Creative Ways to Differentiate your Law Practice (without showcasing your expertise)

I joined the ProVisors business network in June of 2019.  There are many things I love about the group and during the pandemic, it has been a great way to stay connected to a very giving group of professionals. While meeting wonderful people has been the best part, my involvement with ProVisors has also been a great lesson in how to differentiate yourself.   In the network, there are many lawyers, accountants, financial planners and other trusted advisors who do similar things.  So “choosing your lane” and making yourself memorable is important.  Many ProVisors members do that well.

Sometimes I hear great tag lines that describe the expertise that the professionals bring to the table (e.g. Call me when you need to manage your client’s message with a megaphone or a muzzle.- Judy Rakowsky, a public relations professional; Call me when you are in the back of a police car or in the back of an ambulance– Chris Murphy, a lawyer who does criminal defense and plaintiff’s personal injury; I bring death and taxes to life-Jenn Taddeo, a trusts and estates lawyer; When the Feds come knocking, I’ll do the blocking-Jose Sierra, a white collar attorney—who is now in-house.)

I have also met a number of lawyers and other professionals who have found very creative ways

Read moreCreative Ways to Differentiate your Law Practice (without showcasing your expertise)

A Conversation with Ben Sigel-The Great Connector [on Counsel to Counsel]

On the Counsel to Counsel Podcast, we talk a lot about relationship building.  Doing great work should always be your number one priority as a lawyer.  But successful careers are not built on merit alone.  The people in your network are critical.  Whether you are thinking about an in-house move or growing your law practice, relationships matter….a lot.  In my latest episode of the C2C Podcast, I speak with Ben Sigel, someone who is a master at relationship building.  Ben has been a litigator at several mid-sized and large firms, Director of Client and Community Relations for Mintz Levin, a Candidate for the United States Congress in my district, and President of the New England Chapter of the Hispanic National Bar Association.  He is someone who actively works to build communities and a natural connector. He is also someone with deep roots in both the LatinX and

Read moreA Conversation with Ben Sigel-The Great Connector [on Counsel to Counsel]

Be S.M.A.R.T. in the New Year

I love the New Year.  With the arrival of January, we all have the chance to reinvent ourselves, create new habits, explore new directions and in short, try new things out for size.  In 2021, this has particular resonance as many of us found 2020 to be very challenging.  While we have a ways to go before life returns to “normal”, this is a great time to create goals that are S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound).  And as a reminder, once we have set those goals, it is important to create habits that move us towards those goals. (See “Mindlessness” is the Key to Marketing Success, my prior blog post.)

So what are your goals for the coming year?  Grow you practice by 20% in 2021?  Find an in-house counsel role by the Fall?  Build competency in a new practice area? Begin scaling back your practice and thinking about The Next Stage in your career/life?

Read moreBe S.M.A.R.T. in the New Year

“Mindlessness” is the Key to Marketing Success

If you want to grow your law practice, having a good strategy is important. Figuring out who are your ideal clients and what are the ideal matters you want to work on is an important first step in building a marketing plan.  Creating a niche practice area is an important way to ensure that you have differentiated yourself from the competition. Mapping out who are your key referral sources and how you can build relationships with these referral sources is essential. The process of coming up with a marketing plan is anything but mindless. A scattershot approach that lacks focus is far less likely to be effective.

But once you have a strategy and you move to implementation, it is important to shift gears. Successful execution requires consistency.  Short bursts of activity followed by long breaks where you just focus on billable work, is not a good way to keep your name top of mind with your network.  Since it is hard to predict when your clients, prospective clients, and referral sources will hear about a legal problem that you might be able to solve, slow and steady wins the race.

Shear willpower is unlikely to ensure that you will have the consistency you need to remain visible.  Given the time pressures on most

Read more“Mindlessness” is the Key to Marketing Success

Business Development in 2021 with the Law Firm Success Group [on the C2C podcast]

 

The New Year is finally here and without getting into it, let’s just say that many of us are happy to welcome 2021.  A new year brings hope, a chance for a new beginning, and if you are in private practice, a great opportunity to ramp up your marketing and business development. In the latest episode of the C2C Podcast, I speak with Alay Yajnik, award-winning business coach and founder of Law Firm Success Group. Alay’s firm helps law firms owners across the country make more money, get better clients, and take more vacations.  I’ve already appeared as a guest on his podcast  the Lawyer Business Advantage.  Alay and I discuss

Read moreBusiness Development in 2021 with the Law Firm Success Group [on the C2C podcast]

Top Counsel to Counsel Podcasts of 2020

It has been a great year for the Counsel to Counsel Podcast. As we enter 2021, I thought I would highlight some of the most popular episodes of the year.  While these are the most popular episodes of 2020, I pleased to report that C2C has a long tail.  In other words, my listeners continue to go back into the archives to find interviews that are relevant to them long after the recordings have been posted.

I’m very thankful for the great professionals (lawyers and consultants) who have given me the chance to learn from them.  Podcasting has been a great education for me.  I also appreciate the thousands of listeners who have downloaded Counsel to Counsel since I launched in early 2018.

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions!  Stay tuned for more to come!  Here is the list (follow the links or look for the Counsel to Counsel Podcast wherever you get your podcasts):

Read moreTop Counsel to Counsel Podcasts of 2020

Acing the Virtual Interview [on the C2C Podcast]

For the last 10 months, most interviewing has gone on-line.  Zoom interviews are the norm right now and new hires are even being on-boarded virtually.  While the world will eventually shift back to in-person interviews, Zoom, WebEx and other virtual platforms are likely to continue to play a significant role in the hiring process.  The convenience of bringing together parties who are in different locations and have different schedules, it high.  As we enter 2021, I decided that updating my interviewing tips was long overdue.  You can listen to my tips for virtual interviews on the Counsel to Counsel Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. For more comprehensive interviewing tips read my latest interviewing guide to help you

Read moreAcing the Virtual Interview [on the C2C Podcast]

Finding Your Niche-My Interview on the Lawyer Business Advantage Podcast

I was recently a guest on Alay Yanjnik’s Lawyer Business Advantage Podcast.  Like me, Alay is an experienced attorney coach and an active member of the ProVisors business network.  We spoke about business development for lawyers, the importance of developing a niche, some of the career related coaching that I do and a number of other related

Read moreFinding Your Niche-My Interview on the Lawyer Business Advantage Podcast

A Late Career Shift to Public Service [on the Counsel to Counsel Podcast]

What makes a legal career satisfying? Representing the most sophisticated clients?  Making a great living? Getting the brass ring at a large law firm? Or is it giving back?  If you ask Rich Johnston, Chief Legal Counsel for Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, it’s the latter.  Rich spent almost four decades as a partner at WilmerHale (originally Hale and Dorr).  While he did get to work on great cases as a commercial litigator, it was his public service and pro bono work that brought him the highest levels of satisfaction.

Read moreA Late Career Shift to Public Service [on the Counsel to Counsel Podcast]