Right now, there are hundreds if not thousands of law firms with aging baby boomer partners. How will their firms survive into the future, how do they pass the reins to the next generation? What options do senior attorneys have to transition their practice? In my latest interview on the Counsel to Counsel Podcast, I speak
Read moreHow Can Senior Attorneys Transition Their Practice and Get Value
You don’t have to be a professor of English literature to come up with language that communicates what you do. In fact a complex message is likely to get lost. We are bombarded all day long with marketing messages. The ones that stick (and the ones that will lead to quality referrals–i.e. work you want to do), should be understood by a child in elementary school.
Here are two slides from a great presentation I heard in the Fall (“Sizzle or Suck”) that elaborate on this point in a very meta way (simplicity to get across the point that simplicity is key). The presenters included
Wondering what coaching really is? In two recent episodes of the Counsel to Counsel Podcast, Beth Masterman (who’s name is very fitting), coaches Steve, a 9th year associate at an AmLaw100 firm. Steve (who is played by Steve Seckler), has been passed over for partnership and is is trying to assess his career options.
Read moreWhat is Coaching? Listen to Two Mock Sessions with a Master!
Wondering what really happens during a coaching session? Listen to a master coach, Beth Masterman, work with a 9th year associate who didn’t make partner at his AmLaw100 firm. In this mock interview,
We are please to announce the first winner of The Jennys! Zohar Nevo, a talented corporate associate at the law firm Foley Hoag, has been selected for his continued ability to employ creativity in marketing his legal services. Zohar, who is always thinking out of the box, was actually the inspiration for The Jennys. While practicing at Yigal Arnon & Co., one of the leading law firms in Israel, Zohar created the Zohar Nevo Awards which he handed out liberally to colleagues he liked.
Zohar has a regular practice of sending whimsical postcards to colleagues, business contacts, and clients whenever he is traveling around the world. But he will also send interesting postcards he finds close to home (he sent me one he found at Brookline Booksmith).
Earlier this winter,
With aging baby boomer in their senior ranks, 100s of law firms throughout the country are facing succession planning issues. How can the firm make a successful transition and ensure the long-term viability of their practice? How will the younger partners step into the role of managing client relationships so the clients are well served in the future?
Underpinning all of this is a reality for many firms. Lawyers are living longer, practicing longer, and have very strong professional identities as lawyers. What will these attorneys do when they are no longer chairing a department? What are some of the creative strategies that lawyers have used to figure out What Comes Next.
Bill Lahey, has thought a lot about that subject. Bill began his career in the public sector, worked for one large firm, one small firm and over 4 years, cut his hours by 20% per year and is not entirely out of the practice of law. Along the way, Bill has experimented
Read moreEpisode 58-Managing Your Exit (Career Succession Planning– with Bill Lahey, Esq.)
For law students and recent law school graduates in a job search, the question is: do you follow your interests? Or do you look where the jobs are? Read my post on Beyond the Billable, the blog of the Boston Bar Association for the answer.
Read moreIn a Job Search, Should You Follow Your Interests or Trends in the Marketplace?
Some of my best (and worst ) inspirations come to me at 4:30 a.m. That happened to me in early February when I woke up thinking about all of the creative marketing ideas I’ve heard about in the last 12 months. Some of them have come from clients, some from fellow ProVisors members, and some from lawyers and other professionals I meet who have a flair for garnering attention.
I decided at that moment that it would be great to give out awards for all of this creativity. I then began ruminating in bed about Latin phrases I could adapt (“The Juris Doctor Awards”, “Marketing In Limine”, “In Re: Marketing”). Suddenly, I was hit with a brilliant inspiration! I’ll call it “The Stevies”. Later that day, in a moment of greater clarity, I reached out to a graphic designer to start working on the artwork. Several days later, I received the sad news: The Stevies was already taken.
Despite the fact that my award was really just for fun (?parody), I decided that it was better idea to use another name and not risk a cease-and-desist letter (thank you Dan Batterman for that advice). After some deep thought
Kevin Hallinan recently interviewed me for his show Winning Business Radio. Kevin develops sales teams into high achievers, and sales leaders into true coaches and mentors utilizing the Sandler Sales Training methodology.
In our conversation, Kevin gets me to talk about my origins, how I got interested in recruiting and coaching and why lawyers need help developing their marketing skills.
I’ve always made a habit of responding to email messages within a day (even if just to say I’m sorry but I’m busy right now and will try to get back to you next week–or something like that). While I don’t always live up to this standard, I believe it is common courtesy to acknowledge that someone is trying to communicate with me (unless they are simply trying to sell me something).
While I consider responding to emails in a timely fashion the professional thing to do, I recognize that some of the people I am trying to reach are overwhelmed and simply don’t have the bandwidth to respond.
Many lawyers make effective use of auto replies