In my career I have been blessed to work with some really outstanding lawyers and I have also worked hard to be outstanding myself. So, I have ideas you can implement to keep getting better and take it to the next level. Here is a list of what outstanding lawyers do to keep getting better:
They [...]
My October column for The Practical Lawyer focuses on leadership and how the current economy may have changed law firms forever.
Is your law firm striving to become the best it can be? If so, my bet is your firm leader has integrity, articulates a purpose other than profits per partner, clearly has a vision for [...]
It was 1971, I was in my last year in law school when Nancy and I and two other couples sat in the second row to watch The Ike and Tina Turner Revue. First, Ike and the band came out, then the Ikettes came out and sang. Then the announcer, in a very deep voice [...]
Over the weekend I read a sports psychology book by Gary Mack titled: Mind Gym: An Athlete’s Guide to Inner Excellence. I found it could have been a lawyer’s guide to inner excellence because the points he made reminded me of what I see in the most outstanding lawyers I coach.
Let’s review the ten qualities [...]
Would you be surprised if I told you that one secret of client development is to “stop selling.” In many ways client development is counter intuitive and this is one of them.
Think about buying a car. Are you more likely to do business with the dealer who is trying to sell you a car [...]
I like the ebook by Chris Guillebeau called “279 Days to Overnight Success.”
While it is focused on writers, there is a great deal in it for lawyers. Chris describes his “World Domination Strategy” and lists six components in his strategy. The five listed below apply to lawyers.
Create a Compelling Story and Be Remarkable
Clearly Answer the [...]
Mitch Ackal is a Houston based lawyer I am coaching. He played baseball on the 1999 College World Series Rice team.
This week I am begin coaching a group of eight associates. I asked Mitch to share his thoughts on how to get the most from the coaching program. I am passing Mitch’s thoughts on to [...]
Have you ever persuaded someone by asking a favor? I am not suggesting asking for business, but there are other favors you can ask that will be very helpful.
In a fall issue of Selling Power magazine, there was an article “The Persuasion Principle: How to Use Robert Cialdini’s Scientific Research to Close More Sales.” The [...]
Is your law firm on Twitter? You likely think that none of the CEOs or GCs of your clients are on Twitter, so why should you be. I also questioned the value of Twitter in a blog I posted in June.
The reason your firm should be on Twitter is simple: It takes very little time [...]
Yesterday, I wrote about “the strength of weak ties.” I heard from several readers that my discussion gave them ideas they had not considered.
The story I told yesterday demonstrates four points:
1. More often than not, clients hire lawyers rather than law firms.
2. Client development is about relationship building.
3. You will be [...]