Am I going to be tested on this?

At first glance, this question is reminiscent of high school and college years, it reflects a certain laziness, a desire to make it through on minimum effort without accidentally learning anything.

However, as the vivid break-outs and keynotes of LMA 2012 are muted with time and a crowded catch-up inbox, the question is strikingly efficient: sorting through noise to distill vital information is critical in a time-sensitive environment.

• Have I followed up with new and old colleagues that I met in the halls and exhibits of the conference? 
• Did I take any actions to insight loyalty among my clients following the inspirational keynote by James Kane?
• Have I transcribed the notes I so busily scribbled while they are still legible?

I have not, thank you for asking. I wrote this blog post instead.

A brief meditation on relationships

You'd be hard-pressed to find a word more prevalent than relationships when it comes to law firm business development efforts. Relationships dominate discussions about client surveys, internal communications and  vendor agreements.

It's surprising to me, the first day into my grocery budget challenge, how much my relationship to food has changed in one day. No longer can I wander mindlessly through the store grabbing the food that strikes me at the moment. It really has to be a decision made about the value of the item. For example, will this hunk of cheese fit more than one item on the week's menu? Will the short-term benefit of eating the thing that looks really, really good in the moment sabotage my long-term goal?

For the record, one day in and I'm still on track spending only $ 15 at the store yesterday (though I did cheat slightly by starting with a full pantry!).

Time, like money, is a limited resource. It's critical to make the most of every interaction with external and internal clients lest they be taken for granted like the overripe banana that looked tasty at the time, but I just didn't get a chance to use.

January 1st comes only once per year - Advent Day 2

Plan the New Year right by starting now. If you have specific clients you'd like to land, certain people you'd like to meet or skills you'd like to hone, start mapping your course now. That way, you'll be ready to start the work of achieving your goal when the New Year rolls around. Shel Silverstein sums it up:

Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda

All the woulda-coulda-shouldas
Layin’ in the sun,
Talkin’ ‘bout the things
They woulda-coulda-shouldas done …
But those woulda-coulda-shouldas
All ran away and hid
From one little did.

Don't Get Buzzed- Create Buzz. Advent Calendar- Day 1

In honor of all those little doors being opened to reveal chocolate treasures for good girls and boys this month, here is a similar version for the business development focused attorneys amongst us.

DAY ONE: Don't use Holiday Parties to Get Buzzed, use them to CREATE BUZZ

By all means, share in the good cheer and attend holiday parties thrown by your firm, clients and associations you frequent. But this year, attend the party with business development, and only business development in mind. You wouldn't accept a drink at a job interview, so don't make a bee-line for the bar at holiday parties. If you do, opt for a sparkling water or soda in lieu of a libation. Think about the person, or people you want to meet at these events before you attend and seek them out, sober and ready to talk business. Make the buzz about you and your practice. Think of it this way: a good business development buzz lasts longer than one night!

A Modest Proposal

Citi Private Bank Law Firm Group released its Midyear Report which found that Law Firm expenses are outpacing revenue gains (178 surveyed of which 134 are AmLaw 200) . Reasons for expenses varied, "Some firms increased their operating expenses because they commenced long-overdue infrastructure projects. Many saw a notable increase in compensation expenses, due to spring bonuses.

This approach (spring bonuses in the face of a mediocre economy) contrasts with the every-man article, "How to Make Money When Economy is Failing" in which a man takes the rentrepreneurial approach to shoring up his finances, exchanging time with pieces of his life for money. He rents out his home, appliances, even his dog to. "...make a little extra scratch on the side for our daughter’s college savings, or a remote-control pool shark".

While the running a large business and running a single-family home are vastly different in complexity, it's interesting to consider how differently firms might be run if economic austerity were taken to heart. For example, this is a holiday weekend and many law offices are locked up tight  and vacant. How much money could a major law firm rack up by renting their conference room art to a wealthy family whose home is in a little need of sprucing up? Or that leather couch sitting unused in the lobby? Or the reception area with the killer view as the site of a small private event?

Work: it's what happens when you're busy making other plans

For me, the New Year looked like this:

Begin a Brand New Job + End the life of our elderly cat

As the vet was packing his bag to leave he said, "Life is a precious thing. It's over in a second".

