Redefining business development in law | Gemma Francis
Gemma’s introduction to law came in an unexpected location—her couch. “I loved Ally McBeal! I felt as if it was this glamorous and interesting career she had. It was an intense and powerful lifestyle, and I wanted to have that too. My father was a policeman, so law and order was already a presence in my childhood home.
That realization led her to her first career in legal journalism. “I did a journalism qualification and ended up working at The Legal 500, which is a hybrid of marketing, research and journalism. It got me close to law firms across the globe, but ultimately it wasn’t really for me. So, I moved sideways into business development and marketing at a patent attorney firm, and it was here that it all clicked. Around 2014, I thought: this is something I absolutely love.”
If you’ve ever wondered what business development in a law firm really means, Gemma can sum it up in one phrase: “Seeing the bigger picture.”
“BD is largely about common sense and perspective. Lawyers can sometimes get bogged down in the technical details of law itself and forget there is a client behind it who has other needs and wants. They might be looking for support in other areas of their business, and so my job at the firm was to identify those needs and communicate them to lawyers. Spotting opportunities and tailoring our services to meet client needs is how we convert new clients or expand the work of existing ones.
My time at the firm was people-focused while also being intellectually stimulating. I loved the hybrid of learning and being in a strategic position, and my work could have an impact on other people for the better. You’re a bit of a linchpin in the business. The partners come to you as a trusted adviser, which is genuinely a position of privilege. It was a massive leap from my previous position, where I was a 'big fish in a little pond'. Here, I was part of a huge team looking after around 50 partners at the time.”
Her experiences at the firm shaped her approach to BD today. “I’m still connected to the firm, and my time there was a happy one. I remember it fondly, especially working with Andrew Hine, Mike Beswick, Emma Jordan and Sean Nesbitt (among many others). I left with lasting relationships as well as valuable professional growth.”
The next step in Gemma’s career surprised everyone—not least herself!
Building a life and business abroad
Careers can take wild spins for any number of reasons, especially when they come out of the blue or, in this case, bleu. “I fell in love with a Frenchman! What started as a chance meeting in France became the catalyst for life-changing decisions. I decided to take a risk by offering lawyers the same services—but independently from France.”
She set up her limited company and started building contracts, but then COVID-19 hit. “All contracts were pulled, and it was tricky for about a year and a half. But eventually things started to grow again.”
Six years later, that risk has paid off. “My consultancy is thriving; my team is expanding and I’m proud to say that our reputation in the legal BD world continues to grow. I work with firms in the U.K., Europe and the U.S. My team is fully remote. I live in France, one colleague is a digital nomad currently in Bulgaria, and another is U.K.-based juggling childcare commitments alongside work responsibilities. I'm proud of the fact that I've created a business where we can all work from anywhere in the world and still support clients to the highest level. Everyone can live their lives and do what they love.”
Getting to this position has meant trying new things and learning from any mistakes along the way. “I feel like I've probably made all the mistakes! I made the same errors many new business owners do, which was focusing too much on appearances and not enough on demand. I spent quite a lot of time creating nice brochures and beautiful marketing materials without really speaking to my target audience or understanding what they needed, so none of it directly translated into paid work. But those experiences now help me offer a better service today. As a business owner, I’ve had to face the discomfort of talking about prices, and I know first-hand what rejection feels like. That empathy means I can guide lawyers through BD challenges not just from theory, but from lived experience.
My advice to those considering starting out now is simple: figure out what the market wants before you start marketing your offering. The turning point for me came when I began listening closely to my clients and tailoring my services around their specific needs. Rather than creating offerings in isolation, I built solutions in response to demand. This has led to some of my most successful services such as the Associate BD Development Programme.”
Developing associates with business skills
Many law firms still direct the bulk of their business development budgets towards partners, who are ultimately the people responsible for bringing in and converting work. Yet there’s an entire cohort of associates who remain largely untouched by BD training. “Thousands of associates haven’t yet been activated, and they don’t really know how to win work. They’re almost sleeping until they reach partner level, when suddenly they realize they’re expected to generate business and feed their team from day one.”
To address this gap, Gemma created an associate training programme built around what she calls the 'Four Ms'—Mindset, Method, Momentum and Mastery. “The programme focuses not only on practical BD skills, but on breaking through the psychological barriers that often hold associates back. You can teach BD as much as you like, but if you don’t address mindset blockers, such as the fear of rejection or the belief that you need to be extroverted, then nothing will change. By combining structured training with one-to-one coaching, I help lawyers build BD habits that stick. The goal is to help associates start winning work long before partnership, and creating stronger, more commercially aware firm in the process.”
Beyond the boardroom
Outside of her consultancy, Gemma is just as busy. Together with her husband, she manages a grand 22-bedroom private estate in France, overseeing its operations much like a boutique hotel. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s also a completely different kind of challenge–one that keeps me grounded and hands-on. I’m also a qualified yoga teacher, and practice regularly. I’d like to be able to bring yoga back into my professional life in the future.” Living near Bordeaux, it’s perhaps unsurprising that wine has become another passion. “We’re building our own wine cave, designed to mature bottles over the next decade. It’s a long-term project, but really, it’s about learning, enjoying, and creating something that reflects where we live.”
Overall, Gemma’s life has had twists and turns, but everything has worked out for the best. “People say, do you wish you’d become a lawyer? And I don’t. I think I’m giving back in other ways. The impact I’ve had has still been phenomenal, so no regrets.”