"x x x.
What Successful Young Lawyers I Coach Share in Common:
1. They are patient, persistent, and persevere.
2. They are focusing their client-development efforts on things they are passionate about.
3. They have a plan for their non-billable time and written goals.
4. They are regularly working on client development.
5. They are seeking to become more visible to their target market.
6. They are getting feedback on their ideas and how they are doing.
7. They find ways to hold themselves accountable.
8. They all wish they had started their efforts earlier in their career.
2. They are focusing their client-development efforts on things they are passionate about.
3. They have a plan for their non-billable time and written goals.
4. They are regularly working on client development.
5. They are seeking to become more visible to their target market.
6. They are getting feedback on their ideas and how they are doing.
7. They find ways to hold themselves accountable.
8. They all wish they had started their efforts earlier in their career.
Use The Internet and Social Media
The Internet broadly, and social media more narrowly, have provided new opportunities for young lawyers to become visible and credible to potential clients and to build relationships. Take advantage of those opportunities to:
1. Locate information about your clients and information they may find valuable. I use Google Alerts, RSS Feeds and Readers, and Twitter and iPad tools like Flipboard and Zite.
2. Organize the information that comes your way. Create folders based on clients, industries, or types of information.
3. Write, present, or otherwise disseminate. This is your chance to show the world what you know. The valuable information coming your way provides topics for blog posts, articles and presentations. You can also simply disseminate it on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, and other social media sites.
4. Connect with clients, potential clients, referral sources, school classmates, and others. I primarily use LinkedIn and Twitter to connect with people and with companies.
5. Build relationships with those with whom you connect. I have first met many young lawyers on LinkedIn or Twitter and then met them in person. I keep track of what they are doing both on LinkedIn and Twitter.
2. Organize the information that comes your way. Create folders based on clients, industries, or types of information.
3. Write, present, or otherwise disseminate. This is your chance to show the world what you know. The valuable information coming your way provides topics for blog posts, articles and presentations. You can also simply disseminate it on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, and other social media sites.
4. Connect with clients, potential clients, referral sources, school classmates, and others. I primarily use LinkedIn and Twitter to connect with people and with companies.
5. Build relationships with those with whom you connect. I have first met many young lawyers on LinkedIn or Twitter and then met them in person. I keep track of what they are doing both on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Deliberate Practice:
Practice things you want to get better at doing. When I was a young lawyer, I deliberately practiced:
1. Treating your supervising lawyer like a client, figuring out what they want and need, and exceeding their expectations.
2. Finding out what is going on that impact your clients.
3. Networking.
4. Elevator speech/Elevator questions.
5. Identifying future issues impacting my clients.
6. Writing articles for a business audience designed to get me hired.
7. Public speaking.
8. Questions for clients and potential clients.
9. Active listening.
10. Building the team assigning work, supervising, and giving feedback.
2. Finding out what is going on that impact your clients.
3. Networking.
4. Elevator speech/Elevator questions.
5. Identifying future issues impacting my clients.
6. Writing articles for a business audience designed to get me hired.
7. Public speaking.
8. Questions for clients and potential clients.
9. Active listening.
10. Building the team assigning work, supervising, and giving feedback.
x x x."
