Counsel To Counsel - Career Advice For Lawyers

We talk a lot on this podcast about marketing and career management.  While great lawyers have great technical skills, getting the work you want and advancing your career, requires a different set of skills. The same is true for lawyers who move from being an individual contributor to taking on leadership roles in their firm or in their corporate law department. In this episode, I speak with an expert on how to make a successful transition into leadership.  We discuss the things you should be thinking about if you have already made that move.  Whether you are chairing a department for the first time, new to the role of managing partner at your firm, or promoted to general counsel, this is a great conversation for you. My guest, Steve Smith is the President of GrowthSource Coaching, an Orange County CA based business and executive coaching company.  Steve serves business professionals that want to become extraordinary leaders and savvy business owners.  He has coached nearly 600 clients over 14 years and enjoy

It has never been easier to create digital content to market your law practice.  But what is the right mix?  How much should you be leveraging LinkedIn and other social media platforms to build your visibility.  Are email newsletters effective? Should you be using SEO to get more visitors to your website? What about podcasting?  What should you being doing yourself and when should you outsource? In this episode, I speak with Marc Apple, a real expert in digital marketing.  Marc is the owner of Forward Push, a marketing agency that creates dynamic websites and manages SEO for companies in a range of industries.  His clients are startups and small-to-medium sized businesses including law firms.  Marc and I discuss how to leverage the full array of marketing options that are readily available and when to turn to an agency for help.

I speak to a lot of lawyers who are interested in moving into in-house roles. While not every in-house lawyer is happy leaving private practice, on the whole, I find that the in-house lawyers I meet have higher levels of career satisfaction.  In-house lawyers generally don’t keep track of their time, at least not in the same way.  And while the hours can still be demanding, lawyers who work in corporate law departments often have more predictability. In-house lawyers also enjoy having an ongoing relationship with a client that they get to know on a deeper level. And for many in-house counsel, being the company lawyer means the opportunity to participate in more business decisions. The path to in-house is clear for corporate lawyers.  Employment attorneys also have a relatively easy time moving in-house. But for litigators, the path is less obvious. In this episode, I speak with Evan Slavitt, a former litigator who has some great advice for litigators looking to go in-house.  I recently reconnected with Evan a

Launching your own law practice can be both energizing and scary. For lawyers who are accustomed to earning a steady paycheck, hanging a shingle means saying goodbye to security. Leaving a large firm means that there is no one between you and the client. You need to figure out how to advise them without the help of partners who are just down the hall. You also need to develop your own infrastructure. At the same time, starting your own practice means having a lot of flexibility and a chance to really build something of your own. In one of the first episodes of Counsel to Counsel, I interviewed Matt Yospin, an IP lawyer who went solo after several years at an AmLaw 100 firm. Since that time, I have coached a number of lawyers who have started their own practices.  Matt Yospin spoke a lot about how he has leveraged technology to make his IP practice run smoothly with far fewer resources.  In this episode, I speak with Allan MacLean about starting a solo employment law practice, what he wishes he had known whe

Early December is a great time to start planning for the New Year. Creating S.M.A.R.T. goals is a great way to make sure that you achieve what you set out to do.  In this special edition of the Counsel to Counsel Podcast, I define S.M.A.R.T. goals and then share with you my own S.M.A.R.T. goals for 2022.

When I speak to lawyers about the changes they would like to make in their careers, there are a number of repeating themes. One theme I often hear from litigators is that they are tired of the conflict and petty discovery disputes. They are frustrated in having to deal with opposing counsel who seem more interested in winning than in justice.  One path for these lawyers is alternative dispute resolution. So where is mediation today and what are the career opportunities for lawyers who want to shift their careers in that direction?  In this episode, Amy Mariani answers that question. Amy Mariani is someone I would trust unequivocally if I were involved in a conflict. She is practical, knows how to take the temperature down in a conflicted situation and is someone who knows how to quickly build trust and rapport. For twenty years, Amy tried cases in the areas of employment, personal injury, and breach of contract.  She began, mediating part time in 2014 and since 2016, she has done it full time.

We have spoken a lot on Counsel to Counsel about the importance of building business relationships. But we have not spent much time discussing how to turn those relationships into actual paying work. In this episode, I am joined by Gary Johnson who understands a lot about selling legal services.  We discuss a series of common hypothetical situations where there may be opportunities to generate business.  Gary walks us through the process for identifying needs and doing so in a way that does not exert pressure on a client, prospective client, or referral source. Gary Johnson is President of J2 Marketing Consultants. He helps attorneys get more profitable clients. Gary’s experience building strategies and applying proven techniques offers an effective way to help attorneys grow their practice by bringing in ideal clients. He provides the tools needed to focus his clients on building value when approaching prospective clients. Gary makes the process easy, and I can vouch for that.  

In thinking about guests to invite to this podcast, I’m always on the lookout for attorneys who have taken alternative career paths. I also try to find both practicing attorneys and former practicing attorneys who have great advice to share with my audience.  Today’s guest is in the latter category. Amy M. Gardner is a certified career and career transitions coach and team development and leadership consultant with Apochromatik. She works with employers to reengage teams and help them thrive. She also works with lawyers one-on-one and in small group masterminds to advance in their roles or transition to a new one. Amy is a former Big Law associate, partner at a mid-size Chicago firm, and dean of students at the University of Chicago Law School. Her career and goal achievement advice has been featured in media including numerous podcasts, ABA publications, Glassdoor, Monster, and NBC to name a few. In this interview, Amy shares some great practical advice for associates who are trying to build their careers i

