FOR MID TO SENIOR BLACK LAWYERS
Build a Business Case for Partnership in Just 15 Minutes a Week
Get the free Be The First BD Tracker that turns business development into a simple, repeatable system so you can build stronger relationships, stay on top of follow-ups, and create a clear record of the value you're bringing to your firm.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE BD TRACKER
You've Done The Legal Work. Now Build The Business Case.
You work hard, deliver excellent work, and you’ve built a reputation for being reliable, capable, and a subject matter expert.
But technical excellence alone won't get you to partnership. You need to build a business case.
Nobody ever taught you how to build a book of business in spaces that weren’t built with you in mind.Â
You make connections. You have occasional conversations. Then client work takes over, the follow-up never happens, and the relationship goes cold.
Underneath it all: you're trying to build relationships with people whose backgrounds, experiences, and references look very different from your own. Connections that are effortless for your white peers who can leverage private school networks and cultural affinities can feel a lot harder in rooms where you're often the only person who looks like you.
The problem isn't a lack of effort.
It's that nobody has shown you a practical way to approach business development in the reality you're navigating.
That's exactly why I created the Be The First BD Tracker.
INTRODUCING
The Be The First BD Tracker
The Be The First BD Tracker is a practical business development tool designed specifically for Black lawyers who want to build stronger relationships, stay consistent with follow-ups, and make business development part of how they work.
Instead of relying on memory, scattered notes, spreadsheets, or good intentions, you'll have one place to manage your relationships, track activity, and know exactly what needs your attention next.
In as little as 15 minutes a week, you'll know:
- Who's in your network
- Which relationships need nurturing
- When it's time to follow up
- What action to take next
- Which connections are moving closer to becoming referral sources or clients
- The business development activity that demonstrates your contribution to the firm's growth
Most business development guidelines give you more information or rely on leveraging existing relationships.
The Be The First BD Tracker helps you build relationships from scratch and gives you a place to put it into practice.
This isn't a PDF you'll download, skim, and forget about next week.
It's a working BD system you can access in your browser, start using in minutes and rely on to keep your business development on track.
Here's How It Works
1
Sign up and wait for the link to the Be The First BD Tracker and Guide to land in your inbox.
2
Read the Guide first. It walks you through exactly how to use the Tracker.
3
Click the link and the Tracker opens directly in your browser. No downloads, no logins.
What Changes When You Have a System
Instead of wondering who to contact, trying to remember where a relationship stands, or telling yourself you'll get to business development when things calm down, you'll have a clear process for what to do next and a way to fit it all into your schedule.Â
Over time, those small, consistent actions become something much bigger: relationships that convert to clients and a body of evidence that supports your progression to partnership.
This is For You If...
You're often the only one, or one of very few, in rooms where relationship-building seems easier for your white peers, and creating the same connections can feel like starting several steps behind.
You're busy doing the actual work of being an excellent lawyer, and business development keeps slipping down the priority list.
You're already building relationships inside and outside your firm, but your efforts feel scattered and difficult to track.
You want a clear record of your contribution to the firm, not a loose claim that you’ve been attending networking events.
Real Lawyers. Real Progress.
Actual client details anonymized to protect confidentiality.
CLIENT T · CASE STUDY
From Senior Associate to Partner
THE CHALLENGE
Business development kept falling to the bottom of the list. Client work always came first, and Client T was struggling to turn relationships into opportunities while constantly putting off work on her business case.
THE SHIFT
We created a dedicated Business Development Day, set non-negotiable time for relationship-building each week, and introduced a simple way to track progress.
THE RESULT
Business development became part of how she worked. She stopped procrastinating on her business case, became more confident having commercial conversations, and is now a Partner at a top-tier firm.
CLIENT A · CASE STUDY
From Counsel to Partner Track
THE CHALLENGE
Client AÂ knew she needed a strong business case for partnership but had no idea where to start. Business development felt uncomfortable and she worried about coming across as pushy.
THE SHIFT
I taught her my 3-step process for winning clients and referrals, and gave her a practical system for building relationships and tracking her activity.
THE RESULT
She's now generating opportunities that stand to benefit her firm across three jurisdictions.
About CarolineÂ
I'm Caroline Flanagan, The Black Lawyers' Coach.
I've been the only one since I was five years old. The only Black pupil in an all-white school. One of a handful of Black students at Cambridge. Almost always the only person of colour in the room at two of the world's leading law firms.
After my career as an international finance lawyer, I moved into executive coaching nearly two decades ago and have spent the last several years working exclusively with Black lawyers.
I know what it's like to feel the pressure of working twice as hard while trying to navigate environments that weren't built with you in mind.
And I know that progression requires more than talent. It requires visibility, relationships, and impact.
That's why I created the Be The First BD Tracker: a simple way to stay consistent, build stronger relationships, and create a record of the value you're bringing to your firm.
You Didn't Come This Far To Play Small
Think about everything it took to get here. The years of study. The long hours. The sacrifices.
The rooms you've walked into alone.
You didn't do all of that to stay stuck wondering whether you're doing enough to progress.
You did it because you know you're capable of more.
The relationships you build, the visibility you create, and the opportunities you nurture today are the building blocks of the career you're building tomorrow.
Download the Be The First BD Tracker and start building your business case one relationship at a time.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE BD TRACKER
