Aficionados of medical dramas (like me) will recognize this as the adage of the surgeon. It’s their learning curve. See a procedure. Do the procedure. Teach the procedure. They believe that this is the strongest way to learn a new skill in their profession. I think this method would work for lawyers as well, but [...]
(This article first appeared in SLAW). The other day, an international client of mine thinking about re-entering the Canadian marketplace asked me why there was so little loyalty in Canadian law firms these days. He was referring to the amount of lawyer churn in most law firms. I don’t believe this issue is limited to [...]
This post is for law firm leaders as well as for senior managers. My last submission to SLAW focussed on ensuring you don’t alienate your law firm with your decision process. This one focusses on another barrier to firm success: bullies. Cutting my teeth as a law firm marketer, I was very aware of law [...]
I’ve received several requests to outline a good pathway to Partnership. (I’m referring here to Equity Partner). A pathway is critical because there are a lot of lawyers (and owners) set to retire in the coming ten years. Properly preparing for Partnership and being prepared to run what is often a multi million-dollar business was [...]
(This post first appeared in SLAW) Most firms have come to appreciate the value of practice groups in their management and marketing; but not everyone knows why they are more powerful than operating without them, which may result in their under-utilization. In this post I’ll explain the evolution of practice groups, what they look like [...]
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 [...]
While Ronald Reagan wasn’t one of my favorite Presidents, he produced one of my favorite quotes about leadership: “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things." The decision-making process most firms seem to use for selection of [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]