This is just a fact. No analysis or debate required. So, what are you doing to make yourself happy through work? For me, right now, it seems clear that I work to sustain my family and, more importantly, I need to leave them every morning and come home to them every night in a good mood. Does your work support this effort? How can you optimize your happiness?

I think the best way to handle death, is to out LIVE it.

Don't Quit Your Day Dreaming Job

Words like job, work and paycheck take up a lot of space in our collective unconscious these days while ideas like profession, fulfillment and reward are all but forgotten.

Shortly after the economic collapse, somewhere around the fifth or fifteenth round of Bad Unemployment Reports and Home Foreclosures the notion of loving what you do and doing what you love was sacrificed in favor of survival.
Hard Concrete Examples of day to day living replaced optimistic and joyful examples of loving the life you live between 9 to 5.

I say it's time to get back to the Work of Day Dreaming. "If you can't be with the (job) you love, honey, love the (job) you're with". Pretend that you just got the job after a long and tedious search...you made it to the final interview and nailed it! They hired you for this job because nobody can do it better. Start each day accomplishing your least favorite tasks first and move on to the things that you love (or remembered enjoying) about your job when you first started. This way, when you leave the office for home, you will end on a high note, leaving work that you enjoy, not tasks that you dread.

While you can't control the economy and you can't control decisions that are made in board rooms you can control the way that you respond. Sometimes it's not really the man that's bringing us down, it's the person we face in the mirror instead.

Better by Association

Joining an Association is a relatively painless way to Enhance your Book of Business

Business development, like exercise, is a vague and ominous expression. We are all familiar with the ultimate benefits, but taking the first endorphin-free steps can be intimidating. Trick yourself into business development by joining an association (or reviving a stale membership). As workout partners and trainers are to exercise, an association is to marketing and business development. They encourage you to stretch outside your comfort zone and eventually flex your business development muscle. Some thoughts to stimulate your journey:


Expand your Kingdom of Expertise. Associations offer something for everybody. Not only is it easy to find an association that matches your personal or professional interests, but within that association you are likely to find a volunteer commitment that suits your strengths OR allows you to further develop an aspect of your character. Association work is a great way to cross-train, add life to your resume and keep you engaged with a pool of professionals that can ultimately deliver referrals or transition into straight business contacts. When selecting an association think about the particular skills or network you are looking to develop. At the gym, you might consider doing curls to strengthen your biceps. In a similar fashion, you might look to the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms or California Minority Counsel Program if you are keen on learning more about diversity as it relates to the legal industry.

Bar Associations are a great place to start and offer a variety of groups linked by geography (i.e. Bar Association of San Francisco or State Bar of California), specialization (i.e. American Intellectual Property Law Association) and cultural identity (i.e. Charles Houston Bar Association or Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom). Consider branching out into a specific industry, personal passion or curiosity that interests you. Don’t limit yourself to your resume. Try it until you like it, leave it if you don’t. Associations are not permanent and allow you to explore personality traits outside of your current professional experience. Search around on LinkedIn and Google or ask your colleagues, friends or clients for recommendations if you get stuck.

Quick Wins and Positive Reinforcement. Without participations, associations die. Therefore, successful groups are designed to encourage participation from the get go. You will likely be offered a volunteer opportunity or welcomed to an upcoming reception/meeting shortly after joining, DO IT! Later on in your tenure you can be more selective and carve out a position that suits you. The first few months of your membership should be dedicated to meeting the membership in order to figure out whether or not it’s a fit. Just because a pair of gym shoes looks great on the shelf, doesn’t mean they will feel good on your feet. Devote as much time as you can to attending social activities and meetings in the first few months. Seek out opportunities to write (most groups have a monthly newsletter or magazine with someone who is always looking for content), attend networking groups and mixers, attend the programs and be certain to take advantage of registration time to get a little networking in, find out if they hold an annual event and if attendance is within your budget, consider speaking on a panel.

Active participation early on will positively reinforce your business development goals and allow you to get a sense of the group, learning about the personality and organizational structure of the membership. In order to achieve a sustainable program, you must think strategically about how you allocate your time. After all, you joined the association to help with your professional career, not to supplement your personal calendar. But for now, your motto is try it, try it, try it!

