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Free Resources for Attorneys Welcome to the free resources page. Here you'll find white papers, audio files, transcripts of interviews, and assessments, all designed to help lawyers develop successful, satisfying, and sustainable practices. Please browse the library of resources below and note that we update it frequently with new material. Archived Articles from Leadership Matters for Lawyers The Essential Little Book of Great Lawyering (12/16/2008)The
Essential Little Book of Great Lawyering is aptly named: at just 52 pages
(including the title page, copyright, and table of contents), you'll need
less than an hour to discover the essential skills of great lawyering.
Some readers may be wondering why anyone would need a book to learn what
great lawyering is, and some may be thinking that great lawyering "obviously"
means possessing enormous technical expertise, good judgment, and years
of experience in which to develop those attributes. That is what most
lawyers mean by great lawyering. But what do clients mean? Make the Most of Holiday Gatherings (12/9/2008) Networking
is always a popular topic for lawyers who are engaged in rainmaking, and
the reason is simple: the people who know, like, and trust you will have
an enormous influence on your success in practice. And there's no time
like the holidays for networking, because so many organizations and groups
arrange holiday gatherings. Peak or Valley? (11/18/2008) Evaluation
time is near for most law firms now. The classic formal mechanism for
evaluation includes collection and delivery of feedback on how well each
lawyer is performing and might improve. Many firms also incorporate self-evaluation,
in which the lawyer is asked to fill out a form that asks for self-evaluation
in certain areas and sets plans for the future. If taken seriously, these
programs can be very useful in helping to guide lawyers' professional
development. Book Review: The Happy Lawyer (11/11/2008) The Happy Lawyer bears the tag line, "How to gain more satisfaction, suffer less stress, and enjoy higher earnings in your law practice." Who doesn't want that? The book is a quick 188-page read, full of exercises to help clarify the practice and the clients that will allow you to create a satisfying practice. It then continues with suggestions on how to create that practice once you've identified it, how to attract the clients who will appreciate your efforts, and how to engage in a happy practice. The bottom line is not terribly surprising, though I like the way it's presented: to be a happy lawyer, figure out what you like about practice and then find ways to get more of that. Guerilla-Style Marketing (11/4/2008) Suppose
you're researching an area of law to get a feel for it, knowing that you're
going to need to affiliate with someone who's an expert in the area. Would
you be likely to contact someone who keeps popping up as an articles author
on your topic, someone perhaps with a treatise to boot, who's spoken on
the issue at a number of CLE meetings? Would you be more or less likely
to contact someone whose name comes up once as an author, or once as a
speaker, or once as a member of a relevant committee? I'd be willing to
bet that you'd be more eager to speak with the first lawyer. Representing
the unrealistic client (10/21/2008)
One
should certainly consider whether to take on each client based not only
on the merits of the proposed representation and the client's ability
to pay, but also based on what kind of client the person promises to be.
Difficult clients don't always appear to be difficult at first blush,
though. And although most difficult clients cause stress and not danger,
dealing with an unrealistic client can cost time and angst. Knowing how
to handle unreasonable clients can mitigate all kinds of risks (from stress
to bar complaints to physical threats), and that's the focus of today's
article.
Book
Review: Legal Business Development (10/14/2008)
I
must admit that I'm always a little skeptical about non-lawyers who purport
to teach rainmaking or practice development skills. Nothing against non-lawyers,
obviously, but I've seen too many suggestions that might work beautifully
in another field but wouldn't fit at all in law. And so I wasn't sure
what to expect when I picked up Legal Business Development. However, it
turned out to be one of the best client development books I've ever read.
Finding
Opportunity in Chaos (10/7/2008)
One
of the interesting things about moving in coaching circles is that I'm
exposed to comments that I would likely never hear in the legal world.
For instance, I've read articles and posts recently recommending a "media
fast" to get away from all of the bad news because it's just an illusion.
These articles urge readers to focus instead on the "truth"
of "abundance". Free
Resource: Legal Trends Network (9/30/2008)
Legal
Trends Network is a free user-driven resource and collaborative exchange
for lawyers, judges, law professors, and social and restorative justice
professionals. The website promotes lawyers as leaders and focuses on
alternative modalities in dispute resolution and therapeutic processes
in the practice of justice. Legal Trends is content-rich and offers many
services for legal professionals.
