If you run a law firm in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai—or any of the 25 Indian cities where MSMEs and startups are buzzing—you’re sitting on a gold mine of long-term, sustainable legal work. But it’s not being mined right.

Despite the massive growth in India’s small business sector, most law practices continue to either ignore this segment or treat it as a stepping stone to “larger” corporate mandates. That’s a mistake.

Because here’s the truth: crafting a niche in the Indian MSME and startup space may be the smartest and most future-proof thing you can do for your law practice today.

As of March 2025, India has over 1.5 crore registered MSMEs and thousands of funded or growth-stage startups. Estimates suggest that the actual number (including the unregistered ones) sits closer to 6.3 crore. These entities are building fast, expanding across states, dealing with vendors and investors, hiring talent, onboarding technology—and yet, they’re constantly underserved when it comes to preventive, strategic, and structured legal support.

Why? Because most lawyers assume these clients are low-paying, chaotic, and not worth long-term investment. But this is outdated thinking.

Modern MSMEs and startups are ready for forward-thinking legal partnerships. What they lack is not intent—it’s access and clarity.

If you know how to curate your unique positioning within the small business legal market, this segment is not only lucrative—it’s a smoother, more systematisable form of practice growth than traditional litigation or corporate deal work.

Here’s why:

Higher Lifetime Value per Client: A small business that trusts you early stays with you for multiple stages—formation, contracts, employment, fundraising, IP, disputes. This spreads CAC (client acquisition cost) across several matters, improving your margins.

Fewer Last-Minute Firefights: Most MSME clients who come via curated platforms are ready to work proactively. That means fewer emergencies, better turnaround management, and more predictable workflows.

Excellent Practice Visibility: Startups and MSMEs are deeply networked via WhatsApp groups, accelerators, mentors, and investors. If your work is good, your name circulates fast in the ecosystem.

And let’s not forget the deep professional satisfaction of serving a client who cannot hide their gratitude for your expertise! An ecosystem with limited access to marquee advice is far less likely to take it for granted, when it is available. Provided they are educated on its value. 

Still, many lawyers hesitate to actively market themselves as “startup lawyers” or “MSME-focused counsel.” The hesitation often comes from a fear of appearing “smaller” or “less serious.”

But this fear is misplaced.

In reality, positioning yourself clearly for the small business space is not a compromise—it’s a smart brand decision. It tells the market exactly whom you serve, what you solve, and how you’re different.

Think of it this way: A litigator who says, “I handle commercial lease disputes for retail chains,” is far more memorable (and referable) than one who just says, “I do civil litigation.”

This is exactly where Vakil Vetted comes in.

As a curated lawyer-to-small business matchmaking platform, Vakil Vetted isn’t just a ‘lead gen’ tool. It’s a strategic positioning platform for Indian lawyers who want to be known for:

- Transparency in billing

- Hygiene in service delivery

- Predictable turnaround times

-Practical, preventive advice

We’ve built Vakil Vetted specifically to help lawyers stand out without violating BCI rules. No ads. No race to the bottom. No rating systems. Just curated, trust-first client matching based on practice areas, geography, and legal risk types.

And far from “belittling” your practice, being on Vakil Vetted signals to small business clients—and their networks—that you take them seriously.

As the financial year comes to a close, GPT, Gemini and Deepseeks of the world make commodities out of yet more standard-fare legal advice, and hiring and retention realities shift greatly. Now is the time for Indian law firms to stop relying solely on referrals and start building structured visibility in the segments that offer recurring value.

The Indian MSME and startup ecosystem is ready for lawyers who speak their language, solve real problems, and don’t hide behind legacy barriers.

If you run a law firm or solo practice in India’s business hubs and want smoother client acquisition, higher LTV, and more manageable matter flow—crafting your niche in this space is not optional. It’s inevitable.

The good news? You don’t have to do it alone. Platforms like Vakil Vetted exist to make your practice future-ready—without making you market like a startup.

Prachi Shrivastava is the founder of Lawfinity Solutions, a legal marketing advisory for Indian law firms, and the creator of Vakil Vetted, a platform that curates and connects high-integrity lawyers to India’s startups and MSMEs. She writes on law practice development, legal positioning, and the future of modern legal marketplaces in India. You can reach her at prachi@lawfinitysolutions.com.

Interested in joining the Vakil Vetted network? Apply here.