Don’t Let Your Business Development Efforts Derail Your Firm’s Plans.
How does your business development activity fit with your firm’s plans?The tagline for Fleming Strategic is Building the practice within the firm. Unless you’re a sole practitioner, you must recognize that while your business development objectives and activities are personal to you, they have to fit within the strategy, approach, and culture of your law firm, or you’re […]
Overcoming All-Or-None Thinking
Lawyers often have perfectionistic tendencies, according to study after study. And while perfectionism can seem like a useful attribute when details matter as much as they do in the practice of law, it actually tends to cause more problems than it avoids since perfection is more often than not an impossible standard to reach. See […]
Business Development Priorities Explained
When I begin working with a new client, one question comes up more than any other: how should I focus my business development time? There’s no single answer to that question, of course, since each lawyer is in a unique position. But there’s one answer that I give more than any other, and it often […]
Leadership Skill: Anger Management
A client told me this true story a few years ago, and it’s never left me. (I have, of course, changed the names in this retelling.) The trial finally started after numerous delays. Richard listened patiently as Nathan made his opening statement. When he finished, Nathan sat down at his counsel table. As Richard stood […]
“But I Don’t Have Time!”
Have you ever complained about business development activity because you just don’t have the time? Might as well admit it: this is one of the top objections I hear and observe. I’ve even had this complaint myself. But here’s the sad truth: it doesn’t matter. You know that already. If you don’t have time to […]
What To Do When You Don’t Get The Matter.
One of my clients (let’s call her Renée) had a major disappointment recently. She had been courting a potential client (let’s call it ABC Corp.) for quite some time, and all the signs indicated that she would be tapped to handle a major piece of litigation. And then, instead of returning the engagement letter, ABC […]
Staying Committed To Your Business Development Goals
As you’re no doubt aware, on Monday (the 17th), the U.S. observed its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a holiday intended to encourage Americans to serve their communities in honor of Dr. King’s legacy. What you may not know is that Monday was also Blue Monday, the date on which it’s said that post-holiday […]