Rainmaker: 1) A person who attempts to cause rain to fall, either by rituals or by a scientific technique such as seeding clouds with crystals.
2) A person who generates income for a business or organisation by brokering deals or attracting clients or funds.

Slaughter and May corporate veteran Nigel Boardman (pictured below) does not like the question. The partner – arguably one of the best-known legal dealmakers in London – has been asked for his thoughts on rainmakers.

"I hate the term," he complains. "It suggests there is something separate to winning clients from the delivery of service. It is not about doing a rain dance."

While it is possible that Boardman is simply being modest, there is some truth to his argument: mastering the art of winning clients is fairly meaningless if law firms are not then delivering the best service to these companies. And given the stiff competition to secure partnership at any leading UK or US firm these days, is it not true that all partners have client-winning skills?

And yet, within each firm you can find a handful of established M&A partners from each generation who stand out from the crowd: Mark Rawlinson and Bruce Embley at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; Charlie Jacobs at Linklaters; Scott Simpson and Michael Hatchard at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom; and Patrick Sarch at Clifford Chance (CC) – to name but a tiny fraction of the many currently practising across the City.

So is it all just a question of perception or is there something that genuinely sets these star names apart from their peers? And, if so, can whatever it is be taught? More to the point, in today's ever-more global world when everyone is chasing institutional clients to cross-sell advice across multiple practices and geographies, is there even a need for rainmakers?

Getting in the trenches
Boardman is not alone in his hatred of the word rainmaker. Few that the term is attached to are comfortable with the expression being used in relation to them personally. Firms such as CC have been very public about their desire to be seen to house strong teams rather than star names – though the cynical may argue that this is because the firm has seen many of its big-name partners tempted away from Canary Wharf by dollar signs in the City arms of US rivals.

Linklaters corporate chief Matthew Middleditch also has reservations about the term. "Part of me doesn't like the way individuals are singled out because there's a potential for it to be divisive," he says. "We have a pretty remarkable group of London corporate partners and it's invidious to focus on a few." 

However, he concedes that "the world is as it is and we have to live in it", and that it is in a firm's interests to have some individuals seen as market leaders. Even Boardman admits that, while the client experience should be about the team and not a star name, there are times when it is useful to have some to have big names, particularly when it comes to clients that are new entrants to a particular market and therefore have no existing relationships.

Regardless of whether the concept is popular, there is a universal understanding of what is meant by a rainmaker: someone who brings in significantly more work than average and encourages clients to seek them out directly for their specific expertise, to the extent that the client may drop longstanding relationships with existing legal advisers. What is less clear cut is exactly how they go about doing this, with rainmaking definitely more of an art than a science.

With legal skills a given, the differentiator has to come down to personality and interpersonal skills, and one in particular: empathy – an ability to truly understand the client, their hopes and their fears. "Client empathy is key – being able to see things through the clients' eyes and put yourself in their shoes," comments Freshfields corporate partner Rawlinson (pictured bottom). "You need to be able to demystify legal advice and be empathetic. What makes people go to one magic circle firm over another? All of them will get the law right, so it has to come down to personal chemistry."

Boardman lists two additional differentiators on top of empathy. "You have to put the clients' interests first – ahead of your firm's interests and ahead of your personal interests," he explains. "That means, for example, if there's a conflict you tell them at the start that you can't act for them, or if they're associated with a deeply unpopular issue you get in the trenches with them and stand up for them. It's also about personality – not having the brightest shirts or telling the best stories, but having the strengths that will carry a client and the commitment to do so."

But all the empathy and legal skills in the world will be of little help without a healthy dose of good fortune to get on the right deals. Although many lawyers are reluctant to use the word sales in relation to their work, good rainmakers are effectively great salesmen and only once they have won enough high-profile roles will their reputation mean that they become less dependent on selling either themselves or their firm. As Allen & Overy London corporate head Richard Browne points out: "You can be the best technical lawyer in the world but it doesn't matter if you don't have any clients."

Nature vs nurture
The age-old question when looking at abilities so closely linked with personality is whether these skills can be taught or whether you either have them or you don't. Here, there is almost unanimous agreement. "It's the nature vs nurture question," says Rawlinson. "You've got to have some fizz. While there are lots of different styles of rainmaker, I don't think you can teach it. You can make opportunities for others to come up though – I can think of people here who will become rainmakers in time. Law is one of the few careers where getting older can be an advantage. Most people on boards are in their 50s and they feel more confident with people who've done things lots of times before."

Browne adds: "It can be nurtured – interpersonal skills can be improved even if empathy can't be taught. I'm a firm believer in having mentors; someone who brings out your strengths and can help your weaknesses. We spend a lot of time trying to mentor our associates – I think it's part of every partner's job to get associates to fulfil their potential."

