Business & Corporate Lawyer: Best Referral Sources
Who should be sending you clients, and the rooms they are already sitting in.
Get the networking events worth showing up to
Tell us where you are. We will send you the best rooms for business attorneys and the next meeting dates. Add a ZIP and this page will also show your local chapters and which seats are open.
Most business owners network where their competitors are, not where their referral partners are.
Your own trade group is for learning. Your partners' groups are where the work comes from. Everything below starts with one question. When something happens that makes people need business attorneys, who else gets a call that same week?
Business attorneys sell to other businesses, and most of the work starts when somebody starts a company. It moves fast, so being the name already in hand matters more than being the cheapest. Clients come back, which makes one good introduction worth years.
- Business formationwhen somebody starts a company
- Sale of a businesswhen an owner sells the company
- Lawsuit or claimwhen somebody gets sued
- New lease or locationwhen a business signs a lease or opens a location
- First hire / payrollwhen a business puts its first employee on payroll
- Financing or refinancewhen somebody needs a loan closed
Who should be sending you clients
Who you should be sending clients to
Ranked by what starts the job, not by who sounds close to your trade.
The same list, turned around. Give first and the rest follows.
- 01
CPA / Accountant
Two-way74Trigger: somebody starts a company
You and CPAs both get the call when somebody starts a company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 02
Business Banker
Two-way69Trigger: somebody starts a company
You and business bankers both get the call when somebody starts a company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 03
Business Broker
Two-way68Trigger: an owner sells the company
You and business brokers both get the call when an owner sells the company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 04
Bookkeeper
You send them work65Trigger: somebody starts a company
You hear about it when somebody starts a company, before bookkeepers do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 05
Commercial Real Estate Broker
Two-way64Trigger: an owner sells the company
You and commercial real estate brokers both get the call when an owner sells the company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 06
Attorney Employment & Labor
You send them work63Trigger: somebody gets sued
You hear about it when somebody gets sued, before employment attorneys do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 07
Restaurant / Food Service
Two-way63Trigger: somebody starts a company
You and restaurants both get the call when somebody starts a company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 08
Commercial Property Manager
Two-way63Trigger: a business signs a lease or opens a location
You and commercial property managers both get the call when a business signs a lease or opens a location, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 09
Real Estate Investor
They send you work63Trigger: somebody needs a loan closed
Real estate investors hear about it when somebody needs a loan closed, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 10
Hard Money / Private Lender
They send you work63Trigger: somebody needs a loan closed
Private lenders hear about it when somebody needs a loan closed, before you do. This one sends you work rather than trading it.
- 01
Business Consultant
You send them work78Trigger: an owner sells the company
You hear about it when an owner sells the company, before business consultants do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 02
Business Banker
Two-way75Trigger: somebody starts a company
You and business bankers both get the call when somebody starts a company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
- 03
Bookkeeper
You send them work74Trigger: somebody starts a company
You hear about it when somebody starts a company, before bookkeepers do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 04
Attorney Intellectual Property
You send them work74Trigger: somebody starts a company
You hear about it when somebody starts a company, before IP attorneys do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 05
Private Investigator
You send them work72Trigger: somebody gets sued
You hear about it when somebody gets sued, before private investigators do. Expect to give more than you get back here.
- 06
Commercial Real Estate Broker
Two-way70Trigger: an owner sells the company
You and commercial real estate brokers both get the call when an owner sells the company, usually the same week. This one goes both ways.
Where those people actually are
Ranked by how many of your best partners are in the room, and how much work each one can send you.
LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities
Your partners are in this room: CPAs, business bankers, and business brokers.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Find your local chapter →Give someone nine choices and they pick none. If you do one thing from this page, do this.
- 01
LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities
Online communityYour partners are in this room: CPAs, business bankers, and business brokers.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Chapter finder → - 02
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerceYour partners are in this room: CPAs, business bankers, and business brokers.
Too big and too broad on its own. The value is in one committee. Pick one and go every time. The same fifteen people show up, and they get to know you.
Chapter finder → - 03
State CPA society
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: CPAs and bookkeepers.
A CPA is the person most business owners trust most. Sponsors can go to chapter meetings and classes.
Chapter finder → - 04
Vistage
Paid peer groupYour partners are in this room: CPAs, business bankers, and business brokers.
Run CEO peer groups. You are buying advice, not leads, but the group turns into a warm list over time.
Chapter finder → - 05
BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association)
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers and commercial property managers.
People who own and run office buildings. Vendors can join, and the local chapters run events just for them.
Chapter finder → - 06
NAIOP (Commercial Real Estate Development Association)
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers and real estate investors.
