Coaching, Consulting & Training

Business Development for Lawyers &

Tax Advisors Consultants Accountants Professionals

Business Development for Lawyers & Tax Advisors Business Consultants Accountants all other Professionals

With more than 30 years of successful business development I help to advance you with greater business success to find your way of realising your full potential in your profession – individually or corporately.
Portrait Dr. Christian Kessel
“I strongly believe that every professional is able to be a successful business developer and even rainmaker.”
Christian’s understanding of the inner mechanics of “business development” is impressive and evidenced by his track-record.
Dr. Philipp Egler, Partner
Automotive Sector Group/Disputes
Bird & Bird LLP, Frankfurt
Christian is an excellent mentor and coach for anyone who is going to do business in the legal market.
Dr. Matthias Spilker, Partner
Automotive Sector Group/Commercial & Disputes
Bird & Bird LLP, Düsseldorf
Christian has a strong ability to promote business development capabilities in those he supports and to make business development become a much more natural thing to do.
Miriam Richter, Counsel
Automotive Sector Group/Commercial & Disputes
Bird & Bird LLP, Munich
It was particularly great to see Christian developing several of our associates and counsel into partnership. All of them are very successful and I attribute this very much to Christian’s training and coaching.
Sven-Erik Heun, Partner
Managing Partner Germany 2015-2021
Bird & Bird LLP, Frankfurt
The business development sessions held by Christian are probably amongst the best BD trainings that I attended in my 30 year career as a lawyer in two major international law firms.
Anne Federle, Partner
Automotive Sector Group/Competition Law
Bird & Bird LLP, Brussels
As a more junior partner, I found his practical tips on business development and client service inspiring and he has been a wonderful mentor. I would thoroughly recommend him.
Jonathan Emmanuel, Partner
Financial Services & Automotive Sector Groups
Bird & Bird LLP, London
I was expecting to be presented the “same old, same tedious” theories yet again. However, Christian’s seminar had an entirely different approach and very positively surprised me.
Miriam Ballhausen, Partner
Tech&Coms Sector Group
Bird & Bird LLP, Hamburg
Even more important than his own business development skills is his ability to build and coach talent, identify future leaders and teach them what is needed to become successful business builders themselves.
Dr. Fabian Niemann, Partner
Head of the German Commercial Practice Group
Bird & Bird LLP, Düsseldorf
What was special about Christian’s talks or presentations was that he didn’t just provide generic ideas nor just some friendly encouragements. Instead he gave very practical suggestions coming from his experience.
Gian Marco Rinaldi, Counsel
Automotive Sector Group/Commercial & Disputes
Bird & Bird LLP, Milan, Italy
Christian has helped me greatly by regularly talking me through the issues of developing my own practice and leading me towards successfully building a business case for partnership.
Lars Kyrberg, Partner
Energy & Infrastructure Sector Group
Bird & Bird LLP, Hamburg
Christian challenged me with accurate questions which allowed me to analyse the situation by myself and come to my own conclusions.
Jakub Kur (CFE)
Head of Forensic Technology
Bird & Bird LLP, Warsaw, Poland
Christian provided me with invaluable advice and support throughout the phase of my transition to partner.
Prof. Dr. Benjamin von Bodungen, Partner
Automotive Sector Group/Autonomous Driving & Regulatory
Financial Services Sector Group
Bird & Bird LLP, Frankfurt

About

I am a Rainmaker – Responsible for a Tenfold Rise in Turnover over 15 Years.

In over 30 years in two international law firms, more than 20 years as a partner, successful leader of various industry sector or focus groups and having become a proverbial rainmaker I have coached, empowered and led many lawyers to become successful partners.

I love to invest in people, from young professionals to seasoned partners. I provide the necessary skills and best practices for efficient and effective business development as well as overcoming obstacles.

I therefore offer coaching to individuals on successful business development, how to achieve career goals or manage their career, and, ultimately, how to make partner. I also assist firms to devise and implement strategies to successfully develop new practice areas, venture into new industry sectors, empower and/or motivate teams, and I provide trainings for the firms’ members.

Services

Your Solution to Successful Business Development.

Asking you powerful questions in one-on-one conversations to explore options or alternatives and cause you to arrive at your own solutions.
Advising individuals (mentoring) or the firm’s management on strategies and their implementation.
Instructing groups of professionals about efficient and effective business development measures including the necessary mindsets 
and practical skills.
Assisting you on Business Development and/or career advancing documents.
Transitions may be forced upon you by external circumstances but they may also be initiated by you intentionally to reach personal goals.
Creating the abundant life that you have always hoped to achieve.
See All Services

Expertise

Get Real Benefits from a Rainmaker.

Develop a Vision and Strategy

Without a vision and a strategy to implement it, successful Business Development is unnecessarily burdensome and inefficient, if not impossible.

Empowering Your Team for Business Development

From a certain size of your practice 
or business, further successful Business Development requires a larger base – an empowered team.

Practical Skills

Build on proven and experience based practical skills. Find out what works and what doesn’t. Don’t reinvent the wheel.

Going to the Market

Invading the market and presenting yourself as a key market player may 
be the simple most successful means of Business Development.

Overcoming Personal Obstacles

What is rarely talked about: Obstacles keep you from achieving your goals and ambitions. Let’s address them and get rid of them!

Developing Contacts from Targets to Clients

A huge network of contacts is great but not enough. Your contacts need 
to become your clients. That is an 
art in itself.

Building Personal Relationships

Building good, long-term personal relationships and avoiding pitfalls is often more easily said than done.

Realising Your Full Potential

If you feel you are not making the most of your qualifications or you do not reap the fruits that you have worked hard for – please be assured: Your full potential can be realised.

Be Creative in Business Development

Be bold and courageous in testing and trying new things in Business Development – be creative in devising your Business Development activities or events.

Creating a Culture of Business Development

Business Development should be done consistently and continuously – it then becomes a culture for individuals, teams and entire firms.

Building an Industry Specialisation

Industry specialisation is a key differentiator, creates a competitive edge and is achievable with some tenacity.

Positioning Yourself as a Market Leader

Winning new business is so much easier when you are a brand yourself – recognized as an expert and market leader.

Articles

Latest Updates

develop a successful business

Developing a Successful Business – Solutions for a further 10 Common Mistakes 

The common mistakes discussed in this Article are the most common reasons why professionals have not succeeded as business developers and have not been able to build a super profitable business
Solutions of Successful Business Developers

Solutions of Successful Business Developers To 10 Common Mistakes 

In my 32 years as an associate and partner in two big international law firms and always keen on business development I have found many reasons why certain business development activities work – and others do not work.
Business Mindset - mindset shift

Business Mindset – the Role of Mindsets, Belief Systems and Identity

The most unknown and least discussed reasons why you are not (and are even unlikely to become) the successful business developer you aspire to be
Creating Routines - Successful Business

Creating Routines for Successful Business Development

Next Level Business Development: No more excuses but sustainable routines for an easier and more successful business life.
Business development-challenges and how to overcome them

Common Business Development Challenges and How to Overcome Them

As in all areas of life and work, obstacles often have to be overcome in business development: On the one hand, there are external obstacles, which are often essentially rooted in the law firm.
Implementing Business Development

Implementing Business Development

How does a vision become reality? How is the strategy implemented? What goals can I set? What measures can I take? What steps are necessary to positively change one’s own behavior? Here are some suggestions:

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