more — labels like “Advertising Material”, filing ads with the bar, waiting periods after an accident. Check yours before you send anything.
NextStep 1 · Pick a practice you can say in one sentence ↓step 1Pick a practice you can say in one sentence
“I do a bit of everything” is hard to refer.
“I help Pittsburgh business owners with contracts, partnerships and buyouts” is easy to repeat.
Referrals follow a clear sentence. Write yours down before anything else.
This guide follows one example: Sam Brandt, a solo business lawyer in Pittsburgh.
NextStep 2 · Build lawyer-to-lawyer referrals ↓step 2Build lawyer-to-lawyer referrals
Other lawyers turn away matters all the time: outside their area, a conflict, too small, too big.
Every one of those is a client looking for someone. And Rule 7.3 lets you contact other lawyers directly.
So list the lawyers whose clients run into your practice area:
| Firm | Practice | Why they fit | Contact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lin Family Law | Divorce | Clients who own a business need a buyout or new agreement | office@linfamilylaw.example |
| 2 | Haddon Estate Planning | Wills and trusts | Owners need succession plans for the company | Contact form |
| 3 | Ortiz Immigration Law | Immigration | Founders need entities and contracts | info@ortizimmigration.example |
| 4 | Mon Valley Real Estate Law | Closings and leases | Business tenants need lease reviews | Contact form |
| 5 | Kim & Abara Tax Law | Tax disputes | Clients restructuring after a tax problem | hello@kimabara.example |
Then write to each one. Lawyer to lawyer, short and specific:
Hi Teresa,
When one of your clients owns a business, the divorce often means a buyout, a new operating agreement or a sale. That’s all I do.
And I get family law calls I can’t take. I’d like to send them to someone good.
Coffee near the courthouse next week?
— Sam Brandt, Brandt Business Law · Pittsburgh
Notice the offer runs both ways.
Lawyers refer to lawyers who refer back. If you formalize it, Rule 7.2 says the deal can’t be exclusive, and the client has to be told.
NextStep 3 · Be found when it’s urgent ↓step 3Be found when it’s urgent
Some clients won’t ask anyone. They’ll search: “business partner dispute lawyer Pittsburgh.”
The lawyers who show up get the calls. Most of this is free:
- A Google Business Profile with the right category, hours and real photos
- Your state bar directory profile, filled in completely
- Your local bar’s lawyer referral service, if it has one
- One page on your site for each matter you handle, in plain English
- Phone and email answered the same day — every day
On all of it, follow Rule 7.1.
No “best lawyer in Pittsburgh”, no “we always win”. Say what you do, plainly, and nothing you can’t back up.
NextStep 4 · Answer the questions clients ask you every week ↓step 4Answer the questions clients ask you every week
Every practice has the same ten questions.
“Do I need an LLC or an S corp?” “Can my partner just leave?” “What happens to the business if I get divorced?”
Write one plain-English page for each. That’s what people find when they search at night.
Your AI team can draft them from your notes. You check every statement of law before anything goes up.
NextStep 5 · Teach in rooms where your clients already are ↓step 5Teach in rooms where your clients already are
People hire lawyers they’ve seen explain something clearly.
So teach. A 30-minute talk, one topic, no pitch:
- Chamber of commerce lunches — “What to put in a partnership agreement”
- CPA firm staff trainings — “The legal side of selling a small business”
- Library or small business center workshops — “Contracts every new business needs”
- Bank business-banking events — “Buying a business: what to check first”
Answer general questions from the front of the room. Save specific advice for a consult.
Afterwards, send the slides to the people who asked for them — and only to them.
NextStep 6 · Answer every inquiry the same day ↓step 6Answer every inquiry the same day
You did the hard part: someone found you and reached out.
Don’t lose them to a slow reply. Your AI team can read new inquiries every evening and draft the answers:
Website inquiriesWorkingstep 7Ask for reviews — the right way
When a matter ends well, clients often say thank you. That’s the moment to ask.
Ask everyone the same way. Never offer anything in return — Google bans it.
And if you post client reviews on your own site, check your state’s rules. Some states require a disclaimer next to testimonials.
NextWhat to do this week ↓What to do this week
- 01Write your sentence
Who you help, with what, where.
- 02List 30 lawyers
Practice areas whose clients need you.
- 03Send 10 notes
Lawyer to lawyer, referrals both ways.
- 04Fix your profiles
Google, state bar directory, referral service.
- 05Book one talk
A chamber lunch or a CPA firm’s staff training.
Or hand the list and the first notes to your AI team, and spend the week on client work.
Questions
How do new lawyers get clients?
Mostly through referrals and being easy to find. Pick a practice you can describe in one sentence, build referrals with lawyers in other practice areas, fill in your Google and bar directory profiles, and answer every inquiry the same day.
Can lawyers cold email potential clients?
The ABA Model Rules ban live person-to-person solicitation of people who need a specific matter, not written messages. But many states add rules for targeted emails and letters — labels, filing or waiting periods — so check your state bar’s rules first.
Can I pay for legal leads?
Be careful. Rule 7.2 bans paying anyone for recommending you, apart from narrow exceptions like a qualified lawyer referral service’s usual charges. Before you buy leads, ask your state bar’s ethics hotline.
Is it okay to ask clients for Google reviews?
Yes, as long as you don’t offer anything in return and you never reveal confidential details when you reply. Some states have extra rules for testimonials on your own website.
Can AI help a law firm get clients?
It can do the legwork: build the list of lawyers who could refer to you, draft each note, write your practice-area pages and draft intake replies. You approve every message, and you do the legal work.
Sources
- ABA — Model Rule 7.1: Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services
- ABA — Model Rule 7.2: Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services: Specific Rules
- ABA — Model Rule 7.3: Solicitation of Clients
- Google — Prohibited and restricted content on Maps (fake engagement)
- Google — Tips to improve your local ranking on Google
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