Turning Lateral Hiring into Lasting Growth: Strategy, Structure, and Culture

In this episode of The Legal BD Corner, host Jason Broomfield sits down with Mitch Sterling to explore how law firms can turn lateral hiring into lasting growth—by focusing on the strategy, structure, and culture that drive successful integration.

Lateral hiring remains one of the most significant levers for growth in law firms — but success doesn’t just come from making the right hire. It’s what happens after the move that truly matters.

They explore:

• How BD and marketing leaders can drive successful lateral integration
• The role of structured onboarding in delivering long-term ROI
• Balancing business case and cultural fit
• What effective integration looks like at the 3, 6, and 12-month marks
• Key red flags when integrations start to stall

Mitch Sterling brings nearly two decades of experience helping lawyers grow and retain client relationships. His insights offer a blueprint for firms looking to elevate their lateral hire strategy.

Meet Mitch

As Chief Client Development and Relationship Officer at Blank Rome, Mitch Sterling works closely with the firm’s leadership and attorneys across practices and geographies to identify and pursue opportunities for revenue generation and exceptional client service.

He develops and executes business, client, and industry strategies. Mitch leads and manages a broad range of interdisciplinary industry teams, working groups, and client campaigns. He also manages the firm’s Competitive Intelligence team and drives profile-, brand-, and relationship-building efforts for the firm’s Philadelphia office.

Mitch has more than 15 years of experience in the legal industry. Prior to joining Blank Rome, he served as both a Director of Marketing and Business Development and a practicing real estate attorney for a global Am Law 20 law firm.