Coaching Partners into Rainmakers: From Good to Great

In this episode of The Legal BD Corner, Nexl’s Senior Account Director Jason Broomfield sits down with long-time legal industry expert and coach Dave Harvey to explore one of the biggest challenges in law firm business development: empowering partners to become confident rainmakers.

Whether it’s navigating introversion, coaching overwhelmed new partners, or supporting the firm’s next generation of business leaders, this episode is packed with strategic insights, including:

• How BD professionals can identify and prioritize coaching opportunities
• Why focusing on the “coalition of the willing” yields stronger results
• Practical ways to support partners beyond cocktail parties and networking
• Using firm resources to unlock low-hanging BD wins
• Building long-term confidence through consistent action
• And yes — how being the “Ringo Starr” of the BD band can drive real momentum

From frameworks to field-tested advice, this is essential listening for anyone working at the intersection of legal practice and business growth.

Meet Dave

As the founder of Harvey Global Consulting, Dave Harvey draws on more than 20 years of legal marketing experience with some of the world’s most innovative and prestigious law firms. His award-winning work taps into a passion for helping firms and individuals plan and execute on their marketing and business development priorities. Dave has both grown up with and helped guide marketing and business development efforts for some of the most important firms in the country.

A recognized thought leader in legal marketing, Dave has been at the forefront of how law firms develop and execute on strategies to position themselves in the marketplace, grow their business through client development and client service initiatives, and develop products and services that allow them to differentiate themselves. Dave developed one of the first client feedback and key client program for an AmLaw 20 firm, considered world-class and a model for other firms. He launched the first law firm iPhone app and has successfully developed new products and services, like IPO Ready, an assessment tool for companies on the way to going public.

Dave has recently focused on how firms move from a practice-focused to a sector-focused effort. He has written on the challenges and opportunities for firms organizing by sector, including several articles and Harvard case studies with Dr. Heidi K. Gardner, Harvard Law School Distinguished Fellow, an internationally renown expert and author on collaboration. Dave is certified to administer and advise on the Gardner & Co. Smart Collaboration Accelerator psychometric instrument. The Smart Collaboration Accelerator is based on years of research by Dr. Heidi K. Gardner, and is designed to assist leaders in understanding their preferences and those of their teammates in a teaming environment. Perfect for use in a key client team situation.

Dave believes in strategic planning and vision — and is passionate about where the rubber meets the road — execution. This shows up in his coaching of leading lawyers, as well as his advice on launching major programs within a firm. Keeping up with the constantly evolving industry requires benchmarking and bringing best practices to his engagements. Dave recently co-founded a Chief Marketing Officer roundtable that meets regularly to share best practices and discuss cutting-edge marketing, business development, and client service topics.

Active in his community, Dave serves or has served on advisory boards for incubators, start-ups, and technology associations in the greater Washington, D.C. metro area. The Mid-Atlantic Legal Marketing Association named him “Member of the Year” in 2021.

Dave lives in Oak Hill, Virginia in suburban Washington, D.C. with his wife Devon. They have called the area home for 30 years and raised two children, Byron and Nathan, who now live in Boston, Massachusetts and Denver, Colorado respectively.