
EQ Exercises Help Lawyers Optimize Their Leadership and Business Development Potential
The role of emotional intelligence, also known as EQ, Emotional Quotient, is critical to the success of lawyers who are leaders in their firms. But what, exactly, is EQ? EQ can be defined as skills people use to manage their own emotions wisely, to maximize their...
NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO GET LAZY ON ZOOM
While we’re all fighting Zoom fatigue, virtual meetings are here to stay, even as lawyers and clients are reporting to the office. It’s always critical to make an excellent impression, with clients, partners, and colleagues, especially in these uncertain economic...
FIVE EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE SKILLS CRITICAL FOR HUMAN RESOURCE PROFESSIONALS
Personnel and human resources administrators in law firms care as much about their careers as the lawyers that they serve. Having high emotional intelligence (EI) – skills people use to manage their emotions wisely – is a key component to success and satisfaction. If...
BEFORE YOU HIT “SEND,” MAKE SURE YOUR EMAIL, TEXT, OR POST, IS “EQ”
Especially in the digital age, before you hit that button to send, tap into your emotions to assess if you are reacting emotionally, so you don’t regret it later. You have your reputation, your clients, and your firm to consider. Emotional intelligence, or Emotional...
DON’T FLIP OUT! USE YOUR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE INSTEAD
Emotional Intelligence, also known as Emotional Quotient (EQ), is the intelligent use of emotions. It’s the set of skills people use to manage their own emotions wisely, to maximize their chances of influencing others constructively and achieving their goals. What’s...
Recession-proof Your Legal Career, Starting Now
While economists may debate whether we are in the midst of a recession, law firms will need to plan their staffing accordingly. Fortunately, the legal business model is a malleable one. So, in the face of this uncertainty, now is the time to recession-proof your...
The Reality of Becoming a Partner at a Major Law Firm
Becoming a partner at a major law firm is quite an accomplishment, but with it comes a shift in roles: you have now moved from labor to management. Being in management, you are now responsible for maintaining or growing the pie – either by growing business with...
CONSIDERING A CAREER IN LAW BUT ARE NOT 100% SURE IF IT IS THE RIGHT DECISION FOR YOU?
Considering a career in law? If you are considering going to law school but you are not 100% sure if it is the right decision for you, you may want to consider going to a professionally trained career counselor for guidance. After all, you may be plunking down enough...
STAY THE COURSE LAWYER JOB SEEKERS; IT WILL PAY OFF
Your job search can change overnight. One day, you can be all down in the dumps because you are out of work or soon will be. Then, in an instant, it can all change. You get that call: “We’d like to make you an offer.” You can’t believe your lucky stars. This law firm...
Overlooked Qualifications in Legal Outplacement Providers
I am glad that most law firms are offering outplacement to their departing attorneys in some fashion or another. Yet, there is one qualification that often gets overlooked, and that is if the outplacement provider has any mental health training. Losing a job can be...
How to Avoid Your Resume from Falling into the Blackhole
Many lawyers applying to inhouse positions online feel like their resumes are falling into the “black hole.” So, keep these quick tips in mind. They may increase your chances of your resume being seen: -1 Most large organizations use what is called as the Application...
You’ve been terminated: Don’t go negative.
You were terminated from your job, and your prospective employer is asking you why. Of course, you can’t say my last boss was a “bleep bleep” on a job interview even if that was the case or that the environment was toxic. No matter how bad the situation was, you want...
Why you need a coach from one very famous and wise person
“Everyone needs a coach. We all need people that give us feedback. That’s how we improve.” These are wise words from a very, very smart man, Bill Gates. But, no matter how smart you are, sometimes it is better to get help from someone who is an expert in what...
Dealing with feelings of shame after losing a job
Do you feel ashamed because you’ve been terminated from your job, even if the termination was unrelated to your performance? No matter the reasons, some people are so ashamed that they feel they can’t confidently look for another job. One big reason is that they...
Challenging your beliefs can combat anxiety when job hunting
Anxiety can be an obstacle for people looking for a job, especially those with Social Anxiety. Meeting new people, talking about yourself, and being judged on appearance and demeanor can trigger extreme anxiety. Whether you are diagnosed with Social Anxiety or are...