Systems
Awareness (9/16/2008)
What
does this have to do with leadership for lawyers? Simple: it's easy to
get sucked into doing things in the usual way, but leaders train themselves
to look at situations through fresh eyes and to consider new alternatives.
And leaders know that one change will create a ripple effect, so they
consider what the ripples might be. This attribute, systems awareness,
is the focus of today's article.
Review
:Leadership That Gets Results (9/9/2008)
So
it is with leadership styles. A key leadership competency is authenticity,
but that doesn't mean that a leader will show up in the same way regardless
of the situation. To give you a snapshot view into a selection of leadership
styles, today's issue reviews a Harvard Business Review article by Daniel
Goleman (perhaps best known for his work with emotional intelligence)
titled Leadership That Gets Results. I use this article with clients who
are working to improve their leadership abilities, and it always gets
rave reviews.
The
Art of Being Fully Present (9/2/2008)
Today's
article is about presence: the art of bringing full attention to a single
activity. If you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed and you think you
have too much to do to read this article, I urge you to take a moment
and skim it. Being fully present to an activity is one of the top antidotes
for stress.
Quote:
The Being of Leadership (8/26/2008)
I
often like to ask clients, "Who must you be to lead effectively in
this situation?" The leadership literature covers well what competencies
leaders must develop and how they can do so, but less of that literature
is focused on the "being" of leadership. Today's quotations
take us right to that spot of being. Do
you know where you are? (8/19/2008)
I
imagine that those of you who tend to be rather literal and detailed-oriented
have already composed a quick response to this question. Sitting at your
desk, perhaps, or reading on a BlackBerry in an airport, thinking "Of
course I know where I am! What a dumb question!" Book
Review: Selling the Invisible (8/12/2008)
Selling
the Invisible offers targeted suggestions for marketing services, using
anecdotes to teach. Divided into eleven sections with multiple one- to
three-page chapters in each section, Beckwith's book gives bite-sized
lessons on what clients and prospects (that is, potential clients) want,
expect, and find persuasive. Sharing
Feedback on an Assignment Gone Wrong (8/5/2008)
I've
been working for a partner for two years now (since I started with the
firm) and I still have no idea what he wants. He assigns something to
me and tells me what he wants, but when I deliver it, he tells me he wanted
something different. Do
you feel that you must do it all yourself (7/22/2008)
Part
of leadership is knowing when and how to ask for feedback, brainstorming,
and guidance. A mastermind group (or any other dedicated, focused, supportive
group) is a terrific way both to receive and give this help. It also creates
accountability, and the group tends to pull participants along by raising
the bar on activity that advances a goal. Group coaching works for the
same reasons. How
to attain a leadership role quickly (7/15/2008)
Are
you ready for the next level of leadership? Clients often ask what would
be a good leadership opportunity beyond taking the lead on a piece of
a client-service project. Book
Review: Fat Smoker (7/8/2008)
David
Maister has masterfully connected the dots in Strategy and the Fat Smoker. Set
'em so you can reach 'em (7/1/2008)
Some
readers (and clients) have asked why it is that being specific about a
goal makes its achievement more likely. Since that fits in so neatly with
the invitation to David's call, that's the focus of today's article. I'd
love to hear your feedback about this. Quotation
of the Month (6/24/2008)
What
do these quotes (especially when juxtaposed) say to you about leading
teams of lawyers, either on a client service team or in a law firm? 4
Steps to Growing Your Leadership Presence (6/17/2008)
Although
many skills are at play in any leadership situation, today's focus is
on leadership presence. How can you refine your leadership presence when
interacting with clients and colleagues, and even in court? Read on to
discover 4 aspects of leadership presence that you can begin using today
with immediate effect. Book
Review: Fierce Conversations (6/10/2008)
Fierce
Conversations revolves around the "Mineral Rights conversation."
