The Future LawyerThe must-have skills to win clients
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BD Pipeline Tracker (Weekly)

Rifat Sheikh | Law firm co-founder and former Head of BD & Marketing | Practitioner Educator
Use for:
All sectors
How to use
Fictional practice entries only: names, firms and timings do not represent real contacts. Keep the live version in a firm-approved system with access, retention and opt-out controls. Never record sensitive matter details in a BD tracker.
Referral sourceSector and typeStageFitNext actionBy when / note
Fictional Contact A
(Example Accountancy)
Private: accountantActiveHighShare a current employment updateNext week; confirm preferences
Fictional Contact B
(Example Financial Advice)
Private: IFABuildingMediumFollow-up email with a relevant articleThis month
Fictional Contact C
(Example Estate Agency)
Private: estate agentAwareMediumLinkedIn connection and follow-up messageThis week; conveyancing overlap
Fictional Contact D
(Example Authority)
Public: borough legal teamContactMediumCheck the published procurement routeLong horizon: 18 to 36 months
Fictional Contact E
(Example Advice Centre)
Third: community advice centreContactHighOffer support for a free advice clinicNext month; mission first
[Name / organisation][Sector: type][Stage][Fit][Next action][Date and context]
[Name / organisation][Sector: type][Stage][Fit][Next action][Date and context]

Stages

AwareContactBuildingActive
You know they existFirst conversation madeRegular, useful touchpointsAgreed ongoing contact

Fit: High, Medium or Low, based on how closely their clients match your work.

Monthly totals

Total sourcesPrivatePublicThirdNew this monthActive with agreed preferences
[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
The rule
Review weekly. A tracker is only useful if every row has a next action and a date.
Insight
Specialise. A pipeline of twenty referrers who know exactly what you do is worth more than two hundred who do not.

The Future Lawyer | Version 2 | 26 October 2026 | Accessibility | rifat@thefuturelawyer.co.uk | 07572 382 995