Sandra Cohen | The Long Game of Business Development That Actually Works

Sandra Cohen is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Cohen & Buckmann, which specializes in executive compensation, employee benefits and pensions. Her firm is nearly ten years old and is highly ranked in Chambers USA Guide and The Legal 500, no small achievement for a young, small boutique firm. She is a frequent author and speaker and is a former adjunct professor at NYU Law School, where she taught pension law to the next generation of employee benefits lawyers. She's a big believer that although her business has a bench of deep expertise and scholarship, it's really relationships and referrals that built her firm.

WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT THAT ACTUALLY WORKS

Starting your own law firm takes much more than being a good lawyer, including the willingness and ability to master business development skills that many lawyers find intimidating or distasteful. But what if effective business development isn't about sales pitches or aggressive marketing? What if it's really about making friends and building genuine relationships over time?

In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman sits down with Sandra Cohen, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Cohen & Buckmann. Sandra shares how she built her practice through relationships rather than traditional sales tactics, the power of content marketing for credibility-building, and why business development is like "watering a tree," slow, steady, and requiring patience for long-term growth.

Sandra also discusses practical strategies for thought leadership (even for younger lawyers who think they don't have anything original to say), the importance of peer networking groups, and how giving away business can actually strengthen your referral network.

2:23 - Sandra's transition from large law firms to starting her own boutique practice
5:21 - How to track referrals and understand where your clients really come from
6:19 - The role of content marketing and thought leadership in building credibility
8:39 - Why lawyers need to show what they know, not just know it
11:41 - Advice for younger lawyers intimidated by "thought leadership"
15:04 - Getting started with writing: "Two big mistakes" instead of treatises
16:16 - How Sandra got involved in speaking opportunities through bar associations
18:01 - The power of repurposing content and LinkedIn for visibility
19:17 - Sandra's advice for senior lawyers: "Don't stumble over something that's behind you"
23:19 - The "know, like, trust, and remember" framework for relationship building
25:47 - Building peer groups that turn into 22-year referral relationships
27:21 - The power of giving away business to build your network
29:16 - How social media creates "top-of-mind awareness" for referrals
32:26 - Why business development for sophisticated practices is a long game
34:34 - Finding your audience: being in rooms full of people with problems you can solve

MENTIONED IN THE LONG GAME OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT THAT ACTUALLY WORKS

Cohen & Buckmann | LinkedIn

Get connected with the coaching team: [e-mail]

The Lawyer’s Edge

SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE...

Today’s episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer’s Edge, a training and coaching firm that has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. Each member of The Lawyer’s Edge coaching team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach—and either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and