This simple 7-step process can be used to get to the truth of a situation,
create understanding about it, tackle the challenges in the situation,
and enrich relationships in the process. How
To Draw Out Your Clients (6/3/2008)
Today's
article takes a look at leaders' communication skills, with a specific
focus on drawing out the thoughts and concerns of the client. I've suggested
a couple of exercises you might try, and I'd love to hear what you observe
if you do give it a shot. Quotation
of the Month (5/27/2008)
The
following quotations make the connection between the leadership skill
of listening and service to clients or potential clients. Get
the Edge in Client Service and Client Development (5/20/2008)
What
if leadership and business development were married? Or leadership and
client service? Today's article will show you that leadership, client
service, and client development are inextricably linked. What's more,
those who recognize the link and act accordingly do have a competitive
advantage in client service and rainmaking. Servant-Leadership
What's In It For Them (5/6/2008)
Like
a president, under at least some circumstances, lawyer-leaders must both
lead and serve those who have "elected" them to a leadership
position, whether in a client relationship or in firm management. And
that's where today's article on servant-leadership comes in. Change
This (4/29/2008)
Just
sitting, especially when feeling tense or concentrating intently, can
be physically demanding. That's why I aim to get up and move at least
every 45 minutes and to incorporate physical activity into my day. If
you've attended one of my Five Foundations of Time Mastery programs, you
know that I hammer on this point. It's in that spirit that I offer you
a resource this week: a short ChangeThis manifesto on embodied leadership. Quotation
of the Month (4/22/2008)
As
you read these quotes, consider in what situations a lawyer-leader can
and should act as a servant, and in what contexts taking on that role
could prove challenging. What's
the difference between leadership and management -- and why does it matter? (4/15/2008)
I
was a part of a facilitated discussion last week in which one participant
opined that management and leadership are really the same thing, but leadership
is a more attractive term that's more likely to generate buy-in. I strongly
believe, however, that it's useful to draw the distinction between management
and leadership and to choose which set of skills to use in any given circumstance. HBR
Article: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life. (4/8/2008)
Stewart
Friedman urges leaders to seek "four-way wins," meaning high
performance in the four domains of life: work, home, community, and self
(mind, body, and spirit). Understanding
corporate literature to maximize practice management and client service (4/1/2008)
Today's
article looks to the corporate world both to inform attorneys' own practice
management perspectives and also to forge a common bond with clients. Quotation
of the Month (3/25/2008)
Consider
both client relations and law firm management as you read this month's
quotations. How do these quotes color your thoughts? Leadership
and Self Management -- Pt 2 (3/18/2008)
This
week's article delves deeper into self-management and asks where your
area of opportunity might lie. Perhaps you can improve the way you use
your time, your ability to focus on the tasks and people in front of you,
or something else. A strong foundation of self-mastery supports both individual
achievement and leadership development. How can you strengthen your foundation? Book
Review: Leadership and Self Deception (3/11/2008)
The
concepts set out in this book are simple, though not necessarily easy,
to apply. Since most of what lawyers do revolves around communicating
and working with others, opportunities to use the learning abound. Leadership
and Self Management (3/4/2008)
A
leader's development tends to proceed through three stages. The first
stage is self-management. The second is individual achievement. The third
is leading others. Although these three stages are distinct from one another,
they may coexist and a leader may move back and forth through these stages
at various times. Today's discussion focuses on the first stage: self-management
or leadership of oneself. Quotations
of the Month (2/26/2008)
Next
week's article will address self-management and leadership. In that vein,
consider these quotes . . . The
Tightrope: Tensions in Leadership for Lawyers (2/12/2008)
It
shouldn't be a secret that certain tensions surround leadership for lawyers.
This article examines a few prevalent tensions. What
Does Leadership Mean for Lawyers? (1/29/2008)
Think
of a leader you know. Perhaps this person is someone in your firm, someone
you know through a bar organization, or perhaps even opposing counsel
in a case you've had. Does
Leadership Matter for Lawyers? (1/15/2008)
The first step on the leadership development path lies in revealing the many dimensions of leadership, which opens opportunities for a leader's growth. And it's that conversation where we begin by asking the question: Does Leadership Matter for Lawyers? Free Resources by Request
To access these resources, order them by entering your name and email address below. When you hit Submit, you'll receive an email with a link to the download page. You'll be able to access all of these materials on that page. You'll also receive a free subscription to Leadership Matters for Lawyers, a weekly email newsletter that shares articles and tips on developing your leadership skills (special note -- even first-year lawyers need leadership skills!), and how you can improve your own professional development, your rainmaking activity, and your career path. I hope you'll find great benefit from the newsletter, but if not, you'll find an unsubscribe link in every email. Any questions? Email Julie A. Fleming. |
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