The Power of Referrals
The power of referrals is as easy as making and keeping friends. It really is that easy. Like everything that is easy, getting into action is the hard part. Exercise is easy once you start. Building the habit of starting the first repetition of your workout is hard. Once the habit of making friends is put into action, you will reap the power of referrals. It is not a one for one return on your time, but seven-fold and more. Friends want to help you. Likewise, you want to help your friends.
Decades ago, I lost my first law firm. It was a small practice in a sleepy Florida Gulfcoast town, but my partner and I paid the bills, kept a staff busy, and had some money left over to put in our pockets at the end of each month. Lawyers had been in the building we had rented office space in for over 50 years. It’s hard to believe today, but many of our clients were walk-ins as they knew “that’s where the lawyers are.” Clients just moseying into a law office and putting money on the table is a marketing plan that is long gone. Google, lawyer advertising, and great changes in our American culture killed that traditional way of hiring a lawyer. The sole traditional way to bring in clients still exists: making friends.
My firm crashed when my U.S. Army reserve unit was called up for NATO peacekeeping in Bosnia-Herzegovina. A U.S. Department of Defense personnel order in hand, commanding me to report to duty for overseas deployment or face Uniform Code of Military Justice sanctions, I let my partner, clients, and various courts know I would be gone for an indeterminate amount of time. It was a sad day when I told my firm and my partner that I was traveling thousands of miles to be in harm’s way. My heart sank even further when I saw tears streaming down one of my paralegal’s cheeks. I knew I would be missed, and I would certainly miss them. Military deployment orders come with a date to report to duty, and, unfortunately, no return date. Not knowing when I would be back, and being at capacity, we referred most of my clients to other lawyers and firms. My partner and I ended our partnership amicably.
The sole traditional way to bring in clients still exists: making friends.
A year later I was back in Florida and decided to try my luck in the big city of Tampa, Florida. I opened my own law firm and started working on getting new clients. The Army had fed me and housed me in a tent for a year, so I had not spent any money. Arriving in Tampa, I was making up for lost time professionally and personally. I was reconnecting with old friends and made new friends each night and on the weekends. Just by doing this, I was picking up clients. “Hey, I just opened up a new firm, do you have any work?” Sometimes sympathy works to get clients. I was appreciative of my friends helping me when I came back Stateside.
During my first month back, I was in a bar having a drink with a new lawyer friend in Tampa’s Hyde Park. He told me about an acquaintance who was injured and had asked him for legal help. My new friend did not practice injury law and wanted me to take on his friend’s case. We shook hands on it, and I picked up the tab for a few more Tampa Bay beverages. The client hired me, and I made a fee that was more than I had previously made in a year.
The power of referrals can even make your mother worry less about you.
My mother had worried her poor heart out over me being in harm’s way for a year. She had been a Navy nurse during the Vietnam war era and had seen many young men come home to a very rough experience. She worried even more about my transition from being a soldier back to being a peaceful civilian. To ease her mind, I told her I was doing just fine, making new friends, and they were fueling the success of my new law practice. When I told her the story of getting a big case over a drink, a big smile came across her face. She laughed saying, “Someone could drop you into the middle of the Sahara Desert Jimmy and you would figure out a way to make it a good thing.” The power of referrals can even make your mother worry less about you.
My mother taught me from a young age how to make friends and how to keep them by being a good friend. Making friends comes naturally to some, but it is an easy skill for any shy lawyer to learn. Referrals are not transactional. They are relational. At their core, they are about friendship, credibility, and the belief that a colleague will treat someone you care about with the same care and skill you would. It’s not about algorithms, SEO rankings, or clever social media ads. It’s about picking up the phone or walking across a conference room and saying, “I know someone who can help.”
