Brand
Business
Leadership
“This book tells you all you need to know about how to get on.” The Times
“Relatively few books have been written with assistant solicitors in mind, about how to succeed at the business of being a lawyer… fewer still have devised a programme for so doing that runs alongside a book. This book does both.”Law Society (The Law Management Section)
5 star rating HR Magazine
Suppose you look at your network and think that nobody there is of real value. Perhaps the people in your inner circle have no current relationship to your area of law, or perhaps—at least at this point—they are still too junior. Yet someone who might not appear helpful today can become helpful in the future. When talking to lawyers about their clients, I hear hundreds of stories about work that resulted from unanticipated circumstances or unexpected people, and it’s quite common for someone in a network to move unexpectedly into a position requiring legal services.
Posted on 12/02/2011
One of the biggest mistakes I find in law firms and young lawyers is that they mistake current high performance for future potential. Superstar technical performers will have to step up into more complex roles if they want to achieve partnership: they’ll have to become business developers and inspiring leaders. Aspiring candidates should be tested for their abilities and ambitions in these directions—and long before they might be expected to demonstrate them.
Posted on 15/11/2010
The most basic rule of business development is something lawyers often forget. It’s this: tragic as it may seem, clients don’t care about what you do. Instead, they stubbornly persist in caring about their own problems and needs. (Very strange (not!), but true . . . )
Posted on 21/07/2010
This past Saturday I presented at the Law Society’s Annual Conference. Before beginning my talk, I asked the group of 150 plus lawyers, what skills or attributes they thought would make a successful lawyer. Here’s their list (in order of importance):
Intellect
Communication skills
Organisation
Interpersonal skills
Posted on 10/04/2010
At the end of this month, I’ll be launching my new book, Juggling the Big 3 for Lawyers: A career-building plan to develop your personal brand, client business and leadership mindset.
Posted on 21/09/2009