Minah Ilyas

This week we caught up with Minah, who has recently joined Legal500, to talk about Business Development, a career that's often overlooked but fundamental to the legal sector.

🤔 Why law?

What's interesting about the "why law?" question is that there's rarely a single correct answer. 

Some aspiring solicitors and barristers are drawn to the industry for multi-jurisdictional work, others to the intellectual challenge of interpreting the law, the variety of tasks, or the ambitious nature the profession reflects.

Yet one core assumption is typically understated: that entering the legal industry means becoming a solicitor or barrister, full stop. In reality, the legal industry relies on a wide range of professionals, such as compliance specialists, business development teams and legal technologists, who are rightfully gaining increased recognition.

💼 So what actually is Business Development?

One lesser-discussed route is Business Development (or “BD”), often used interchangeably with sales or marketing. But BD is broader than that. At its core, it involves creating long-term value by developing client relationships, identifying market opportunities, and engaging in strategic activities which facilitate growth.

This is why firms such as Addleshaw Goddard structure their Business Development graduate scheme not only across seats in BD and marketing, but also in bids, client services, and communications. Activities such as public affairs and events arguably fall within this wider strategic remit too.

⭐ Why is the Business Development function important?

BD has always mattered to legal practitioners themselves. At a law fair last month, one consistent theme heard from Partners, Senior Associates, Trainees, and Recruiters is that technical legal ability acts as a baseline expectation for lawyers. Understanding the law, meeting billable hour quotas, or producing excellent work are fundamental, but not necessarily enough on their own. Successful lawyers also invest time in building client relationships, developing networks, and identifying opportunities to cross-sell expertise across their firms.

"Commercial awareness," then, isn't just providing applications to a stakeholder's business needs. It's also recognising that lawyers themselves operate within organisations that depend on long-term client relationships and intentional strategic positioning in a competitive landscape.

Lawyers with strong BD skills are often the epitome of what salespeople call a "trusted advisor," uniquely positioned to resolve clients' commercial and legal needs while nurturing the internal Book of Business.

🛤️ What about your own journey into legal BD?

Like many, my own career journey has been non-linear. After graduating, I entered high-ticket software sales to understand how businesses actually grow and deliver value while creating consultative relationships with client companies. Off the back of that experience, I'll be joining the Legal 500 in its submissions origination team, working with law firms around the world to understand their practices and support the research which informs our rankings.

What drew me to this role is that BD in the legal industry is less directly transactional, driven far more by reputation, thought-leadership, and long-term strategic planning. It also lets me return to a research-based function, something I particularly enjoyed at university, while exploring my budding love for the law.

If you're aspiring to break into the legal industry, whether through more traditional pathways or otherwise, it's worth growing your understanding of BD. It's fundamental across the board, and opportunities extend far beyond law firms and barristers' chambers, including LegalTech companies, specialist consultancies, legal marketing, PR, branding and growth agencies, legal publishers, media organisations, conference providers, and professional membership bodies.

💡 Any practical advice for someone considering this route?

1. Understand different sales cycles. Not all business development roles are the same. The sales cycle for a SaaS business, for example, is very different from how law firms win work through tenders, both in the tasks involved and the attributes required of a hire. Take time to understand how the firms you're applying to generate work, on what time scale, and what a typical client journey looks like.

2. Highlight your relationship-building skills. Strong interpersonal skills are essential in legal BD, which is why experience in customer service or any client-facing role is particularly transferable. During interviews, focus on building genuine rapport with recruiters and hiring managers before, during, and after. The key word is genuine. Being yourself goes far in a profession built on relationships.

3. Show commercial awareness and curiosity. Remember you're joining a business that serves client needs. Asking in an interview why a firm is investing in specific sectors, or why certain values are emphasised, is a great example of this.

There's not much information out there on roles in legal BD, so if this sparked your interest, feel free to connect with Minah on LinkedIn and ask away!