“Why do lawyers refer you cases?” The question by an expensive marketing coach stumped me. I wanted to know how to get more cases, not talk about the people sending me clients. I thought long and hard and did not know what to say. I blurted out, “Because they like me.” The consultant smiled and said, “Bingo Jimmy – you cracked the code.” He made a good point. But could the power of referrals be that simple? He asked me to be honest with myself, don’t my referring lawyers know plenty of other lawyers that do what I do? “If they know other great lawyers doing what you do, why do they consistently send you cases Jimmy?” I could only think of the same answer, that my referring lawyers are friends and like me. Don’t discount friendship and how much it means in referral relationships. Your friends have other options, but they choose you because they like and believe in you.
Lawyers are often told to market themselves, and many are quick to embrace technology: social media, video content, digital newsletters. These tools have their place. But there’s a different kind of marketing that’s timeless, one that never feels like advertising: making a friend in the profession and sending them a case. It’s not flashy, but it works. And it doesn’t just work, it feels good. It feels good to help a client by placing them in trusted hands. It feels good to tell a colleague, “I thought of you.” And it feels good to build your practice in a way that’s grounded in real human connection. It is nice to see your friends doing well, and you were the one that helped them professionally.
It feels good to help a client by placing them in trusted hands. It feels good to tell a colleague, “I thought of you.” And it feels good to build your practice in a way that’s grounded in real human connection.
A referral is a vote of confidence. When you refer a case, you’re putting your own credibility on the line. That’s why it’s important to really know the people to whom you refer legal matters. Not just where they went to law school or what firm they’re at, but how they treat their clients, how they handle tough cases, and what kind of lawyer they are when no one’s watching. This is where the power of in-person connection shines. You don’t get that kind of insight from a LinkedIn profile. You get it over coffee, at bar meetings, walking courthouse halls, and chatting at CLEs. You get it by taking the time to know your fellow lawyers, not just as professionals, but as people. When you know more about what your friends do, you can send them better referrals. And when they know more about you, they’ll do the same. The referral isn’t the end of the relationship; it’s often just the beginning.
Not long ago, I had a cup of Joe with a friend that I had not seen in some years. We caught up, shared some laughs, and talked about our alma mater’s football team. He gave me a big share. “I never forgot that case you sent me the first day I started my law firm.” He paused, smiled, and added, “You didn’t just help me professionally, you gave me confidence when I needed it most.” I was happy he was able to help my client, as it was a very complicated matter. “You were the lawyer that my client needed my friend, thanks for helping him.” My friend did well from that case, and did very well for the client. Moments like that stay with you. They remind us that referrals are more than just professional courtesies. They’re the lifeblood of our legal relationships and a powerful force for building trust, confidence, and community.
Just about anyone can be a referral source, even a landlord. I met a beautiful woman, fell in love, got married, and moved my firm to Central Florida as she would not move to Tampa. I rented space from an immigration lawyer with a large amount of office space. He had been a lawyer for decades. Being in the same office, we started going out to quick lunches with each other and struck up a friendship. When he learned I was a plaintiff’s personal injury litigator, he asked me to meet him the next morning in his conference room. Walking into the conference room, sipping steaming cups of coffee, I saw files and boxes spread across the conference table and room. Prior to being an immigration lawyer, he had been a general practitioner with thousands of past clients. He had forty personal injury cases that needed work. Over a cup of coffee, I had grown my firm.
A referral is a gift, and how you handle that gift says everything about your professionalism. When someone sends you a client, treat that person like gold. Call them back promptly. Listen closely. Explain things clearly. And when appropriate, let the referring lawyer know how things are going. That transparency matters.
Over a cup of coffee, I had grown my firm.
I’ve had friends tell me, “You always check back in after you refer someone. That builds trust.” It does more than that, it makes you memorable. And in a profession where relationships drive reputation, being memorable for the right reasons is everything. There’s a simple truth in this line of work; people refer to those they remember. So how do you stay top of mind? It’s not about constant self-promotion; it’s about consistent presence. Show up at events. Reach out when a colleague gets a win. Invite someone to lunch. Send a handwritten note. Celebrate milestones. These aren’t grand gestures, but they go a long way. I’ve had lawyers send me a kind word on a tough day and end up top of mind the next time a referral came through the door. Presence, not promotion, is what builds a sustainable referral network.
