One of the great stock questions of any interviewee (but especially a young lawyer) looking for job is the always reliable, “And how much emphasis does your firm put on client contact?” The answer, of course, is always delivered enthusiastically: “A lot! We pride ourselves on a lean staffing model that allows you to directly work with our clients, so you can be a part of the team from day one” or words to that effect. “Great!” the interviewee answers, already mentally rearranging their schedule to fit in all of the consultations that are sure to come pouring through the door the day after they begin to work at the firm.
Client contact, it is presumed, is synonymous with business development, which is fancy lawyer talk for soliciting (insofar as the rules of ethics allow, of course) more clients, or a recurring stream of business from one client.
