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Back to Basics, Part II
 There are basic tools and behaviors that help lawyers meet potential clients and convert them into actual clients. So far, in 2013, I have been told some surprising tales about neglected basic rules. Here is a refresher course on three easy ones:
1. Look people in the eye when you are speaking with them. I would not have thought this a common problem until a well respected Communications Director with a national law firm noted to my husband that in her experience many of the lawyers with whom she works do not look people in the eye when they are having a conversation. This public relations professional suspects that lawyers who do not make eye contact with colleagues in their firm also do not look at their clients and potential clients. This behavior creates fewer opportunities to connect in ways that bond. Many overworked lawyers have developed a life that involves multi-tasking and frequent looking at hand held devices. No excuse. Whatever the reason, eye contact and full attention connect us to each other. We all want to be noticed. And when we are not, we conclude that our interlocutor has no real interest in us. Continue reading →
 It is the end of summer – backyard barbeques, pool parties, sailing trips, the first parents and children gatherings at new schools, etc. You might think these events are no time to network for professional purposes. If so, you would be mostly right. You can take the first steps, but then stop and have fun.
Social occasions with new people are good settings at which to lay important groundwork for future professional connections. As lawyers, we tend to socialize with other professionals. After speaking with someone new for at least ten to fifteen minutes, you have probably already asked if the person works, and, if so, at what. If you have not asked, for the sake of your professional life, you should. It need not be your first question (unless you are in NYC, my home town where that seems to be the norm). It shows you want to expand the relationship beyond just a common neighborhood or school, that you want to know what makes the person tick. Continue reading →
 At almost any stage of your career, with focus and effort, you can alter your practice area, or add an additional specialty to your practice. There are many reasons to make such a shift. You may be bored, or need more work. Sometimes you got it wrong at the start. You may be frustrated or feeling boxed-in. Whatever the reason, lawyers at various levels of seniority can and frequently should make moderate or seismic shifts in their legal practice. Here are a few tips about how to spread your wings:
1. Think about your current clients. What legal work do they now have done by others? Could you do that work? Could you learn to do that work? Is there someone you know, at your firm or elsewhere, who would help you do that work, at least when you start? Do you know if your clients prefer your relationship and communication skills to those of the lawyer now doing their other work? Once you assess the answers to these questions, speak with the client. State what you can do that you are not now doing for the client. Then ask if you can do more. (See, http://victorls.com/i-didnt-know-you-did-that/#more-453.) Continue reading →
 July — invitations for college and other fall school reunions are arriving. If you can attend your college reunion without great effort or expense, go. If it takes more effort or expense than is easily comfortable, you should at least think hard about going.
Apart from the inherent pleasure of these events, there are several good reasons for rainmakers to attend their college reunions. Most of your college classmates did not become lawyers: many of your classmates hire lawyers occasionally; some of them hire lawyers regularly. A few of them hire lawyers often, or work in or operate companies that have in-house counsel. Everyone you meet at your college reunion has friends who fall into these categories. You get the idea. Continue reading →
 A few weeks ago I visited friends near Battle, England. I toured the site of the Battle of Hastings, in which Norman troops and their allies defeated the English on October 14, 1066, effecting the Norman Conquest. (FYI, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hastings) On the tour, I was reminded of some unfortunate incidents in the careers of lawyers I have known.
Whatever else may have caused the catastrophic defeat of the English, two factors were critical. The English troops were exhausted. Not more than three weeks earlier, under the leadership of King Harold, the English army had lost over 5,000 men in a gruesome battle defeating the Norwegian Army, led by Harold’s brother Tostig. The victorious English soldiers then walked home for a week, averaging 27 miles a day while carting arms and provisions. These were men who, although happy about their victory, were being depleted by the day, both physically and emotionally. Continue reading →
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