Distilled to its essence, it’s a philosophical question: Is the ability to generate business a gift or a learnable skill? Leaders of New Jersey firms and offices say it’s the latter, and are employing a variety of tactics to make it so.

The game hasn’t much changed. Securing business remains largely a matter of hustle, whether it’s client pitches, speaking engagements, article publishing, participation in bar or industry groups, client lunches or simple socializing.