Counsel To Counsel - Career Advice For Lawyers

Artificial Intelligence continues to be a big unknown in the legal space.  It holds tremendous promise for streamlining the delivery of legal services and is already being deployed to expedite discovery, to help draft contracts, to assist with client intake, and to streamline many other functions that once required a lot more human labor.  AI is now being used by some lawyers to help assess the strength of their cases, to expedite legal research, and to draft pleadings. I know that I myself am using ChatGPT to help me prepare for presentations, craft social media posts, and to get quickly up to speed on an array of subjects that are of interest to my clients.  At the same time, the use of AI raises legitimate ethical concerns. It also raises concerns about the need for so many lawyers.  But according to my guest, Hamid Kohan, AI won’t replace lawyers.  It will replace lawyers and other professionals who don’t use AI. Hamid Kohan is a serial entrepreneur, public speaker, and author of the book How to Scale You

In the past year, I’ve done a number of interviews with lawyers who have transitioned from the traditional practice of law into other corporate or consulting roles. In this episode, I speak with Shawn Hoyt about how to transition into an operations role in a corporate environment. Shawn is someone who has thought a lot about managing his own career and he has a unique perspective on career advancement. Shawn Hoyt is a Vice President at OutSystems.  He began his legal career as a corporate associate at a large law firm. In 1999, I actually recruited him to his first in-house legal job.  Over time, his responsibilities expanded way beyond legal. Shawn brings an unusual perspective on how to get more from your legal career and how to transition into much broader roles. Shawn is a senior legal and operational executive who has led a broad range of teams through periods of both rapid growth and transition. He has deep functional experience running commercial, Deal Desk, pricing, proposal/RFP, contracting, deal

Achieving partnership was once the goal of most  law firm associates.  The rules were relatively simple.  Work hard, do a good job, and after several years, get rewarded by being elevated. Today the law firms are more complex.  Many associates entering the practice of law do not aspire to become partners, at least not at the first firm they join. And at many firms, there are different paths to success which don’t include equity partnership. So, how should a young associate navigate these new realities? What is the path to partnership in the 2020s and what are other ways to define success in private practice.  How do you get there?  What is the impact of hybrid work arrangements on career advancement and professional development? My guest Laura Terrell has some answers. Laura Terrell is an executive coach with over 25 years of professional experience as a legal and business leader. Prior to launching her coaching practice, Laura was a Special Assistant to the President at the White House, a senior level appoi

Job interviews can cause a lot of stress.  Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate that this is true whether you are the candidate or the interviewer. The stakes can feel high.  Both sides are trying to assess whether they are right for each other.  The candidate may be imagining that they are interviewing for their dream job. They may be worried about the competition. The interviewer may have a desperate need to fill a role and there are few candidates with the right mix of skills and personality.  Or worse, they made a bad hire and they are now trying to fix the problem. But just like dating, neither side will really know what it is like to be married until they are actually living together. So what are some ways that candidates and employers can prepare for a good interview?  What can candidates and interviewers do to make themselves more attractive to each other? How can candidates and employers get the information they need to make an informed decision about whether to extend an offer or accept an o

 The Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Reader Rankings Awards are out, and I’m pleased to report that once again, I did very well. This year I came in first for Lawyer Outplacement and for Business Development Coach.  I also came in second for Executive Coaching.  So the subject of awards is top of mind for me this week. I’m happy to be in the winner’s circle and very thankful for the great clients and colleagues who took the time to support me. But do awards really matter?  Listen in to this episode of Counsel to Counsel for my analysis.

It has been over a year since I finally left the legal recruiting business to focus exclusively on coaching.  Since the market has changed a lot since early 2022, I thought this would be a good time to invite someone who is still in the business to talk about the state of legal hiring.  I also thought this would be a good time to revisit the topic of legal recruiting in general and who can benefit from working with a recruiter. Emily Witt is a legal recruiter with over 20 years of experience. She began her career as an in-house recruiter for Wachtell, Lipton in New York. In 2016, she moved over to the agency side and today, she places attorneys in both law firm and in-house positions.  In particular, she enjoys focusing on women's advancement in both tech and healthcare. Emily hosts the podcast, Beyond the Legal Lens, that helps open the door to jobs in tech and health law. She also has a platform, the Advocate's Mic, that highlights mission-driven attorneys who are creating impactful initiatives in their co

In the last two episodes of Counsel to Counsel, I spoke with a lawyer who left corporate practice for management consulting and a trial lawyer who has built a trial consulting business but continues to try cases. In this episode, I speak with a corporate lawyer who cut his teeth at international law firms, went in-house, moved into a business role, and is back again at an international law firm. Carl Berglind is a Shareholder with Greenberg Traurig’s Health Care & FDA group. He is based in Denver, Colorado. He focuses his practice on M&A and other complex transactions in the healthcare industry,  representing both sellers and investors. In his business roles, Carl served as the CEO of an early stage animal health / AgTech company.  He was also VP of M&A of a private equity backed ophthalmology platform, and Senior Vice President of Strategic Transactions at a Fortune 500 diversified health care services company. Carl was born in Sweden, and grew up in New York, Copenhagen, and Brussels. He sp

