When you decided to become a lawyer, you took the time and energy to plot out a pathway. You took the right courses and got the grades needed to get into law school. You participated in extracurricular activities that would look good on your resume to secure summer positions and later, a good articling position. [...]
Increasingly, law firms are learning to appreciate the value of individual lawyer marketing plans. But paperwork is only the first step. A plan is useless without implementation. Yet how does a firm convince a busy lawyer to implement on those plans? Too often, in firms that require personal plans, lawyers will begrudgingly prepare them but [...]
Precedent figures heavily in most law practices, so it’s understandable that lawyers would rely on past experiences and belief systems in the running of their lives as well. Life experience can create wisdom. It can also lead to our greatest weak spots. In over twenty years of coaching lawyers, my primary goal has been to [...]
Laterals can be a wonderful addition to a law firm. They can also be an incredibly expensive drain – financially, in terms of resources and with respect to morale. Here’s how to ensure your lateral hires can help rather than hurt your firm. It’s said that laterals have around a 70% chance of surviving in [...]
Most firms are under-utilizing one of the most effective marketing tools of their future: their Associates. This results in increased pressure on the rest of the firm to build business and may potentially jeopardize a firm’s stability in the future. Law firms need Associates to step up and market, for everyone’s sake. To steal from [...]
Years ago, when lawyer attrition started to reach alarming rates (which for some reason we are more complacent about now), Catalyst in the US conducted research to determine why so many female lawyers were leaving the profession. Not that only female lawyers were leaving; that was simply the focus of their research. They found that [...]
If you were to go on a holiday, would you just jump in your car and start driving? Of course you wouldn’t. You’d determine your destination. You’d figure out the best time to go. You’d book accommodations and make travel arrangements. You’d consider the costs involved, and you’d pack according to the weather and your [...]
Many lawyers don’t have a productivity problem, they have a discipline problem. Here’s how to overcome it. Ancient Greek philosophers focussed on understanding how the mind and body works developed special words to describe unique human states. For example, the word “Akrasia” refers to the state of knowingly acting against one’s best interests. It’s that [...]
Is your mind encouraging you to evolve, or stopping you from doing so? You might be shocked at the degree to which your state of mind may be sabotaging your progress. I’m a certified executive coach but I’m also a certified soccer coach, and I can tell you that the roles are not that different. [...]
Unhappy lawyers don’t hate the law; it’s often that they suffer a lack of ability in one or more of the many other areas that are required of a great lawyer. Here’s an inventory of the capabilities great lawyers need. Spring is the season for planting. We prepare the soil, we put in seed, we [...]