A time for Career Reflection? [an offer to be a sounding board]

The reality of COVID-19 is hitting all of us hard. Our lives and careers are being significantly disrupted.  At a time when we most want to come together, we are being told to socially distance. While that seems like the new normal, we still have ways to connect virtually.  In this vein, I am writing to offer you the chance to reflect on what you really want from your career.  If you have more down time right now or if the coronavirus is just causing you to rethink your priorities, The Juris Doctor is In.

Read moreA time for Career Reflection? [an offer to be a sounding board]

7 Career Management Tips-Special COVID Edition of the C2C Podcast

My tips for managing your career during the COVID-19 crisis.  A special edition of the Counsel to Counsel Podcast. Click here or listen wherever you get your podcasts.  If you are feeling isolated or if you just want a sounding board, I also invite you to set up a time for an informal consult by Zoom.  I’m always happy to speak to lawyers about their marketing or their efforts to build a practice.

Read more7 Career Management Tips-Special COVID Edition of the C2C Podcast

7 Career/Life Management Tips for a COVID-19 World

We are now living through the snow day of all snow days!  Even if you or your family’s health has not been affected by the coronavirus (and I hope it hasn’t), surely every other aspect of your life has been turned upside down.  For most of us, there have been great disruptions at work (at a minimum, projects put on hold, meetings and court appearances postponed, employees working remotely).

These disruptions can impact our productivity in many ways.  For me personally, I’ve been moving meetings on-line, stocking up at BJs, dealing with elderly parents, helping my daughter who is studying abroad to navigate her early return, etc.  But with every crisis, there are also opportunities. So here are a few things to consider as we get used to the new normal:

Read more7 Career/Life Management Tips for a COVID-19 World

How About Adding a Podcast to Your Legal Marketing Toolkit?

In the latest episode of Counsel to Counsel, I speak with Jared Correia, one of the pioneers in legal podcasting.  Jared was a huge mentor to me when I was launching the Counsel to Counsel podcast back in 2018 and I’m very pleased to welcome such a seasoned veteran.

As of 2019, over half the US population had listened to at least one podcast. In 2019 over 100 million people listened to at least one podcast every week. There are over 700,000 active podcasts and 29 million podcast episodes available.

Read moreHow About Adding a Podcast to Your Legal Marketing Toolkit?

If You Want Serendipity to Happen, Get Out of Your Office

A few months ago, I decided to sit down at a local coffee shop and work on my blog and my podcast. It was a Sunday afternoon and I could have easily worked from my home office; but I decided that it would be nice to get out of the house. I wasn’t planning to meet anyone.  On the other hand, it is not uncommon for me to run into people I know when I go to coffee shops in my town.

I walked into a nearby Starbucks  and sitting in the corner was the father of one of my son’s college friends. I parked myself at a table on the other side of the restaurant and popped open my laptop. He was busy

Read moreIf You Want Serendipity to Happen, Get Out of Your Office

Mindfulness, Biofeedback and the Practice of Law

Law is a stressful business and there are a lot of efforts underway all over the country to help lawyers address the challenges in the profession.

In Massachusetts, for example, we have an organization called Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers which helps attorneys deal with substance abuse and some of the underlying causes of attorney stress.

In my latest episode of the Counsel to Counsel podcast, I  welcome Dr. Inna Khazan, a clinical psychologist who is a nationally recognized expert in mindfulness and biofeedback.  Dr. Khazan talks about how she helps lawyers and other professionals in stressful jobs to achieve higher levels of performance through

Read moreMindfulness, Biofeedback and the Practice of Law

How to Handle Derivative Referrals

It is well established that referrals are a very important source of business for lawyers and other professionals. I’ve written about that here, here and here.  Since legal needs are are episodic, for most attorneys, being in the right place at the right time to hear about a legal need is challenging. Having other professionals keeping their ear to the ground for services that you can provide, dramatically increases your marketing effectiveness.

It is also well established that leads that come through referrals are much more likely to turn into business.  They are pre-qualified.

Read moreHow to Handle Derivative Referrals

A Career in Law Practice Management

The practice of law continues to evolve and law firm technology continues to improve.  As a result, the world needs more professionals who can help attorneys to incorporate good law practice management tools.  In the latest episode of Counsel to Counsel, I interview Heidi Alexander, Deputy Director of Lawyers Concerned For Lawyers about how she turned

Read moreA Career in Law Practice Management

Starbucks Sells More than Coffee-Redux

Almost a decade ago, I drafted a blog post entitled Starbucks Sells More than Coffee.  For a number of reasons, this has been one of the most popular posts on my blog.  For starters it doesn’t hurt to use a strong brand name like Starbucks in your marketing.  But clearly, something I wrote in that post has resonated and stood the test of time.

Almost 10 years has passed, and the world has only gotten more complicated. We have so many more channels available for communicating with the public and with our networks.  It is harder than ever to get people’s attention and cut through the “noise” of social media. It is with this in mind that I am referring back to this post and adding some additional commentary.

Read moreStarbucks Sells More than Coffee-Redux

Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling

Women have made significant gains in the legal profession. But even in 2020, women are woefully underrepresented in the partnership ranks of major law firms.  In the coming months, I will be interviewing women who have broken through the glass ceiling and have been elevated to partnership.

In the latest episode of the Counsel to Counsel podcast, I am joined by Hether Cahill, a partner at the Boston law firm Burns and Levinson. 

Read moreBreaking Through the Glass Ceiling