New associate influx: 10 tips for settling into a firm successfully
As we enter the second full week of September, it’s probably safe to say that the vast majority of new associates have arrived at their law firms. Beginning is almost always a wonderful time: expectations are high (as are hopes and fears) and just about everything seems possible. That phase doesn’t last long when it […]
How do lawyers learn to become rainmakers?
So often, people talk about “rainmakers” as if rainmakers are born, not made. Not true. I’ve never seen a survey of great rainmakers to see whether they believe they were born to develop business, but every one I’ve asked asked tells me that, although there may be some personality traits that they were able to […]
Suicide prevention hotline 1-800-273-8255
As I’ve mentioned before, one of the tools I access with WordPress allows me to see the searches that lead people to my blog. I continue to be surprised and concerned by the number of searches on attorneys and depression, and even more so by searches on some derivative of attorneys and suicide. Lawyers have […]
Introducing the “magic wand” for communicating: the DISC
As I wrote on Monday, the DISC assessment helps people to understand their own behavioral and communications styles, to identify the styles of other people, and to learn how to make that knowledge work for them. Today, let’s look at what each of the dominant styles tells you about how a person is likely to […]
Avoid myopic communication
Attorneys are communicators. Regardless of our practice area, essentially what we do all day is to communicate, or to prepare to do so. Whether it’s working directly with a client, attempting to persuade a judge or jury, negotiating a business deal, or coordinating with colleagues or staff, one of the key components of an attorney’s […]
Pardon the interruption, but…
How many emails do you receive each day that begin with, “Pardon the interruption, but…”? That’s become jargon in many law firms, an apology that means nothing but is the accepted entry point for a firmwide (or office-wide, or practice group-wide) request of some sort. Everyone will need to send out requests from time to […]
Search out your peers.
Just about every lawyer is aware of the conventional wisdom that it’s important to have a mentor. Law firms often establishing mentoring programs. But peer groups are something else. For instance, every law firm associate knows how critical it is to have a more senior associate willing to answer questions that range from how a […]