Developers, owners, and the money behind big projects. This is where a building exists before anyone digs.
Chapter finder → - 07
BNI
Structured referral groupOne seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.
The biggest referral group in the world. You meet every week. Only one person per job. They expect you to show up.
Chapter finder → - 08
LeTip International
Structured referral groupOne seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.
Weekly referral chapters. One person per job. Strong with trades and home services.
Chapter finder →
LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities
Your partners are in this room: CPAs, business bankers, and business brokers.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Find your local chapter →Give someone nine choices and they pick none. If you do one thing from this page, do this.
- 01
LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities
Online communityYour partners are in this room: CPAs, business bankers, and business brokers.
Works when your buyer has a job title. Useful comments on your partners' posts beat posting your own.
Chapter finder → - 02
Your city or county chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerceYour partners are in this room: CPAs, business bankers, and business brokers.
Too big and too broad on its own. The value is in one committee. Pick one and go every time. The same fifteen people show up, and they get to know you.
Chapter finder → - 03
State CPA society
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: CPAs and bookkeepers.
A CPA is the person most business owners trust most. Sponsors can go to chapter meetings and classes.
Chapter finder → - 04
Vistage
Paid peer groupYour partners are in this room: CPAs, business bankers, and business brokers.
Run CEO peer groups. You are buying advice, not leads, but the group turns into a warm list over time.
Chapter finder → - 05
BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association)
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers and commercial property managers.
People who own and run office buildings. Vendors can join, and the local chapters run events just for them.
Chapter finder → - 06
NAIOP (Commercial Real Estate Development Association)
Your partners' associationYour partners are in this room: commercial real estate brokers and real estate investors.
Developers, owners, and the money behind big projects. This is where a building exists before anyone digs.
Chapter finder → - 07
Prime Time Business Network
Structured referral groupOne seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.
A South Florida referral group. Only one person per job in each chapter. So your competitors are kept out, and your referral partners have the other seats.
See chapters → - 08
An independent local leads group
Structured referral groupOne seat per category, so your competitors are excluded by rule and the seats around you are the partners above.
Most cities have small leads groups you will never find online. A realtor or insurance agent usually starts them. Ask three people in your trade who they meet with.
State bar practice sections
Most business attorneys join this room first. It is also the one most likely to be the wrong pick. Classes, standards, and lawyers who share cases. The exception is across practice areas. Estate and family lawyers refer to each other all the time. Everyone in it does what you do. Join it for the training, the licences, and the ties to manufacturers. Do not join it for referrals, and do not join it instead of the rooms above.
State bar practice sections →Let us be straight with you. For business attorneys, a weekly referral group is not the best pick. Your partners gather in professional groups instead, so spend your time there. We would rather say that than sell you a seat you do not need.
Is your seat open?
Prime Time takes one attorney business & corporate per chapter. Put in a South Florida ZIP above and we will show you which seats are open.
Add a ZIP code at the top of the page to see which seats are open.
Prime Time doesn't operate where you are yet.
We have fifteen chapters in South Florida and none near you. Telling you to join would be bad advice. The rooms above are the real answer where you are. We can email you the one page version and let you know if we open near you.
Send me those roomsHave the next meetings sent to you
The rooms above are the answer. This is when they meet. Tell us where to send it and we will email you the next dates for business attorneys, with the one page plan.
We already know your trade and your area from this page, so there is nothing else to fill in. We do not ask for a phone number. Every email we send has an unsubscribe link.
Your one-page action plan
Five partners, five things to say, three rooms. Print it and keep it in the car.
Networking plan: Attorney Business & Corporate
The five people who should be sending you clients
- CPA / Accountant (Two-way)
Shared trigger: somebody starts a company - Business Banker (Two-way)
Shared trigger: somebody starts a company - Business Broker (Two-way)
Shared trigger: an owner sells the company - Bookkeeper (You send them work)
Shared trigger: somebody starts a company - Commercial Real Estate Broker (Two-way)
Shared trigger: an owner sells the company
The three rooms to be in
- LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities: Your partners are in this room: CPAs, business bankers, and business brokers.
- Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: CPAs, business bankers, and business brokers.
- State CPA society: Your partners are in this room: CPAs and bookkeepers.
- LinkedIn groups & local B2B communities: Your partners are in this room: CPAs, business bankers, and business brokers.
- Your city or county chamber of commerce: Your partners are in this room: CPAs, business bankers, and business brokers.
- State CPA society: Your partners are in this room: CPAs and bookkeepers.
Don't confuse this with networking: State bar practice sections. Learning and supplier access, not referrals.