If you’re trying to grow your practice, “we do great work” isn’t a strategy. Being known in a sector is. It makes introductions easier, referrals warmer, pitching simpler, and follow-ups far less awkward — because you’re not starting from zero every time.
And yes, the market is crowded. There were 172,382 practising solicitors in England and Wales at the end of December 2025. That’s a lot of capable people competing for attention. Sector focus is how you stop being “one of many” and start being the person clients and referrers think of first.
This article shows you how to pick 3 industries and build a repeatable plan to become recognised in each — without pretending you suddenly have time for a whole new life.
Why 3 sectors (not 1, not 10)
- 1 sector can work, but it’s risky if the sector stalls, consolidates, or gets squeezed.
- 10 sectors usually means you’re “sort of active” everywhere and memorable nowhere.
- 3 sectors gives you focus and resilience. Enough variety to protect the pipeline, not so much that your activity becomes sporadic.
Think of it as a portfolio: 1 “core” sector, 1 “growth” sector, and 1 “relationship-rich” sector (where referrers and introducers are plentiful).
If you want a structured programme behind this approach, start with Tenandahalf’s page on Business development for law firms.
Step 1: Choose sectors using 3 filters (fit, fee, flow)
Here’s the simplest way to pick your 3:
1) Fit: can you credibly win?
Ask:
- Do you already have 2–3 matters (or close cousins) in the last 18 months?
- Do you have a partner, senior associate, or team member who actually enjoys the subject matter?
- Can you name 10 target organisations without Googling for an hour?
If the answer is no, it’s not a “no forever” — it’s just not a priority sector right now.
2) Fee: is the work worth the effort?
You’re not building a reputation for fun. Roughly outline:
- Typical matter value (e.g., £5k, £25k, £100k+)
- Likely repeat work
- Cross-sell potential (employment + commercial + IP + disputes etc.)
If your sector content and networking generates £30k of work a year, that might be brilliant — or pointless — depending on your practice and goals. Put a number on it.
3) Flow: can you generate consistent touchpoints?
Some sectors are “quiet” unless something goes wrong (which can still be lucrative, but marketing can feel awkward). Others generate natural reasons to stay in touch: regulation, funding rounds, seasonal cycles, industry events, reporting deadlines.
If you want consistency, pick at least 1 sector that naturally produces regular conversation triggers.
For support turning this into a workable plan, see Outsource marketing for law firms.
Step 2: Define 1 clear “point of view” per sector
“Full-service firm supporting the sector” is not a point of view.
A point of view sounds like:
- “Most supplier contracts in this sector fail in 3 predictable places — here’s how to fix them.”
- “Your biggest employment risk isn’t the tribunal — it’s the exit terms you didn’t document.”
- “If you’re scaling, your legal spend should drop as a percentage of revenue after Series A — unless X happens.”
You’re aiming for a repeatable insight that:
- shows you understand the sector’s reality, and
- creates a reason for someone to talk to you.
This is where client insight helps. If you want to gather it properly, look at Client listening for law firms, accountants and barristers.
Step 3: Build a “known for” list (not a generic target list)
For each sector, create a list of 30–50 names split into:
- 10 clients you’d love more of (or “clients like this”)
- 10 referrers (accountants, consultants, IFAs, brokers, corporate finance, recruiters — depends on the sector)
- 10–30 prospects (the organisations you want, plus the people inside them)
Then add 2 notes per name:
- “Why them?” (a real reason — change, trigger, growth, problem you can help with)
- “Next touchpoint?” (what you will do, and by when)
If you want to train fee earners to do this without it feeling like a sales exercise, BD training for lawyers, barristers and accountants is a useful reference point.
Step 4: Create a 90-day cadence you can actually sustain
Most sector BD fails because it’s “when I get time”. You need a rhythm.
A simple 90-day cadence per sector might look like this:
Weekly (30–45 minutes)
- 2 meaningful messages (commentary on a sector update, a quick “saw this and thought of you”, or a helpful introduction)
- 1 follow-up from your active matters list (clients are the best source of more work)
Fortnightly (60 minutes)
- Publish 1 short sector insight on LinkedIn (or as a blog snippet)
- Send 1 micro-update to referrers (3 bullets, no waffle)
Monthly (60–90 minutes)
- 1 coffee / call / Teams with a target contact
- 1 internal “cross-sell nudge”: “Here are 3 clients in sector X we should introduce service Y to, and why.”
If you want 1:1 support embedding habits like this, use BD coaching for lawyers, barristers and accountants.
Step 5: Use content properly (it’s a tool, not a diary)
Sector content isn’t “thought leadership” in the abstract. It’s a reason to:
- get back in touch,
- be introduced,
- stay visible without pestering.
Aim for content you can reuse in multiple ways:
- 1 blog → 3 LinkedIn posts → 1 email → 10 conversations
And make sure people can find it. If your sector positioning is solid but your visibility is weak, SEO service for lawyers and accountants is worth looking at.
You can also build credibility faster by presenting (even small). If presenting makes you nervous, there’s a practical route in Presentation skills training for lawyers, accountants and barristers.
Step 6: Decide what “known” means and measure it
If you don’t define success, you’ll drift.
For each sector, pick 3 simple measures:
- Pipeline: £ value of opportunities created in last 90 days
- Visibility: number of meaningful touchpoints (not likes — real conversations, replies, introductions)
- Reputation: invitations (to quote, speak, collaborate, or be introduced)
Then review monthly. Keep what works. Drop what doesn’t.
FAQs
How do you choose sectors if you’re a generalist or do lots of one-off work?
You don’t need to stop being a generalist. You’re simply choosing where you want to be most visible. Start by reviewing your last 12–18 months of matters and asking: which industries kept appearing, even indirectly? Often the pattern is hidden in who instructs you (founders, property operators, manufacturers, care providers), not just the legal label on the file.
Then test your shortlist with 3 quick checks:
- Credibility: can you name 3 matters you’ve done that a sector client would recognise as “our world”?
- Access: can you realistically get in front of people (events, LinkedIn communities, trade bodies, referrers)?
- Economics: does the sector generate work that makes sense for your targets (even if the first win is small)?
Pick 3 sectors where you can build momentum quickly. You can always rotate a sector out after 6 months if it’s not producing flow.
How long does it take to become “known” in a sector?
You can become noticeably more familiar in 90 days if you’re consistent. Truly “known” is usually 6–12 months, depending on your starting point, how concentrated the sector is, and whether you’re active where the sector gathers (events, trade press, LinkedIn, introducers).
The key is frequency and relevance, not volume. 2 useful touchpoints a week beats 1 big push every quarter. In practice, you’re aiming for:
- regular micro-visibility (posts, comments, short messages),
- a handful of meaningful conversations each month,
- and 1–2 credibility moments (a talk, a guest article, a roundtable).
What if you pick the wrong sectors?
That’s why you pick 3 — and why you review monthly. The mistake isn’t choosing imperfectly; it’s sticking with a sector out of stubbornness while your activity becomes performative.
Give each sector a fair test:
- 90 days of consistent outreach and insight
- clear measures (conversations, introductions, £ pipeline)
- honest review
If one sector isn’t responding, don’t scrap everything. Adjust the point of view, refine the target list, or switch to a better-fit sector using the same system.
Next stepsIf you want help choosing your 3 sectors, building target lists, and turning this into a simple weekly routine your team will actually keep, take a look at Business Development For Law Firms or get in touch via Contact us.