How not to sabotage your career in law
One sure way to lose a job, a client, and a job offer – no matter how good a lawyer you are – is lack of responsiveness. Of course, there can be many reasons for this behavior. But one reason that may not be so obvious to you or others is mental health. If you are...
Three Steps to Stop Procrastinating
The New Year can be a great time to make a change - for instance, finding a new job, developing more business, or learning a new professional skill. But, sometimes procrastination gets the better of us. Can you relate? If you can, try the following exercise I call...
New Year’s resolution for 2021: How about 10 minutes a day developing business
Did you know that the chances of selling to an existing client is 1 out 2? The chances of selling to a former client is 1 out of 3? The chances of selling to a new client is 1 out of 8? That is all according to consultant Harry Mills. How about making year a New...
Cross-selling in law is actually cross-serving
Cross-selling in law is a misnomer. Lawyers are not there to sell their clients. They are there to serve their needs. After all, isn’t that why law is referred to as a service profession? If you practice in a law firm setting, your great opportunity is to source work...
Bring a smile to someone’s face during the holidays with those who matter to you.
The pandemic still rages and so many of us are blue. So here is something that may help. Bring a smile to someone’s face … including your clients or with people you are networking with to find a job. It’s all about relationships. For example, I sent a recording of a...
I know I don’t want to practice law anymore, but I don’t know what I do want to do.
If you don’t want to practice law anymore, but confused about how to go about this or feel stuck, then consider the help of a professionally trained career counselor. A professionally trained career counselor can help you determine alternative career paths and help...
If you think you deserve statistical credit, state your claim.
A lot of lawyers worry if they stake a claim for credit, they may antagonize other partners and not seem like they are team players. However, when the compensation committee has to make its annual points determination, it largely has to work from statistical data...
Looking for a law firm job is hard – and especially during the pandemic!
The first thing my attorney clients do if they are seeking a new job is to call their favorite legal recruiter. Listen: If you are not in a hot specialty, or not in the preferred class year, or have no portable business as a senior attorney, please don’t hold your...
Junior attorneys: Be mindful of your assignments. Is your firm preparing you for the kind of work you want to do in the future?
I was coaching a 3rd year litigation associate. He worked at a fantastic top-tier litigation boutique. He said he was getting excellent training and working on some plum assignments. But he felt unhappy ... rudderless. After several career counseling sessions, which...
AS WE APPROACH THE END OF 2020, IT IS A GOOD TIME TO INCREASE COMMUNICATION WITH FORMER AND CURRENT CLIENTS
You know the expression “out of sight, out of mind.” It is really important to stay in touch with prospects, past clients, and current clients on a regular basis. Here are three ideas to execute on before year end: Send a brief legal analysis about some new law or...
VIDEO CONNECTIONS WILL GIVE YOU AN ADVANTAGE WHEN NETWORKING ON ZOOM OR SIMILAR PLATFORMS
Seeing people in person since COVID-19 has made networking much more challenging. But you can still succeed in networking. In my own work using video allows me and my clients to have more effective communication because we can see each other. I am able to see and...
LISTEN TO THE CHALLENGES AND CONCERNS BEFORE YOU START TO SELL
Before you start to sell your services, listen to the challenges and concerns facing your prospects and clients before you start to sell. Find out what is motivating them to reach out to you first. If you understand that, then you will find it much easier to explain...
FEELING AWKWARD ABOUT BIZDEV DURING COVID-19? THREE IDEAS.
If you are a law firm partner, developing business is more challenging than ever since you can’t meet people face-to-face because of COVID-19. And reaching out to clients, former clients, and prospects feels awkward -- almost inappropriate. I can’t help the way you...
WHAT TO DO WHEN THE STATUS QUO NO LONGER WORKS?
What do you do when the status-quo is no longer working? You adapt. I coach lawyers who are looking for jobs and who are looking for business. Understandably, many of my clients are feeling frustrated about the current state of affairs. They tell me no companies are...
