How a Young Partner Doubled His Book of Business Year Over Year

In this episode of BE THAT LAWYER, I sit down with Alex Karasik, partner at Duane Morris and chair of the firm's global AI task force for employment law, for one of the most personal and genuinely inspiring conversations we have had on this show. Alex came into our coaching relationship without a plan. He had a great law school pedigree, incredible mentors including rainmaker legend Jerry Madman, and a natural warmth that drew people to him. But none of that was translating into a book of business because nobody had ever taught him how to be intentional about it. When we sat down and actually mapped it out, he realized he did not just need motivation — he needed a system. What happened next is what this episode is about. Alex doubled his book of business every year we worked together. Not by becoming someone he was not. Not by cold calling or pushing or pitching. By doing what he was already good at — building genuine relationships, doing favors with no expectation of return, and being the person people wanted to call when things went sideways. His story is anchored in something deeper than strategy. His late mother told him to smile and stand up straight. His father spent his entire career at one firm and taught him loyalty and integrity. His brother Jack, a Special Olympics athlete, taught him acceptance, love, and what it means to show up for the people you care about. All of that is in how he practices law and how he develops business. Clients feel it, and that is why they stay. We get into the Muhammad Ali quote he brought to the show, and how it captures everything he believes about preparation. We talk about why younger lawyers are making a career-defining mistake by keeping their heads down and waiting to worry about business development later. And we close with the thing that drives him most — the belief that every rainmaker, no matter how successful, started from zero clients. [00:00] Introduction and Quote: Muhammad Ali on Preparation and Winning [03:00] Alex's Background: Family, USC Trojans Football, Notre Dame Law [07:00] How Jerry Madman and Steve Fretzin Connected and What Changed [09:00] Starting Business Development Without a Plan or Sales Background [12:00] Why Relationship-Based Rainmaking Does Not Feel Like Selling [15:00] The Mitzvah Approach: Doing Favors Without Expecting Anything Back [18:00] How a One-Hour Phone Call Turned Into His First Class Action Client [20:00] Sales-Free Selling and Why Solving Beats Pitching Every Time [21:00] Different BD Styles for Different Personalities and Why That Is Okay [24:00] Character, Core Values, and Why Clients Hire the Person Not Just the Lawyer [27:00] Where Alex Was When We Started and Where He Is Now [30:00] What He Would Tell His Younger Self About Starting Earlier [33:00] The Be That Lawyer Community and How to Get Started Without a Big Investment This episode is for any lawyer who knows they need to develop business but has not yet figured out how to do it in a way that feels authentic to who they are. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Why preparation done when no one is watching determines whether you win or lose the client before you ever meet them How to reframe business development as relationship-building and problem-solving so it stops feeling like something uncomfortable you have to do What the mitzvah approach to networking looks like in practice and why genuine generosity compounds over time Why carving out protected time for business development is non-negotiable if you want to stop running someone else's race What law students and junior associates should be doing right now to make the path to partnership dramatically easier If you are a young partner, senior associate, or any lawyer who knows they have a great network but has not figured out how to turn relationships into business, this episode will show you what that shift looks like from the inside. Work with Steve Fretzin Sales-Free Selling Program: https://fretzin.com/lawyer-coaching-a... Peer Advisory Groups: https://fretzin.com/lawyer-coaching-a... Book a FREE 30-Minute Strategy Session: https://fretzin.com/ Thank you to our Sponsors LEX Reception: https://www.lexreception.com/partners... Rankings.io: https://rankings.io/ Lawyer.com: https://www.lawyer.com/ Connect with Alex Karasik Website: https://www.duanemorris.com/attorneys... Connect with Steve Fretzin LinkedIn: / stevefretzin Website: https://BETHATLAWYER.com/ YouTube: / @stevefretzin