THE AUTHORS:
Jennifer Bryant, Partner at Noerr
Svetlana Portman, Associate at Debevoise & Plimpton
Lawyering Plus Webinar: S2:E3
“Business development won’t make you a better lawyer – but it ensures that the world knows you are a great one. It is the spotlight that makes your skills visible, outside in the marketplace and within the firm.”
Jennifer Bryant
About Lawyering Plus
Lawyering Plus is an initiative set up by Mihaela Apostol, Dr Ilka Beimel, and Svetlana Portman to help lawyers build soft skills. Lawyering Plus organises webinars and invites expert speakers to share tips on a particular soft skill. Each episode ends with an interactive Q&A segment. The first season focused on communication skills, followed by season two on Business Development & Branding.
Third Episode: Business Development & Growing Your Profile Within the Law Firm
On 6 October 2025, Lawyering Plus hosted Jennifer Bryant, Partner at Noerr, who delivered an engaging presentation on building a professional profile within the law firm. Jennifer, who is qualified in Germany and California and has extensive experience in international disputes, arbitration, and corporate litigation, provided actionable insights on how lawyers can develop, maintain, and market their profiles internally, ensuring recognition and career growth.
Defining a Professional Profile
Jennifer began by addressing a fundamental question: What is a professional profile? She emphasized that there is no single definition, as a profile can vary between individuals. In general terms, she explained, a profile reflects what a lawyer is known for.
This encompasses:
- Expertise: The substantive law, procedural skills, and industry knowledge a lawyer possesses. For example, a dispute lawyer may be experienced in arbitration, state court litigation, mediation, or complex corporate negotiations.
- Specialization: Unique knowledge of particular circumstances or industries can distinguish a lawyer within a firm.
- Languages and international experience: Speaking multiple languages or working across jurisdictions enhances a lawyer’s profile.
- Soft skills: Attributes such as creativity, analytical rigor, empathy, sociability, and reliability influence how colleagues and partners perceive you.
Jennifer stressed that both hard and soft factors contribute to a lawyer’s profile, and internal colleagues often have only a partial understanding of one’s capabilities. She shared anecdotes illustrating how “internal clients”, i.e., partners and peers, may be unaware of specific competencies unless they are actively communicated.
Why Build a Profile Internally?
Jennifer highlighted that building a profile within the firm is crucial because “people need to know about you to hire you.” Internal visibility leads to new opportunities, allowing lawyers to gain further experience, sharpen their expertise, and develop a reputation as a reliable team member. Treating internal colleagues with the same professionalism as external clients is key to reinforcing your profile.
How to Build Your Profile
Jennifer outlined practical strategies for enhancing visibility and professional recognition within the firm:
- Through work: Consistently delivering high-quality work allows colleagues to recognize your skills. Positive experiences with partners and peers generate testimonials that increase your involvement in future matters.
- Marketing internally: Share your expertise via internal presentations, newsletters, intranet posts, or informal discussions. Participate in firm-wide events or practice group lunches to showcase your knowledge and engage with colleagues beyond your immediate team.
- Cross-selling and networking: Speak with partners and colleagues in other practice groups to identify opportunities to contribute or learn, fostering mutually beneficial relationships.
- Selectivity and adaptation: Focus on opportunities that align with your expertise and career stage. Avoid being overly eager or aggressive, as early overextension may be counterproductive.
Jennifer emphasized that building a profile is a marathon, not a sprint. Opportunities should be approached with professionalism, patience, and charm, gradually developing visibility and influence over time.
Key Takeaways
- Your professional profile combines expertise, experience, and personal attributes.
- Internal recognition is as important as external reputation for career development.
- Consistently high-quality work, networking, and internal marketing create opportunities.
- Selectivity and adaptability are crucial; not all opportunities are equally valuable.
- Personal qualities, including empathy and sociability, shape how colleagues perceive you.
Audience Engagement and Q&A Highlights
During the interactive Q&A, Jennifer addressed practical challenges faced by associates and junior lawyers:
- Recovering from mistakes or missed opportunities: Mistakes are inevitable. For internal matters, it is important to manage relationships thoughtfully, seeking guidance from trusted colleagues and demonstrating consistent competence over time.
- Common business development pitfalls: Excessive self-promotion can backfire, particularly for junior lawyers. Building a profile should be gradual, seniority-appropriate, and aligned with demonstrated experience.
- Preparing for partnership: Early, steady engagement with colleagues helps lay the foundation for future promotion. Maintaining a track record of competence and reliability ensures peers and partners can vouch for your capabilities.
- Prioritizing hard and soft factors: While hard skills can be developed through work, soft skills such as empathy and sociability can be cultivated incrementally. Stepping outside comfort zones, attending firm events, or initiating small interactions can strengthen personal visibility and interpersonal effectiveness.
Conclusion
Jennifer concluded by encouraging lawyers to welcome every matter as an opportunity to enhance their professional profile, emphasizing the importance of internal relationships, cross-selling, and adaptability. By combining expertise, soft skills, and strategic visibility, lawyers can build a robust internal profile that supports long-term career growth.
Next Episodes
The next session, scheduled for November 2025, will focus on networking. Follow Lawyering Plus on LinkedIn and Arbi.City to receive updates on future episodes and learn more about soft skills. Feel free to subscribe here to be notified about the next episode.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Jennifer Bryant is a Partner at Noerr. Jennifer steers her clients through complex international disputes, often before international arbitral tribunals or before state courts in Germany or the U.S.A. She represents clients in all aspects of contractual disputes, in particular in the context of post M&A claims, supply agreements, service and works agreements, in complex damages proceedings, and in corporate disputes such as disputes concerning shareholder resolutions, other disputes between shareholders, and directors’ and officers’ liability issues. She also advises her clients with respect to international legal actions, especially U.S. litigations, particularly regarding discovery proceedings in the U.S.A. The “well-versed arbitration specialist” (JUVE Handbook 2022/2023) acts in arbitrations both as counsel and as arbitrator. She is a member of the board of the DIS (German Arbitration Institute). Jennifer is admitted to practice in Germany and in the U.S.A. (California).
Svetlana Portman is an associate in the London office of Debevoise & Plimpton and a member of the International Dispute Resolution Group. Her practice focuses on international arbitration and public international law. Svetlana represents private clients and states across multiple jurisdictions in investor-state and international commercial arbitrations governed by various substantive laws and conducted under the auspices of the major arbitral rules, including ICSID, LCIA, ICC , and UNCITRAL. She is familiar with disputes across a broad range of industries and sectors. Svetlana is admitted as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales and to the bars of New York State and Israel. As a solicitor-advocate, Ms. Portman has full rights of audience before all civil courts of England & Wales. She is one of the founders of Lawyering Plus.
*The views and opinions expressed by authors are theirs and do not necessarily reflect those of their organizations, employers, or Daily Jus, Jus Mundi, or Jus Connect.
