Editor’s Note: This story is adapted from ALM’s Mid-Market Report. For more business of law coverage exclusively geared toward midsize firms, sign up for a free trial subscription to ALM’s new weekly newsletter, The Mid-Market Report.

At a time when law firms are increasingly looking for new revenue streams in a low-demand market, doing work on behalf and in front of government entities can prove both a lucrative and steady source of income. The trick, however, is getting that work in the first place—and understanding what it takes to hold on to it.