Attention: Private Practice Attorneys
How Successful Is Your Practice?
If you continue for another 12 months without changing your approach to rainmaking, will you have a practice? Or will you just have a job… If that?
Since mid–2008, thousands of talented lawyers have been laid off from large firms, were stunned to find that their firms dissolved from underneath them, or discovered that despite their best efforts, they did not have sufficient work to keep a sole practice afloat. Many factors culminate in each of those unhappy situations, but the common thread is quite simple: an insufficient client base.
A reluctant rainmaker is a lawyer who:
- Understands how important it is to be able to bring in clients… But dislikes business development and sees it as a necessary task, something that is a distasteful part of practicing law
- Has decided that he just doesn’t have the skills necessary to bring in new business… So he gives up easily or never even tries.
- Is willing to try her hand at business development… But sees so many components that she feels overwhelmed and uncertain where to begin.
- Can be overheard muttering (or exclaiming), I did not go to law school to sell something, I went to law school so I can practice law! Don’t bother me with this rainmaking stuff… Just let me serve my clients.
Inside The Reluctant Rainmaker: A Guide for Lawyers Who Hate Selling, you will find the background information that will help you to understand why business development is so critical, and you will discover a step–by–step guide as you explore the rainmaker’s toolkit. You will create your own cohesive business development plan, which will provide the clear direction you need to take action. You may not become a rainmaker extraordinaire, and you may not come to love the process. You will, however, learn to build a solid book of business that will support you in developing a successful, satisfying, and sustainable practice.