Aug 5, 2026 · 10 min · 7 segments
Somebody recommended your firm at a barbecue on Saturday and meant it, and she still hasn't rung you. What happened in between is a check that almost every referred client now makes before they…
Nathan GillisHost
[outro jingle] I want to start today with a phone call that never happened, because I think it's one of the most expensive things that can occur in a law firm or an accountancy practice, and it's the only one that leaves absolutely no trace behind it.
Your name comes up the way it usually does because someone you acted for a couple of years ago is standing there talking to a friend who's just separated, and she says, "Call this firm.
They explained everything properly, and I never once felt stupid asking a question." The friend puts a name in her phone, and she absolutely does intend to use it because that's about as strong as a recommendation as anyone ever receives handed over in person from someone who's actually been through the thing that they're now facing.
There's nothing on any report that anyone's ever going to put down in front of you.
From where you're sitting, that Saturday afternoon simply did not occur, and the woman who was told you were brilliant ended up instructing the firm down the road instead.
So the question worth sitting with is what took place between the barbecue and the phone call, and the answer is that she looked you up.
Sunday night on the couch, half watching something on TV with the phone in her hand, she typed your firm's name into Google before she called, which is what nearly everybody does now before they contact anybody.
It's just the way that people behave in 2026, the same way you'd check a restaurant before booking a table for your anniversary, even though three people told you the place was excellent.
Recent research on local businesses puts it at something like 97% of consumers reading reviews before they choose one, and the share of people who say they always check has been climbing sharply year on year.
Now, here's the part that I think most firms have never once stopped to consider, and it changes the way that you should look at your entire online presence.
[outro jingle] I want to start today with a phone call that never happened, because I think it's one of the most expensive things that can occur in a law firm or an accountancy practice, and it's the only one that leaves absolutely no trace behind it.
Your name comes up the way it usually does because someone you acted for a couple of years ago is standing there talking to a friend who's just separated, and she says, "Call this firm.
They explained everything properly, and I never once felt stupid asking a question." The friend puts a name in her phone, and she absolutely does intend to use it because that's about as strong as a recommendation as anyone ever receives handed over in person from someone who's actually been through the thing that they're now facing.
There's nothing on any report that anyone's ever going to put down in front of you.
From where you're sitting, that Saturday afternoon simply did not occur, and the woman who was told you were brilliant ended up instructing the firm down the road instead.
So the question worth sitting with is what took place between the barbecue and the phone call, and the answer is that she looked you up.
Sunday night on the couch, half watching something on TV with the phone in her hand, she typed your firm's name into Google before she called, which is what nearly everybody does now before they contact anybody.
It's just the way that people behave in 2026, the same way you'd check a restaurant before booking a table for your anniversary, even though three people told you the place was excellent.
Recent research on local businesses puts it at something like 97% of consumers reading reviews before they choose one, and the share of people who say they always check has been climbing sharply year on year.
Now, here's the part that I think most firms have never once stopped to consider, and it changes the way that you should look at your entire online presence.
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