Episode #41: Lawyers Need To Be Good Presenters, But Don't Know It

Are you assuming legal expertise alone will attract clients in today’s market?

In the “good old days,” lawyers could rely on reputation and referrals. Today, prospective clients in Japan and globally have more choices, more information, and higher expectations. Being excellent at the law is necessary—but not sufficient. Clients compare service, clarity, responsiveness, and trustworthiness across many alternatives.

Mini-summary: Expertise is the entry ticket; differentiation is what wins and keeps clients.

n the legal profession, business development can feel like an unpleasant topic—almost beneath the status of an expert. Some lawyers believe “we are experts, so clients will come.” But competitive environments don’t reward self-importance; they reward relevance and value. This new reality is especially true for Japanese companies (日本企業 — Japanese companies) and multinational firms (外資系企業 — multinational/foreign-affiliated companies) operating in Tokyo (東京 — Tokyo), where professional standards are high and options are plentiful.

Mini-summary: Discomfort with selling doesn’t stop the market from demanding it.

Referrals are important, but they are also passive and unpredictable. Even delighted clients rarely promote a firm proactively unless they’re asked. Most referrals happen only when someone in their network needs legal help and they remember you at that moment. Waiting in hope is not a growth strategy.

Mini-summary: Referrals matter, but relying on them alone leaves your pipeline to chance.

Publishing content demonstrates capability, but potential clients may never see it. Seminars can be powerful, because they sit comfortably within legal advertising rules and showcase expertise in person. Yet many lawyers waste this opportunity by treating seminars as “data dumps”: high-quality content delivered in a low-impact way.

Mini-summary: Thought leadership helps only if clients notice—and feel engaged by—you.

Clients don’t pay for information alone. They pay for you—your judgment, clarity, and reliability. Buyers can’t fully measure legal technical depth, but they can measure whether they understand you, feel comfortable asking questions, and trust your advice. In short:

“A lawyer on my wavelength gets the business over the lawyer who isn’t.”

Mini-summary: Clients buy confidence and connection, not just competence.

Having deep knowledge is only half the job. The winning half is communicating complex issues clearly, persuasively, and humanly. Lawyers who can explain, structure, and inspire trust outperform lawyers who only “know a lot.” This is why elite professional firms invest in presentation training (プレゼンテーション研修 — presentation training) and leadership training (リーダーシップ研修 — leadership training), alongside technical mastery.

Mini-summary: Clear communication turns expertise into client decisions.

How should lawyers shift their mindset to win more business?

Move from:

• “I know a lot.”
  to:

• “I know a lot and can explain it simply and clearly.”

This shift requires real skill-building—whether in small client meetings or large seminars. Traditional professions have been slow to recognize this need, but the market has already decided: clients vote with their feet.

Mini-summary: The lawyers who translate complexity into clarity will lead the market.

At Dale Carnegie Tokyo, we help professionals build the communication and influence skills that clients reward. Our programs are used by both Japanese companies (日本企業 — Japanese companies) and multinational firms (外資系企業 — multinational/foreign-affiliated companies) across Tokyo and Japan. Core capability areas include:

• Leadership training (リーダーシップ研修 — leadership training): Lead clients and teams with confidence and credibility.

• Sales training (営業研修 — sales training): Build ethical, relationship-driven business development skills.

• Presentation training (プレゼンテーション研修 — presentation training): Deliver expertise in a way clients remember and trust.

• Executive coaching (エグゼクティブ・コーチング — executive coaching): Strengthen impact, presence, and decision influence at partner and senior levels.

• DEI training (DEI研修 — diversity, equity & inclusion training): Lead inclusively across cultures and organizations.

Backed by Dale Carnegie’s 100+ years of global expertise and 60+ years in Tokyo, these programs help lawyers turn expertise into client loyalty and growth.

Mini-summary: Training bridges the gap between legal brilliance and client-winning influence.

• Legal expertise is essential, but clients choose lawyers they understand and trust.

• Referrals and content are valuable, yet too passive to drive consistent growth.

• Seminars and meetings succeed when lawyers present clearly, not just thoroughly.

• Presentation, sales, and leadership skills create a decisive edge in Japan’s competitive legal market.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has supported individuals and companies worldwide for over a century in leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching, and DEI. Our Tokyo office, established in 1963, has been empowering both Japanese and multinational corporate clients ever since.