Middleditch believes the right law firm platform is critical for building individual success alongside helping them develop the right skills, but adds: "You can't teach someone how to be a rainmaker – it's a question of personality.

"A key focus on electing new partners is trying to identify those who are the rainmakers of the future. It's quite difficult as you are speculating on what someone is going to be like in 10 or 20 years' time."

At Slaughters, Boardman concedes that not everything can be taught but attaches significant value to training: "I give a talk to junior lawyers and I tell them that you need availability, affability, affordability and ability. I certainly think you can improve your skills."

Moving with the times
Given the increasingly institutional relationships many firms have with their clients, opinion is mixed on whether rainmakers are still necessary.  Recent years have seen many firms shrink their core client lists, focusing on trying to maximise international revenues from a smaller number of companies – a strategy that is seemingly at odds with the concept of an individual approach to winning business. 

But while some claim that the greater institutional ties make rainmakers redundant in all but a handful of cases when a corporate genuinely has no existing links to any legal advisers, others believe rainmaking skills are more important now. "There is less loyalty than before from clients," argues Browne, who says the defining deal of his career was a lead instruction from emap, which had previously counted Slaughters as its main corporate adviser.

"Relationships are constantly under review and clients will move firm if they don't feel they're getting the right service at the right price. It means rainmaking skills are more important than ever – the legal market is in more of a state of flux than it was 20 years ago and companies will move longstanding relationships."

On top of this is the inevitable need for new clients born of working in the M&A market – as clients merge, churn is part of the job. "It's in the firm's best interests if people are phoning you and asking you to do deals – you can lose your client base quickly through M&A," Rawlinson comments. "I did loads of work with P&O and EMI (both of which were taken over), so when one client goes a large part of the job is attracting new clients – I've helped bring in AB InBev, BG and BP, for example."

Whether or not rainmakers are still integral to firms' future success, the role itself and the skills required to do it have changed significantly over time. As Macfarlanes senior partner Charles Martin explains: "There is no doubt that the skillset required of these individuals today is quite different to what it was 20 or more years ago.  There has to be real substance behind the business-generating skills, not just a smooth line in patter."

Part of this is down to the greater visibility of both firms and individuals, which makes it easier for clients to find the right adviser even if they have no previous dealings with a lawyer. It is also down to higher expectations from clients.

"Clients are much more sophisticated," continues Martin. "Most clients of size will have significant in-house legal capability of their own, headed by individuals who know their way around the law firm world. They also network among each other so that reputations and delivery are constantly interrogated and communicated."
What has also changed (though not enough) is the way this networking and pitching is conducted. Rainmaking is no longer the exclusive preserve of Eton-educated men, and arguably – if some elements of gender stereotyping are true – women should be better at empathising with clients than their male counterparts.

Whether you use the word rainmaker or not there will always be those partners who enjoy the buzz of deals and have the skills that enable them to build a profile and win mandates more easily than others with the same legal ability.

It is equally clear that the greater transparency of firms and the services they are providing – combined with the increasing commoditisation in the market – means there is more need for differentiation than ever before. And one of the best ways to deliver this is through the personal relationships and personalities within the firm. All of which means, like it or not, the concept of the rainmaker is not going away any time soon.

As Rawlinson concludes: "All firms are very conscious of who the next generation of rainmakers are. It's important that we have rainmakers, as long as they are not divisive – you can't have rogue elephants just because they're good at what they do. Part of their role should be developing that next generation."

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Today's rainmakers offer advice to the next generation

Nigel Boardman on advice for younger lawyers: "It's all about exceptional service. They come to you because they think they can get the best service from the firm, nothing more. People should focus on being the best all-round lawyer and adding value – that's what clients pay for."

On helping the next generation: "It's more difficult for junior partners. They need help and opportunities to shine – introductions to clients, for example. A lot of it comes down to relationships and remuneration. I think moves away from lockstep are bad for clients; they can ruin service. We don't spend time identifying future stars. We hope that everyone we made a partner will be a star – if not then we made the wrong decision."

Mark Rawlinson on the benefits to clients: "From a client standpoint there's value in having a well-known name on the job. You've been around the block many times and have so much experience of the situation that the client finds themselves in that it has to be to their benefit. You also have greater credibility with boards."

Richard Browne on advice to rising stars: "You've absolutely got to be a good technical lawyer first. If you don't have those skills, forget it. Being commercial just means understanding the law inside out and delivering advice in a way that works in a business context. And you can never have too many friends – either in the client, other firms or other organisations."

On how to win clients: "I'm a believer in long-term relationships. For me, it works to build those relationships that end up being significant even if they start from very small things. If you do a good job on the small matters and think of things from the client perspective then that's something that will earn you loyalty."