I got in my car and drove 90 minutes to a meeting in Greensboro. I took one of my key managers with me. We met with a lawyer who was about 15 years more experienced than us and far more successful.

He took us on a tour and showed us one of his ten offices. We were blown away by the data center and the number of people working for the firm. He showed us his marketing materials and explained—for hours—how he had built his practice. He gave us amazing insights into how he managed his people and how he handled clients. He even told us a bit about how he practiced law.

By the end of our time with him, I was exhausted. But I was also exhilarated. My head was spinning. I was so full of ideas that I thought I might pop. It was amazing to see how much I had learned in a day.

You can do the same thing. You can meet with lawyers who have been successful and jump-start your practice. You can get the benefit of their experience without having to learn everything by trying it yourself.

You can be certain that successful lawyers have tried and failed. They’ve experimented in a bunch of different ways and stuck with the things that work and stopped doing the things that don’t. Your goal is to avoid making the mistakes and to double down on the successes.

You might wonder whether successful attorneys will be willing to take the time to talk with you. After all, why would they waste their valuable time on you?

The fact is that I have never had a lawyer refuse my request for a visit. Universally, they have said yes. I’m not sure whether it’s their desire to help or whether being asked for advice is flattering. The bottom line is that they say yes, and they put serious energy into helping and dispensing advice.

You might wonder whether this activity is reserved for people just starting a practice. Maybe you worry that as part of an established practice, you can’t take advantage of this approach.

You don’t need to worry. I’m still doing it. I visited with a lawyer two weeks ago to learn what he was doing. He was more than willing to talk, and we had a great discussion. As usual, the meeting was better than I expected.

Should you meet with family law practitioners exclusively? I wouldn’t. In fact, I mostly meet with lawyers in other areas of practice. I’ve met with family law people, but I get more good ideas from lawyers in other practice areas. You should try some of both and see how it goes.

You don’t have to earn all of your experience one day at a time. You can get a bunch of it all at once when you ask others for help.