In Episode 112 of Counsel to Counsel, I spoke with David Lesser, a corporate lawyer who transitioned into management consulting and quit his day job as a corporate lawyer.  In this episode, I speak with a litigator who has transitioned into jury and trial consulting while keeping his day job as a litigator. Marc Diller is the managing partner of Diller Law, LLP. He concentrates his practice on plaintiff side wrongful death and catastrophic bodily injury cases. As a partner with Total Trial Solutions in Massachusetts, he also acts as a trial consultant to other well-respected trial attorneys.  Marc serves on the Executive Committee for the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorney and as chair of the Judicial Administration Section Council of the Massachusetts Bar Association.  He has been involved in some of the largest jury verdicts in the state of Massachusetts. Related Episodes Episode 112-From Corporate Counsel to Management Consultant-Leveraging Your Legal Career with David Lesser Episode 104-Freelan

When lawyers approach me to speak about their careers, one question they often ask is “what else can I do with my law degree”. The answer to that question is of course complex.  As lawyers, we are trained to spot legal issues, evaluate risk, document deals, and litigate disputes.  Most employers are not actively recruiting lawyers to do anything other than practice law. But that is not to say that lawyers are destined to be lawyers for eternity.  As a lawyer, you do develop transferable skills that can make you valuable in other ways. The challenge, of course, is to figure out what that transition should look like and how you can best execute a job search when your resume speaks largely to the legal work you have done. One approach to find a bridge. Look for opportunities in an industry that you are already familiar with. Another approach is to take the experience you have in doing certain types of work and find something that leverages that experience. That is what my guest, David Lesser, did after a l

Relationship bulding is the key to growing your practice. But who should you be focusing on when it comes to relationshp building?  In this episode, Steve Seckler explains how the acronym C.H.I.L.L. can help you to make smart choices in finding the "right" professional relationships to cultivate. Additional Resources Episode 100-Word of Mouth Marketing with Michael Katz Episode 85-Peristence, Follow-Up, and Avoiding Fatal Attraction-Tips for Building Your Business Relationships Inexpensive Ways to Build Business Relationships

Like most lawyers, I went to law school because I wanted to enter an honorable profession.  I wanted to have a career where the emphasis is on intellect and not on business.  Not long after graduation, I realized that law IS a business and if you want to be successful, being a great lawyer is not enough.  You need to learn how to run your practice efficiently.  You need to learn how to manage people. And you need to learn how to sell your services.  If you can master those skills, your chances of success will greatly increase. As I’ve noted many times on this program, sales is one area where many of us feel uncomfortable.  As attorneys, we are supposed to be above that.  People should hire us because we are good at what we do.   In reality, that is not the way the world works.  Just like practicing law requires a unique set of skills, so does selling our services. In this episode of Counsel to Counsel, Dominic and I discuss the business of law and some of the ways we can be more successful in our sales p

This episode was recorded during Well-Being Week in Law 2023.  In Massachusetts and around the country, there are a lot of programs being offered to get lawyers thinking about the many mental health challenges that are widespread in the legal community.  This particular week was designated to align with Mental Health Awareness Month which is May, and many organizations ran workshops and gatherings to talk about depression, substance abuse, anxiety, stress and a host of other topics. Underlying many of these issues is having too much to do and too little time to get it done.  Many lawyers need tools for effectively managing their time and dealing with overwhelm.  In this episode of Counsel to Counsel, I spoke with Sarah Tetlow of Firm Focus who gave some great tips on delegation, dealing with interruptions, and generally managing our time more effectively. Sarah is an expert on the subject. Sarah is an experienced productivity consultant, trainer, and international speaker for attorneys and other busy prof

In this Episode of Counsel to Counsel, I'm bringing you the feed from Steve Fretzin's great podcast, Be That Lawyer. Steve is an outstanding business development coach for attorneys. He is an author and friend who has taught me a lot about BD coaching. In this episode, Steve interviews me about why coaching can be a great tool to help lawyers achieve higher levels of career satisfaction and marketing success.  I talk about one of my favorite topics: why lawyers need to wear a different hat when they are not giving out legal advice (and why that can be hard for some attorneys.) Steve has been a guest on Counsel to Counsel and this is my second time as a guest on Be That Lawyer. Steve has also been great about inviting me to participate on his panel of attorney coaches called Be That Lawyer Coaches Corner. He is a practitioner of co-opetition and very generous with his time. Additional Episodes Steve Seckler: Coaching to the Next Level (on Be That Lawyer) Episode 44-Getting the Most from Networking Meetings

 I don’t spend a lot of time talking about technology on this podcast. But I use technology all the time to manage my business and to increase my marketing efficiency. In fact technology is a critical reason why I am able to operate as a solo and while I don’t have to outsource much of my own marketing. While I haven’t focused on technology on Counsel to Counsel, my interest in technology is actually high. And when the next shiny object comes into my consciousness, I’m often intrigued. In general, I’m not an early adopter. I’d rather let others do the beta testing.  But in the four months since we heard about ChatGPT, I’ve been meaning to give it a try.  And this month I finally did.  And what I discovered blew me away. So I figured this was a good time to invite back Jared Correia, a legal tech guru who gave me my start in podcasting 5 years ago.  Jared was last on Counsel to Counsel in 2020 when he spoke about podcasting as a marketing tool. You can hear him on Episode 34. Jared has also been kind enou

