9 4th Quarter BD Hacks to Own 2026

Volatility. Regulatory headwinds. Impatient CEOs. Strategic mandates. All are colliding with disruptive technology. You get one thing: relentless, unexpected and urgent mission-critical demands on clients.

A potent formula for outside counsel to develop business – and score serious relationship points.

And there is no quarter like the 4^th quarter for this to rain down.

Corporate counsel see demands spike as top management accelerate year-end deadlines and throw in last-minute requests. Clients are racing to close out 2025, protect budgets and set priorities for 2026.

For outside counsel, this is the once-a-year chance to step in, add outsized value and lock in business before the year turns. Here are 9 hacks to turn urgency into opportunity:

1. Zero in on year-end 2025 must-wins and must-dos
   Ask clients what absolutely has to get done before December 31 – then own helping them deliver.
2. Recalibrate long-running matters
   Priorities shift. Goals change. Reconfirm goals and adjust strategies now to avoid December surprises.
3. Make everything board-ready
   Send crisp language clients can drop directly into board decks, reports or emails.
4. Define January’s top 3 moves
   Don’t wait for Q1. Position yourself as the lawyer shaping their agenda on January 2.
5. Drop your “5 for ’26” playbook
   Deliver five bold, client-specific strategies, risks or opportunities. Be short, sharp and provocative.
6. Discuss the 2026 forecast
   Budgets, mandates and leadership priorities are in motion. Their outlook is your roadmap to relevance. Share what you see in your client base and industry.
7. Attack economic headwinds
   Probe how interest rates, capital markets, global instability, and political headwinds are squeezing them – then map legal strategies to soften the blows – or uncover new openings.
8. Solve continuity gaps
   Clients are short-staffed. Offer seamless support and stability. Go further: Make introductions to help them hire staff.
9. Talk disclosures
   Clients are drowning in disclosure uncertainty. New York and the EU push harder, the SEC stalls and clients are stuck in limbo. Step in with clarity. Give clients answers management can use immediately.

More Resources to Power Your Q4 Business Development

BTI Litigation Outlook 2026
Dive into more business development hacks for Litigation in the just-released BTI Litigation Outlook 2026. You can use the BTI Litigation Outlook 2026 to map out exactly where the litigation spending is and isn’t – enabling you to target your business development efforts to the best and most robust opportunities.

Discover the details on all corporate counsel law firm preferences – by name – and learn who stands out in each of the key 8 litigation segments – and why.

Final Word

Don’t try to use all 9 hacks at once. Pick the two or three that fit your style – and use them with three clients each. The new business will come faster than you think.

Lawyers who move now will own 2026. Everyone else will be chasing.