'I understand the theory of marketing, but what can I do to build my practice in the odd hour or two I have this week?' This is a regular request from many of the smaller firms with which I work.

They want simple, practical ideas on finding new business today.

One of the following ideas might be right for your firm.-- Ask your clients if they are happy.

Produce a list of your 30 largest clients and devise a short list of questions asking them whether they are happy with your service and what improvements can be made.

If you find there are problems, get them fixed as otherwise you could lose clients.

If they are happy, ask them if they would be prepared to recommend you to their business colleagues and arrange a meeting for all three parties.-- Review closed files.

Old clients are the best source of new business.

Review a list of old clients and matters and telephone a few of them to find out how they and their businesses are faring.

Even if your old clients do not have anything for you to do immediately, the fact that you phoned for a chat will keep you foremost in their minds when something does arise.-- Get your staff involved.

Ask everyone in the practice to think hard about all their social and business contacts who may potentially have a need for legal advice.

Give assurances that you will handle all contacts in the most sensitive manner.

Invite nominating staff to become involved in making an approach and offer an incentive of some kind for those contacts where you manage to arrange a meeting.-- Remind clients when changes might be due.

Clients like to feel you are on top of their matters.

Go through old files and develop a series of 'reminder' letters along the lines of: 'It is five years since you updated your will, are there any changes?' or 'Your factory lease expires in 18 months' time, will you be renewing?'-- Get out of the office.

It is very difficult to meet new clients when you are sitting in your office - so get out.

Events will include dinners and social functions arranged by local business groups, briefings by fellow professionals, exhibitions, training courses and conferences, sports events and meetings where those who are trying to sell to your practice will have gathered groups of business people.-- Scan the local papers.

Find excuses to contact clients from whom you have not heard for a while.

This could involve checking the appointments pages and then sending a congratulations letter introducing yourself to the new appointee and finding out where the previous position holder has moved to, or scanning the job advertisement pages - a vacancy may indicate either expansion or problems.

The business news section may provide the opportunity to write along the lines of 'I noticed that you recently won a major order/ were promoting your new product/are opening a new branch.'-- Obtain new names from local directories.

Go through the various local directories to identify the ten largest companies in the area.

After some preliminary research about these companies to establish what business they are in and what issues they are likely to face in their industry, contact them with a view to meeting at a low commitment event like a forthcoming Institute of Directors, chamber of commerce or industry association meeting.-- Input business cards onto a mailing list.

Christmas is coming, why not be ahead of the game for once? Ensure all your clients and contacts (and all those of your partners) are on the database/mailing list.

Clients and contacts on the database can regularly be sent copies of articles from the legal and business press that might be of interest, copies of articles written by those in your practice and invitations to sports events or informal drinks parties.-- Arrange a business breakfast.

Identify a handful of clients who might have mutual interests and invite them to a business breakfast where they can meet each other with your firm as the host.

If any collaborative deals ensue you have the satisfaction of knowing that you brought your clients together and you may find they need legal help to underpin the deals.-- Invite your clients in to tell you about their businesses.

Arrange for your partners to be present at an informal early evening event where your most important client comes in to talk about their business and their industry.

As well as learning more about their business (and where possible future legal needs might emerge) you get the chance to introduce partners in different practice areas and increase the chances of cross referrals.-- Mail out the firm's brochures.

Brush the dust off the pile of glossy brochures in the basement and think of a few topical subjects to write about in a sh ort, covering letter.

If you cannot think of a topical subject try a short letter on, for example, 'ten things you never knew about leases' or 'five recent tax changes affecting small businesses' or 'seven things most businesses get wrong in their standard terms and conditions'.

Then send those brochures out to the people for whom they were intended.-- Last, but certainly not least, talk to your partners.

It is amazing how often we forget to find out what our partners are doing - what new clients they have and whether there are any areas within which you might advise their clients.

Arrange a short meeting where you can brainstorm ideas for new business generation together - and do not let the meeting end until you have a list of actions to follow up with agreement by each partner on what they will do and by when.