Business development in law for beginners: Graduate Law Student Association (GLSA)

Supplied photos

by Claudio Klaus (GPLLM 2025)

On July 10, the Graduate Law Student Association hosted a summer panel on business development, drawing a strong group of LLM, GPLLM and SJD students despite the seasonal break.

The event featured three distinguished alumni of the Faculty of Law:

• Mark Surchin (JD 1981), retired Partner at Goodmans LLP and current Chair of LAWPRO’s Board and president of the Law Alumni Association;
• Alex Eckler (JD 2016), Partner at Dentons with a practice in M&A, corporate governance, and private equity; and
• Albert Lin (JD 2013), Chief Investment Officer and Partner at Northview Law, with previous experience on the client side at Brookfield.

The panelists shared practical strategies for developing client relationships, beginning in law school and continuing throughout one’s career. Among the key takeaways: availability and affability often matter more than technical ability; internal lawyers are often a junior lawyer’s first “clients”; and structure matters—keeping a simple CRM to track follow-ups and meaningful interactions can go a long way.

The discussion emphasized that business development is not something reserved for later stages of a career. It begins from the first file, the first meeting—and the first impression.