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What does Law mean? In legal practice, Law describes the body of binding rules governing parties’ rights and obligations in the relevant jurisdiction(s). It is not a single statutory or case-law definition; in contracts it is a descriptive catch‑all used to capture all sources of applicable law. Law includes: (a) any primary or secondary legislation (including regulations, statutory instruments and byelaws) in force from time to time that applies to a party or to the place the Services are provided; (b) the common law and, where applicable, equity; (c) any binding court order, judgment or decree; (d) any applicable industry code,

Preparing for Business Development Meetings with Prospective Clients: Ten Essential Steps for Lawyers

Published by a LexisNexis Practice Management expert

Practice notes

One difficulty lawyers encounter when meeting a potential client is not knowing enough about the individual and the company they speak for. Getting ready for those early meetings is, therefore, crucial to maximise the chances of building the relationship from the outset as effectively as possible. This Practice Note offers pointers to support a lawyer in preparing for a meeting with a corporate prospect.

Ten steps to a successful meeting

The steps below will assist you in preparing for a business development (BD) meeting and should improve your prospects of securing a positive result.

Conduct initial research

Identify principal stakeholders and decision makers in your target organisation.

Collect as much detail as you can on the person you will meet and the organisation they represent, eg:

on the person—what their present role is, their place in the hierarchy, and what their previous role was
on the organisation—what it does, the size of the business, and what news there has been about it over the past year

Consider setting up routine news alerts to deepen your knowledge about named people or organisations over time.

You could use a free service or take out a more sophisticated subscription service such...

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Jon Whittle

Jon Whittle Consulting Ltd

Jon is a specialist in developing legal businesses using market intelligence and customer insight to implement successful programmes for change. He works with law firms to create sustainable growth alongside successful project management, implementing new technologies and evolving business operations. Jon has been working on the future of law firms for more than fifteen years, focusing on the strategies and tactics that help firms build real and defendable competitive advantage. Whilst working in a senior leadership role at LexisNexis he was also the architect and author of the widely read LexisNexis Bellwether Reports and is a recognised authority on how law firms can build and grow. Previously, Jon worked, for two decades, at board level, in some of the UK’s largest media companies, transforming traditional businesses into growth in the digital age. He now applies the fruits of this experience,...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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