HOW DID I GET HERE?
Okay. So you were a pretty good student in college. You knew you wanted to go to graduate school, but you were not sure what for. You didn’t need any prerequisites to go to law school — just great boards. You were a pretty good test taker, so you took the LSAT and got...
BIZDEV TECHNIQUE KEEPS MAJOR CLIENT FOR LAW FIRM PARTNER
While many lawyers think that you are either born with the ability to develop business or not, this is not the case. There are tried-and-true selling methodologies, techniques, and principles that can be employed to develop business. In fact, one of the principles I...
UNDERUTILIZED BIZDEV RESOURCE
Surprisingly, many law firm partners seeking to develop business do not fully leverage their firms' marketing departments. I have witnessed this phenomenon first-hand while coaching partners across major law firms. While partners often ask their firms' marketing...
How to Cope with Losing a Job, Especially for Lawyers with Depression and Anxiety
Losing a job can be difficult for anyone, but for a lawyer who is diagnosed with anxiety or depression, the situation can be devastating. If this sounds like a situation you’re facing, don’t despair. Here are some ways to help get through it: Contact your...
Partner Leadership Development: A Practical Necessity
Making partner. The entire private law firm model is built around this magical concept. However, far too many lawyers learn far too late in their careers that making partner often involves very different skills from succeeding as a partner. And the skills involved in...
Executive Presence: A Learnable Skill
Lawyers who exhibit "executive presence" are more likely to make partner, to gain clients' trust and loyalty, and to receive referrals from others. Executive presence is easy to spot, but difficult to define. A lucky few are born with it, but, in most cases, it is...
Executive Coaching Drives Future Leadership Success
Executive coaching has finally made contact with Big Law, big time. Until recently, law firms did not hire executive coaches like their corporate counterparts did. Now, law firms are hiring executive coaches for their lawyers and highly-valued associate. This paradigm...
Asking the Right Questions: What you Need to Know to Sell your Legal Services
Research shows that the most successful business generators ask a lot of questions, particularly at the beginning of the sales or business development cycle. Good questions build rapport and help to determine a prospect’s needs, problems, motivations, rationale,...
Don’t Wait to Start Developing Business
It is never too early to start developing clients. This may seem obvious, but it is amazing how many attorneys fail to act upon this modern truism of law practice until it is too late. During an attorney’s first three years of practice at the larger firms, he or she...
Interacting with Prospects and Clients: Clues for Making Long-Term Connections
Have you ever been out at business function where you didn’t know anyone? Think back to how you acted. Did you hang in a corner like a bat hoping no one would notice you or did you target the individuals or groups who seemed to be the most like you and strike up a...
Don’t be nervous – networking at business events
Part of your success as an attorney is your ability to network in order to continue to grow your business. But if you are shy or anxious in social situations, this important skill-set can be difficult to master. Don’t be nervous. If you find it hard to break through...
Happy in law? – finding your legal niche
Are you happy at your law firm? After spending years dreaming of becoming a lawyer and a small fortune earning the credential needed to count yourself as one, are you fulfilled? Is it what you always dreamed it would be? For many of you, the answer might very well be...
Being Terminated and Staying Rational
When an attorney receives a notice of termination, it can be both psychologically and financially devastating. Some are so overwhelmed by this news that they deny their reality rather than take the steps necessary to secure suitable future employment. This state of...
Happiness in Law is Your Own Book of Business
As attorneys move up the ranks in their law firms, the rules change. Technical proficiency becomes only one of a number of factors by which they are evaluated. Their ability to generate work to keep themselves and others busy becomes ever more important. It is the key...
Does Your Outplacement or Career Transition Provider Possess the Proper Qualifications?
Of late I have encountered a great deal of confusion about what should be expected of an outplacement professional, even among some human resources professionals and other traditional purchasers of outplacement services. Much of this is due to the proliferation of...
Life after the firm: advice for outplaced attorneys
One of the most remarkable phenomena of the modern workplace is partners from many of the New York City’s largest law firms being asked to leave their firms. These highly paid problem-solvers who have achieved success for decades in some of the world’s most...