Ask most lawyers what wins a client and you will hear about the excellence of the work. That is only half the story. Before a client can judge the work, someone must introduce the firm, understand the client's problem and keep the relationship alive long after the file is closed. Increasingly, that someone is the business development (BD) team. BD is no longer a side activity for partners with spare time. It is a discipline of its own. This article looks at how BD works within India's advertising restrictions, how firms build visibility, and what it takes to win and keep clients at home and overseas.
Work once reached Indian law firms through reputation and referrals. A founder's name, a few well-known deals and word of mouth did most of the job. That still works, but clients have changed. General counsel and overseas companies now compare firms on how quickly they respond, how clearly they price and how well they understand the business, not just the statute. BD sits in the middle of this. A good team studies the market, prepares pitches, manages directory submissions, and tells the firm which opportunities fit.
This is not a normal marketing job. Rule 36 of the Bar Council of India Rules bars advocates from soliciting work or advertising, directly or indirectly. Since a 2008 amendment, firms may publish limited, factual details on a website. In March 2025, the Bar Council again warned against promotional videos, influencer endorsements and celebrity-led advertising. Until that changes, every firm works within the rule.
The result is what practitioners call invisible marketing: useful content, conference speaking slots, commentary on legal developments and careful rankings submissions. A well-timed note on a court ruling that affects foreign investors can do more than a drawer full of brochures. The skill lies in knowing where informing the public ends and soliciting begins.
Within these limits, three channels do most of the work, each paying off over years rather than months.
- Directory submissions. Guides such as Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500 and IFLR1000 are often where in-house teams and foreign counsel start when they need a firm in an unfamiliar jurisdiction. A strong submission takes months of work, and because rankings are independent, they offer validation a firm cannot give itself.
- Landmark events. The International Bar Association (IBA) Annual Conference remains the main meeting point for lawyers who refer cross-border work. In India, bodies such as FICCI, CII and ASSOCHAM put lawyers in the same room as the businesses they advise. The value comes from preparation and follow-up within days, not a stack of business cards.
- Legal publications. Practical articles on platforms such as Lexology, Mondaq, Bar & Bench and India Business Law Journal put a firm's thinking in front of readers searching for exactly that answer.
None of these is advertising. Each informs rather than solicits, which is why they sit within Rule 36 when the content is factual and useful.
The most underrated part of BD happens before anyone shakes hands. Research turns a sales pitch into a real conversation. Before meeting a client, referral partner or foreign counsel, a prepared team will try to know:
- Who will be in the room, and what the company has done lately: transactions, funding rounds, filings, press coverage.
- Which regulatory changes in India or in their home country touch their business.
- For international contacts, their time zone and the legal terms the firm will need to explain.
- What the firm wants from the meeting, and what it can honestly offer.
Clients notice whether you have prepared. Prepared lawyers ask focused questions and connect the firm's experience to the client's needs. For international clients meeting an unfamiliar firm, preparation builds trust.
BD is often described as networking, which makes it sound like collecting business cards. It is closer to gardening. Indian firms tend to stay close to a client only while a matter is running, then go quiet once it ends. A relationship handled that way starts from zero every time.
The habits that fix this are simple. Check in after a transaction closes. Ask the client honestly what the firm could have done better. Send a short update when a regulation changes in a way that touches their business. Thank referrers promptly. Keep records, even in a shared sheet, so a relationship never depends on one person's memory. Referral relationships with counsel abroad work the same way, built over years through regular conversations that are not about any live matter.
Corporate communication holds the rest together. Where advertising is restricted, communication does the job advertising would do elsewhere, only more quietly and more honestly.
Three things matter most:
Clarity. Clients read legal updates in a hurry. Plain language wins.
Consistency. The proposal, website, newsletter and conference talk should sound like the same firm.
Speed and tone. A courteous, precise reply within hours tells a client how their matter will be handled.
For international clients, it also means no jargon specific to Indian practice and Indian procedure explained in terms a foreign reader will recognise, all of it factual, with no comparative claims or testimonials.
At home, the same discipline means tracking the sectors where Indian businesses are growing, staying close to in-house teams, and responding quickly when new regulation creates demand for advice.
Internationally, the picture is shaped by regulation. India's legal market is opening in careful steps. Foreign lawyers and firms can now practise foreign and international law in India under rules notified in 2023 and amended in 2025, and Indian advocates and firms may register as foreign lawyers while continuing to practise Indian law. At the same time, the Bar Council has warned against tie-ups or joint branding that present an Indian and a foreign firm as one platform. So the route to international work is not a shortcut. It is trust, and trust is what BD builds. In practice, BD supports it in the following ways:
- Mapping. Working out which countries, sectors and counsel send work towards India, and where the firm genuinely fits.
- Positioning. Explaining the firm's strengths without overclaiming, backed by rankings and bylined articles.
- Presence. Showing up at events such as the IBA Annual Conference.
- Referrals. Building lasting relationships with overseas counsel who need a reliable partner in India. Indian counsel offers real value on India-related work, but it has to be explained and evidenced, not simply asserted.
BD in Indian law firms is still a small corner of the industry. The roles are not yet widely seen as a career path, and BD teams often have less authority than their counterparts abroad. That is slowly changing. In 2025, professionals in legal marketing, communications and legal technology met in Mumbai for what was reported as the first national meet-up for these roles.
For lawyers, the move can make sense. A litigator or corporate associate already knows how clients think, how to read a deal and how to write clearly. Those who want a change from traditional practice can move into BD, client development or practice management, and the skills travel: pitching, research, writing and a sense of numbers. A fair warning: the field is small, and stepping back into fee-earning work is not always easy. It suits people curious about how a firm grows, not those looking for an escape from the courtroom.
A law firm's work will always be judged on its quality. But the firms that grow, especially across borders, will be the ones that prepare before they meet, keep in touch after the matter closes, and speak clearly in every message. None of that is flashy. All of it is business development.
What does a BD team do in a law firm? It studies the market, prepares pitches, manages directory submissions, plans events, places articles, supports client relationships and advises partners on which opportunities to pursue.
Can Indian law firms advertise? Not in the usual sense. Rule 36 bars advertising and solicitation, so firms rely on a factual website, rankings, articles, conferences and relationships.
Can foreign law firms practise in India? In a limited way: registered foreign lawyers and firms may advise on foreign and international law, but not Indian law, and may not appear before Indian courts.
About the authors: Adyasha Mohanty is Director – BD and Akanksha Singh is an Executive at AQUILAW.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s). The opinions presented do not necessarily reflect the views of Bar & Bench.
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