Something special happens when you start referring more cases. You enjoy your practice more. You feel more connected to your community. You start seeing opportunities not just for yourself, but for others. That’s fun and there’s real joy in knowing more about your friends’ practices and matching them with clients they can help. It’s satisfying to introduce two good people and watch them succeed together. Some of my best professional relationships and closest friendships have started with a simple referral. There’s also a ripple effect. Lawyers you help often turn around and help you. Not because they owe you, but because they want to. That kind of goodwill is invaluable. One friendship that started with a referral blossomed into a lifelong friendship where I was the best man in my friend’s wedding.
It’d be remiss not to discuss the ethical dimension. The rules around referrals, especially fee sharing, are serious business. If you’re taking a co-counsel fee, you are responsible for the representation. That means full disclosure to the client and a written agreement. Written fee contracts between referring lawyers makes for great friends, just as sturdy fences make for great neighbors. Many referrals happen with no expectation of a fee, and those are still meaningful. In fact, they’re often the foundation for stronger referral relationships down the road. If you’re not taking a fee, you’re not the lawyer of record, but you still want to be sure the client is in good hands. Do your diligence. Your reputation is always in play.
We all need friends. It is hardwired in our genes. It is much easier to make friends if you make the effort to start a relationship. Remember, these friendships cannot be transactional. Yes, you will get cases and make fees from the referrals stemming from your friendships, but that is not the reason for making, having, and keeping friends. The reason for friends is to share the happiness, camaraderie, and sometimes sadness of life. For good or bad, it’s always better to have a friend to share with.
Distractions drain the power of referrals. It takes time to make friends and keep them. We lawyers also know that just being a lawyer takes enormous time. It’s important to work hard on your clients’ cases. After all, they expect your hard lawyerly work. But be careful spending too much time working on the day-to-day drudgery of the law. You may just work yourself out of a job. Be purposeful in taking time to keep your friends and referral sources thinking about you. If you forget them, they will surely forget you. Take a break from your computer and go out to lunch with someone.
Being able to tell a great story about what you do helps in bringing in referrals. If it is self-deprecating, all the better. I often tell a story of my client turning down a spectacular offer before trial. The opposing counsel must have thought we did great in trial, as three hours into jury deliberations, he told me his client was doubling the previous offer. My client had drank the Kool-Aid too, and turned down the great new offer. The jury had a different opinion of my trial performance, and came back with a defense verdict. I tell the story to show that despite the odds, I will go to bat for my clients, win or lose. I can smile about it only because it happened many years ago. Interestingly, the opposing lawyer is another great referral source. I have received many referrals over the years from lawyers representing insurance companies that I tried cases against. After all, they have a front seat view of the lawyers that they practice against.
There’s one final point I want to make, and it’s personal. I genuinely enjoy sending referrals. It gives me a reason to learn more about my friends’ practices, to deepen relationships, and to help people get the right kind of legal help. It’s also helped me build a network that I can lean on, not just professionally, but personally. These are the lawyers I call when I’m facing something unfamiliar. These are the people I invite to events, check in on, and root for. In this way, referrals aren’t just good business, they’re good friendship.
The power of referrals is real. It’s not a strategy, it’s a mindset. It’s about building a practice that’s collaborative, generous, and grounded in trust. When we focus on people instead of transactions, we build something far stronger than a book of business, we build a community. And that community, in turn, takes care of us. Let’s all resolve to be referring lawyers.
When we focus on people instead of transactions, we build something far stronger than a book of business …
… we build a community.
Jim Vickaryous is the managing partner of the Vickaryous Law Firm in Lake Mary, Florida and represents the 18th Circuit on The Florida Bar Board of Governors. He is best known as a lawyer’s lawyer, as he has a referral only based personal injury practice. YourFloridaInjuryLawyer.com
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