Entries by Julie Fleming

Legal business development: how to determine whether a rainmaking expense is a cost or an investment (and why it matters)

I once talked with a client who was upset at the prospect of paying nearly $1,000 for equipment required for making a presentation to a group of her ideal clients.  She confirmed my expectation that she’d be able to use the equipment again for similar presentations, and I suggested that she view the financial outlay […]

Leadership in uncertain times

I’ve been thinking about leadership quite a bit in the last several weeks. We see examples of good and not-so-good leadership every time we tune into the news, even when we may disagree with one another about which political leaders fall into those categories. More immediately, we see examples of leadership and have opportunities each […]

Coping with an economic downturn

The economic news is, to put it mildly, not good. Because so many businesses are on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, because others that are open are nonetheless starving for business, and because we are living in a time of massive uncertainty and economic markets detest uncertainty, we’re in tough times already and facing […]

Life and practice in uncertain times

Fleming Strategic serves a global audience, and it’s safe to say that wherever you may be in the world, we’re facing unprecedented challenges. From the fact of the COVID-19 pandemic to the panic that’s generating to working from home, self-isolating, and social distancing to the economic hit that appears to be underway, times are uncertain. […]

Creating and Harnessing Momentum in Business Development

When an attorney is focused on business development and is implementing consistently a strategic plan designed to reach clearly identified goals, magic happens.  Often it’s magic that brings in new business, and for practices with longer sales cycles, it’s magic that first brings in connections and opportunities that eventually lead to new business.  The magic […]

Identify your Unique Service Proposition

Clients, especially those who are not legally sophisticated, often see lawyers as fungible… At least until they come to know, like, and trust a particular lawyer. If you are simply one of a pool of fungible practitioners, you will be forced to rely on non-legal factors such as fee or fee structure, location, and sheer […]