How to find 100 clients per year without advertising.

Two lunches per week = A full criminal defense practice

The Problem with Google Ads

Google ads are tempting. But they’re a shortcut that doesn’t pay off in the long run because they aren’t defensible.

The firm next door can copy your Google ads tomorrow. And if they’re willing to pay more for the same client, you lose them.

Direct-response ads don’t create a defensible moat.

The Solution: The Lunch Calendar Method

Instead of pouring your resources into paid ads, imagine filling your lunch calendar with people who are not only willing to refer clients to you but excited to do so. Relationships compound, ads don’t.

Here’s how to get started:

Step 1: Fill Your Lunch Calendar

Before you spend a dime on advertising, fill your lunch calendar. If you don’t have money for lunch, you definitely don’t have money for ads. Set a goal to schedule two lunches per week with referral partners—people who can help grow your practice or share advice.

If you don’t know enough people to fill your calendar:

• Go to court and observe. Invite someone you admire to lunch.

• Reconnect with your law school classmates.

• Attend continuing education seminars.

• Volunteer at a CLE event or Bar training.

Create a list with roughly 48 people you’d love to go to lunch with who could potentially refer you clients.

(2 lunches per week x 24 weeks in 6 months = 48 people in your lunch circle)

Go to lunch with the people on your list roughly once every six months.

Pro tip: Only go to lunch with people you like. Trust comes from mutual respect, not forced meetings. Even if someone could send lots of referrals, it will take too much energy to suffer through lunch with them and they’ll eventually notice that you aren’t on the same wavelength.

Step 2: Don’t Beg During Lunch. Serve.

Powerful lunches leave you and your companion energized. Go in with an attitude of service, focusing on how you can help them. Ask yourself: What can I do to help their business? Ideas for serving:

• Ask them about their hiring needs. Can you introduce them to someone who fits?

• Offer introductions. Do they need a new referral partner or help from someone in your network?

• Solve problems. Share a helpful book or tool for a challenge they’re facing.

Make sure your phone is off, your mind is focused, and you’re patient.

You’ll feel the temptation to focus on your own needs. That’s normal. Your body is trying to help you pay your bills.

But each time you feel your attention drifting away from your lunch partner or toward yourself, redirect it toward your lunch partner. They’ll appreciate your generosity and your focus.

Step 3: Take Care of Their Clients, and Send a Thank You

When someone refers a client to you, it’s not just a case—it’s a test. Their trust in you is on the line. Take excellent care of the client, and follow up by sending a thank-you note to the referral source.

• A handwritten note is best.

• An email works in a pinch.

• Do it immediately—Don’t wait until the end of the case. As soon as you hang up or schedule the consultation, send a note to the referral source. It’s helpful to ask the client for permission so you can be specific about what you’re thanking them for.

Step 4: Ask for Referrals to Other Referral Sources

The only thing you should ever ask from your lunch companions? Introductions to other potential referral sources. It’s a simple, no-pressure request: “I noticed you know Becky Smith. Would you be comfortable introducing us?”

If they say no, be gracious. The idea is to keep it light and organic—trust that the referrals will come with time.

Step 5: Be Patient. Relationships Compound Over Time

Building a referral-based practice takes time, but that’s what makes it worth it. Over time, those relationships will become so strong that they’ll drive your business in ways ads never could.

Your circle will grow, and in 10 years, you’ll be the go-to for criminal defense. “Josh is my guy for criminal defense referrals. He’s helped at least a dozen of my clients.” That’s the power of relationships.

Unlike with direct-response ads, no one can just come in and outbid you.

Conclusion: Relationships Over Ads

1. Fill your lunch calendar.

2. Don’t beg at lunch. Serve.

3. Take care of their clients and send a thank you note.

4. Ask for referrals to other referral sources.

5. Be patient. Relationships compound over time.

Big companies have to advertise. There’s no way for Nike to customize relationships with each individual shoe buyer.

You can advertise if you want. But it’s better to do the thing big companies can’t do. Build 1-1 relationships based on trust.

Fill your lunch calendar, serve without expectation, and nurture the human-net that will carry your practice forward.

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P.S. Thank you to everyone who took the reader survey in last week’s email. It was my first attempt at a Substack survey and there were some technical kinks. If you’re still willing to do a 20-minute chat about your practice, I’d love to send you a $50 Amazon gift card to say thank you.

Just reply to this email and say, “I have 20 minutes,” or something similar.

You guys are the best. Keep doing great work!