March 14, 2008
 I often notice that lawyers with whom I talk have some good ideas about client development activities. They know what to do, and they implement some of that knowledge. But when someone hires me to work on business development and we take a good look at what they’re actually doing on a consistent basis, the reality check often leads to some interesting findings. Much like dieters who start keeping a food journal and suddenly discover that the reason for a plateau is not alien invasion but rather an unnoticed increase in caloric consumption, lawyers who pause to do an honest appraisal of their business development activities may be surprised with what they uncover.
My coaching clients and I go through a 5-page narrative assessment that looks at how the lawyer positions him- or herself, what activities s/he engages in and how frequently, and how s/he serves current clients. I’ve created a miniature version of that questionnaire and placed it on the Life at the Bar website, and I invite you to take a frank look at a few aspects of your client development strategy.�
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