Coaching is a field that has exploded since I graduated from law school in the late 1980s.  There are now life coaches, business coaches, executive coaches, marketing coaches, career coaches, and coaches like me who borrow a little from each.  Coaching is about achieving your goals and moving past roadblocks that are getting in the way of your success. A good coach is a sounding board and holds you accountable to your stated goals.  But not every coach uses the same tools or focuses on the same things. My own focus is helping lawyers to stop thinking like a lawyer when they are not giving legal advice. In this episode, I speak with a career leadership coach who takes a different approach from my own.  She talks about her approach to attorney coaching, why attorneys make good clients, and how she helps lawyers manage their energy to move towards their goals. Emily Hirsekorn is a certified career leadership coach who works with attorneys. She speaks regularly on authentic leadership, work-life balance, career

In this episode, I'm very pleased to welcome back Kevin Agnew.  I spoke with Kevin just about a year ago about his career path.  We talked about the career services program he runs at one of the largest firms in the world, and he shared many pearls of wisdom for lawyers who are navigating their careers in private practice. If you haven’t heard it, you may want to go back and listen to Episode 83 first. Kevin Agnew is Director of Attorney Career Services at Latham and Watkins, an international law firm with almost 3000 lawyers. He runs the firm's career design program and oversees the global Alumni Program. In a confidential coaching environment. He works with attorneys on the full range of career issues.  Kevin created the program and now offers services to attorneys at the firm, firm alumni, and friends of the firm. In this episode, we continue the conversation we started and focus more on what success looks like in private practice. Additional Resources Episode 83-Career Services at Latham & Watk

I really enjoy stories about lawyers who have taken their careers on a less traditional path. I especially enjoy speaking with lawyers who have done some very unlawyerly and more entrepreneurial things. At the same time, I’m always looking for guests who can speak to my audience about alternative ways to practice, particularly when it involves better work life balance. My guest in this episode, Erin Giglia,  has deep knowledge about both subjects.   Erin practiced at several major firms in Southern California until she co-founded Montage Legal Group in 2009. Montage Legal Group is a nationwide network of experienced contract/freelance attorneys with impressive credentials from top law schools and training in prestigious law firms. Montage’s attorneys assist law firms with temporary and substantive legal projects on an hourly basis, providing a cost-effective way to manage case overflow. Erin talks about building her business. She also discusses how lawyers, particularly women, can get back into the work

In this episode, I speak with Ben Sachs of the Landing Group.    Ben is the author of a terrific new book entitled: All Rise-Practical Tools for Building High-performance Legal Teams. In the conclusion of the book Ben writes:  For many attorneys, the legal work is their comfort zone.  They would rather be consumed by case law, deal papers, policy memos, or other traditional billable tasks then have to navigate a tricky issue of team dynamics or dysfunction. In this episode, Ben addresses those issues head on and why good leaders need to change these attitudes.  He also talks about his own alternative legal career. Ben Sachs is President of The Landing Group.  He is an expert in management, strategy, negotiation, and communication. He serves on the teaching faculty of the University of Virginia School of Law, offering courses on negotiation, public speaking, and legal ethics. Ben also provides consulting and training services for government and private sector organizations in the United States and internationa

In this episode, I'm coming off of a string of marketing successes. Therefore, instead of interviewing someone else, I've decided to share my experiences. The Reader's Digest version is that most lawyers who achieve marketing success do so through a variety of channels. The important thing is to choose the channels where you'll find your clients and referral sources. But it is equally important to choose activities that you like. In the end, you won't be able to predict which ones will work and which ones won't.  And that is to be expected. Related Episodes Episode 100-Word of Mouth Marketing with Michael Katz Episode 79-Digital Marketing for Your Law Firm: Getting the Right Mix Episode 74-Turning Business Conversations into Business Episode 63-LinkedIn in 30 Minutes (with Kristyn Brophy) Episode 44-Getting the Most from Networking Meetings and Troikas

When I work with lawyers who are doing career exploration, I always encourage them to have informational interviews with attorneys who can give them some perspective.  The lawyers who have the best career perspective are attorneys who have varied work experience.  My guest, Linda Ricci, is an attorney who has A LOT of that perspective. Linda Ricci is a partner with the law firm Greenberg Traurig which she joined in the Spring of 2021.  Prior to that, she spent 15 years as an Assistant United States Attorney in Boston. Linda began her legal career with two federal court clerkships, worked for two other major law firms, and spent two years as in-house counsel prior to joining the US Attorney’s office. Today, she focuses her practice on white collar criminal defense, including matters related to corporate compliance, internal investigations, and government investigations. I invited Linda to talk about the career lessons she has learned working in several public sector jobs, three different law firms, and a stint