Thoughtful colleagues, friends and clients sometimes make introductions by email or social media to people they think it would be helpful for you to know. Hopefully the new contact will become a client or a referral source one day, but often they haven’t actually requested this introduction. How should you follow up? Here are a few thoughts on the subject.
Over the years I have worked with a number of lawyers that struggle with perfectionism, and I might even call myself a recovering perfectionist. Some of those perfectionists don’t see perfectionism as a problem, however. To them, their problems are caused by clients with unrealistic expectations about time frames or legal costs. Others lament the necessity of doing everything themselves because their direct reports don’t do a high quality job.
I’ve asked hundreds of lawyers what differentiates them from their competition. Almost all of them say that it’s the quality of their work. News flash: you can’t all be better than the rest. Find out what you really need to do to separate yourself from the pack.
You may be a “Solo by Choice” as Carolyn Elefant describes it in her excellent “why and how to” book on going solo, or you may be a solo by default in this rocky modern legal landscape. Either way, aim to practice “Burger King Law.” I’m referring to Burger King’s 40 year old tag line, “Have it your way.”
Many lawyers remain techno-dinosaurs because they don’t want to invest the time to learn how to use new and more efficient technology. They shortsightedly view an investment in training through the lens of billable hours. They focus on a temporary loss of revenues instead of the future improvements in productivity. Meanwhile they drop farther and farther behind, which only increases their anxiety with regard to technology. Read more…
The holidays are upon us and soon we’ll be launching the New Year. How many of you are vowing to yourself to get client work done more promptly in 2015? Many lawyers struggle with that issue. So many, in fact, that the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct specifically address the issue. Rule 1.3 provides […]
“Duh! Tell me something I don’t already know,” you might have said to yourself when you read this headline. I’m sure you already have some kind of list on your desk, on your computer, or on your mobile device right now. And yet, I frequently find myself coaching lawyers about creating and reviewing lists to […]
I’ve previously written here about “Leveraging Dictation Technology to Save Time and Overhead.” I’m a big fan of dictation and I often dictate on my iPhone for emails, texts, searches on Google or a map app and to ask Siri a question. If you do that too, you are already using Nuance speech recognition software […]
“I send out this simple, straight-forward email, then I get all this negative reaction. I don’t get it.” ~ A frustrated and bewildered lawyer Misconstrued Emails Lawyers that I coach report this to me a lot. Emails are informal and easy to send quickly, so we often zip them off without rereading them to see […]
I’ve written about warning signs that a potential new client is a train wreck waiting to happen. If you pay attention to such warnings, then you may find yourself wondering just how to turn someone away without creating offense. That’s just what one of my clients struggled with recently. How NOT to Turn Away a […]
Why Going Solo as a Young Attorney Could Be the Best Decision Ever with Susan Cartier Liebel from Solo Practice University®.
On this episode of New Solo from the Legal Talk Network, Adriana Linares interviews Susan Cartier Liebel from Solo Practice University® about how to stay motivated throughout the process of starting a solo law practice.
Motivation in life is very important. I share seminal moments which have shaped me as a human being and helped me become who I am today.
On this podcast from Lawpreneur Radio, Miranda McCroskey interviews Susan Cartier Liebel from Solo Practice University® about perceptions of fear, failure and other issues facing solos.
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