While appellate lawyers benefit from some of the same tried-and-true marketing tactics used by attorneys across practice areas, the nature of their work can require a novel and innovative approach to reach very specific referral sources. Whether it is lawyers from their own firms, trial attorneys at different organizations, judges or others, referrals can come from a variety of places.

In some ways, appellate lawyers are like medical specialists who depend on patient referrals from primary care physicians. For appellate practitioners, it is trial lawyers who can be a key part of business development and client referrals when matters reach appellate courts—and in certain instances even earlier on in the process.