Last night, my wife and I did that thing many of you know too well. We sat on the couch with good intentions and six different streaming services at our fingertips. HBO Max first. Scroll. Prime. Scroll. Netflix. Scroll. Plenty of options, nothing compelling. After 10 minutes of indecision, she grabbed a book. I opened my laptop and started writing. Again.
It hit me later that this is exactly what I see lawyers doing with their practices every day. So many options. So many directions. And somehow, nothing stands out.
When clients, referral sources, or even peers look at a lawyer who does “a little bit of everything,” the result is the same feeling I had on the couch — uncertainty, boredom, and ultimately, disengagement. Not because the lawyer is bad, but because nothing is clear enough to choose.
I understand why this happens. Early in a legal career, saying yes to everything makes sense. You need experience. You need revenue. You need to figure out what you like. But at some point, breadth stops helping and starts quietly holding you back.
Here are three questions I walk lawyers through to determine whether it is time to specialize, focus, and become known for something meaningful.
Do you truly enjoy and excel at it?
This is the most overlooked question. Too many lawyers stay in practice areas they tolerate rather than those they genuinely enjoy. If you are energized by real estate work and drained by M&A or thrive in a specific type of litigation while dreading everything else, pay attention to that signal.
Enjoyment matters because it fuels consistency. Skill matters because reputation follows results. When you like the work and you are good at it, leaning in feels natural instead of forced. That is where confidence starts to show up in your conversations, marketing, and networking.
Is there a real market opportunity?
Loving something is not enough. There must be room to grow. Some practice areas are so saturated in certain markets that breaking in becomes an uphill battle, especially if competitors have been entrenched for decades.
This does not mean avoiding competition altogether. It means understanding it. Look at who already dominates your space. Look at underserved niches, emerging industries, or specific client profiles that are not being spoken to clearly. Focus does not eliminate opportunity; it clarifies where opportunity actually exists.
Can it support the life you want?
This is the uncomfortable question. You can love the work. You can see demand. But if the economics don’t work, it becomes very difficult to sustain momentum long term.
Profitability is not about greed. It is about sustainability. The right focus should allow you to serve clients well, build a book of business, and still have a life outside the office. If one of those pieces is missing, something eventually breaks.
The most successful lawyers are not known for everything. They build a reputation around the right thing.
Once you identify your focus, the next step is communicating it consistently.
Your website and LinkedIn profile should make it obvious what you are best at, even if you still handle other matters. Your infomercial and your networking conversations should reinforce one clear message instead of a list no one remembers. When you say six things that “you do,” people hear nothing you do. When you say one thing well, it sticks. Make sure you have something solid to say that is highly memorable.
Networking should follow the same rule. Talk about the work you want more of. Share insights about that space. Comment on cases, trends, or issues tied to your focus. Whether you specialize by practice area or by industry, clarity builds credibility.
I do this myself. I work exclusively with lawyers. I focus on business development and personal branding. I could coach leadership, wellness, or marketing execution, but I choose not to. When clients need those services, I refer them out. That generosity comes back tenfold because my referral sources know me as the expert in my space, as they are in theirs.
Trying to be full-service makes referring harder, not easier. Focus creates trust. Trust creates referrals.
If your practice feels like endless scrolling with no clear direction, it may be time to stop sampling everything and commit to the series worth watching. The lawyers who build strong books of business are not everywhere doing everything. They are right here doing one thing really well.
If you want help identifying the right focus or positioning yourself clearly, you can reach me at steve@fretzin.com or visit www.bethatlawyer.com to learn more about how we help lawyer build the practices of their dreams, not just living with the one they currently have.
Steve Fretzin is a bestselling author, host of the “Be That Lawyer” podcast, and business development coach exclusively for attorneys. Steve has committed his career to helping lawyers learn key growth skills not currently taught in law school. His clients soon become top rainmakers and credit Steve’s program and coaching for their success. He can be reached directly by email at steve@fretzin.com. Or you can easily find him on his website at www.fretzin.com or LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevefretzin.
The post From Doom Scrolling To Rainmaking: Why Lawyers Who Do Everything End Up Invisible appeared first on Above the Law.