The shortest distance between two points is a curvy line. While the ultimate goal of association work is to develop your book of business and sharpen your skill set, the path is never linear. A hard sell won’t work unless you join replete with sponsorship-lined pockets (a different matter entirely). Association work is a long-term commitment and the dividends are greatest for those with stamina.

Associations are team oriented sports. You are part of a group and your personal needs come second to the needs of the group. Many associations have rules that strictly regulate solicitation and, generally speaking, you’ll have an easier time making connections by staying on point. Get to know people (who they are not how they can help you) and offer your services (not on an hourly rate) to others. This is the best way to gain acceptance in an association. Once you’ve earned the trust of your peers, they will likely seek out ways to help you achieve your goals…but as a newbie, you aren’t there yet.

You get what you give. Although late-night pitch men make it seem otherwise, scientists have yet to perfect a pill that will slim you down and tone your muscle. They haven’t developed a magic pill for marketing yet either. Returns are greatest for those who put in the work…then get up the next day and do it over again. By selecting the right association, putting in the time to determine whether or not it’s a good fit and extending yourself to participate, the “work” in working out will transform into something invigorating.



Associations to consider:

Consumer Attorneys of California

Legal Marketing Association

National Association of Women Judges

Women in E-Discovery

Forensic Expert Witness Association

California Lawyers for the Arts

What Would Law Firms Do

What would you do if you had to bring in 10 new clients in the next 6 months or else...[enter your own awful scenario here or choose a Hollywood Favorite- the rabbit gets it - the world ends - the Grinch wins]

Woud Law Firms start selling instead of hiding sales behind marketing and business development?
Woud Attorneys pick up the phone to call clients? or would they still be too busy.
Would Sernior Partners go on client interviews?
Would law firms stop reading reports, wondering about and dancing around the edges of social media or would they jump in and try it?

We hire RFPs not law firms...

Last week I attended an LMA panel on Best Practices for Responding to RFP's. The most profound takeaway:

Make sure that the effort (time + energy + money) you spend on an RFP aligns with the strategic goals of the firm

This means you don't have to answer every RFP that comes in the door just because it's an RFP but it also means that when you decide to respond, you should plan to win the work. To win you must have these tools in place:

• research capabilities
• a keen understanding of your growth areas
• customizable pitch packages
• an exceptional knowledge of your law firm's network (by attorney)
• ability to customize invoices (alternative billing)
• historical information (cases)

You should have these tools in place:

• diversity in your team
• a relationship with the company or their counsel
• a strong understanding of the prospect's industry
• desire to form a long-lasting relationship

Disaster Planning...not the Earthquake kind

I attended a Safety Committee meeting at my son's school last week and realized that there are so many things around us that we don't care about...until we do. Until the next big earthquake hits the school, it's ok that the emergency supplies aren't fully organized. Until someone gets sick from the leaky pipes, it's just an inconvenience and mess to clean up. Until a child is unaccounted for, there are more important administrative duties than visitor and volunteer passes.

Marketing works the same way. When times are good and clients are calling, it's ok to postpone the website redesign or push off that lunch with an old friend. If an attorney is busy with the actual practice of law, and the time-sheets are flush, how can you justify devoting valuable time attending a non-billable networking event or writing an article to get your name out.

Adapted to Law Firm Marketing from FEMA's Preparedness Guide
You plan only once, and are able to apply your plan to all types of hazards.

• Get informed about hazards and emergencies that may affect you and your family. Where does your business come from now, how will this change in the next year?

• Develop an emergency plan. Work with your marketing staff to create a personal plan and make sure you are doing your part to pitch in for the firm's.
• Collect and assemble disaster supplies kit. Learn about yourself and the type of marketing that suits your personality. Not everyone can work a room or maintain a blog. 

• Learn where to seek shelter from all types of hazards. Network: have wide range of people in your network that can help you get business, find a new job, take work that doesn't fit in your area of expertise.

• Identify the community warning systems and evacuation routes. Stay on top of industry news and information.

• Include in your plan required information from community and school plans. Attend association meetings, stay in touch with law school peers and other firms alum to develop a referral network

• Practice and maintain your plan. Amen.