In the past year, I’ve been talking a lot on this show about The Next Stage, my program to help senior lawyers figure out what comes next.  My guests have discussed ways that lawyers can find meaning later in their careers.  One topic that we’ve addressed is succession planning, or ways that lawyers can ensure that what they have built will live on as they scale back or exit the practice of law. In larger firms, succession planning may mean handing the reins of leadership over time to the next generation and starting a process of transitioning the clients.  For smaller firms, there may not be a deep bench ready to take over.  In those instances, lawyers may simply opt to practice until they are no longer able to because of incapacity or death.  Some lawyers will simply close their doors. But some small firms may choose another option, and that is a sale. In this episode, Tom Lenfenstey discusses selling a law practice.  Tom is a lawyer and CPA in North Carolina who runs the Law Practice Exchange where he hel

There are a lot of unhappy lawyers in our profession. But when I started this podcast three years ago, it was my firm belief that there are many happy attorneys as well and we can all learn from them. In this episode, I speak with  Arivee Vargas, an attorney who really works at trying to find more fulfillment in her career. She is also someone who inspires others through her own coaching work. I met Arivee for the first time when I sat in on a career panel that was sponsored by Region I of the Hispanic National Bar Association. Arivee and her fellow panelists were all lawyers who had graduated law school around the time of the 2008 financial crisis and they had some very practical advice for law student looking for work in a pandemic.  I was blown away by her take charge attitude and her ability to demonstrate resilience in the face of adversity. This past Spring she launched The Humble Rising Podcast and I began listening.  Again I was blown away at what a what an inspiration Arivee can be.  Arivee is a firs

There are many efforts underway around the country to help lawyers address stress in the practice of law. Several years ago, the Report of the Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being was issued by the American Bar Association, Conference of Chief Judges, and other legal organizations.  It called well-being an essential element of a lawyer’s duty of competence. In Massachusetts, there is an organization called Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers which helps attorneys deal with substance abuse and some of the underlying causes of attorney anxiety and depression and there are similar organizations in many states. In January of 2020, The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts created a Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being. The Standing Committee is charged with planning and overseeing efforts to enhance the well-being of lawyers, judges and law students in the Commonwealth and is doing a great job of educating these different constituencies. As summer is coming to a close and the pandemic rages on, I thought this was a go

There are many paths to success in a law firm.  I’ve emphasized on this podcast that growing your practice is a good place to start.  Having your own clients gives you a sense of ownership that is hard to achieve when you are just servicing firm clients.  If you have your own book of business, there is more opportunity to focus on the work you enjoy and the clients you like.   For some, getting involved in the management of a firm is another way to find more fulfillment.  But it is not for everyone. I once heard someone say that managing a law firm is like being the only fire hydrant in a town filled with dogs. David Maister and Patrick McKenna put it another way in their book First Among Equals.  When you are running a professional services firm, you must lead through influence rather than authority. In this episode, I have a great conversation with David Rosenblatt who has been one of the longest serving Managing Partners in the Boston legal market.  He has served as Managing Partner at Burns & Levinson

There are many ways to build a law practice.  Legal marketing is not a one size fits all. Lawyers have different personalities and interests.  Different practice areas lend themselves to different marketing techniques. Beyond this, there can be some gender differences in the way men and women approach marketing. In this episode, I speak with Lana Manganiello who has put a lot of thought into this subject.  Lana is a business development coach with Equinox Strategy Partners.  We met through our business networking group ProVisors and I’ve been learning a lot from her. Lana works with attorneys and firms to create bespoke and measurable business development strategies and actionable plans.  She truly believes business development is the key to career fulfillment in the legal profession. Recently, Lana and I were on a call with several other ProVisors members who coach attorneys. As the only woman on the call, she brought a perspective that I thought would be great to bring to Counsel to Counsel.  Lana and I tal

Aging baby boomers now fill the senior ranks of many law firms across the United States. Because of this, hundreds of partnerships will be facing succession planning issues in the next decade. How can firms make successful transitions and ensure the long-term viability of their practices? How will senior partners transition their clients to younger partners, so the clients are well served in the future? How will the next generation assume responsibility for managing the firm of tomorrow? Underpinning all this is a reality: Lawyers are living longer, lawyers have very strong professional identities, and many senior lawyers are not doing a good job of planning their own transitions. A lot of lawyers have worked hard for so long that it is difficult to imagine what might fill the void if they were to leave or cut back. What will these attorneys do when they are no longer chairing a department or actively serving clients they have worked with for decades? What are some of the creative strategies that lawyers have

For many lawyers, going in-house continues to be an attractive career option.  But the lawyers I speak to have a lot of questions about making a transition to in-house. They ask me about the timing, how to find good in-house jobs, how practicing in a corporate law department differs from private practice and how in-house jobs differ from each other.  In this episode, I speak with David Sclar who has a lot to say on the subject.  David is author of Workplace Strategies for Technology Lawyers, and he is joins me from Washington DC where he works as Healthcare Compliance and Privacy Officer for WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers.)  David began his career doing a clerkship with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.  He worked at two AmLaw 100 firms and prior to joining WW, he spent 6 years at a healthcare company until the company was acquired.  David has a lot of wisdom to share on going in-house Additional Podcasts and Resources What I've Learned as In-House Counsel Frequently Asked Questions About Going In-House

On Counsel to Counsel, I speak with attorneys and  consultants who share their advice about advancing your legal career.  We  discuss practical issues to help you build the career that you want. In recent episodes we have talked about how to build relationships in a virtual environment, how to leverage the LinkedIn platform, how to go in house, how to manage your time more effectively, and how to create a side hustle while practicing law. In this episode, we take a step back to look at much bigger existential issues (how we find meaning in our lives more broadly.) My guest, Rochelle seltzer, discusses what she calls living big. Rochelle is a Creative Core Coach and author of the acclaimed book, Live Big: A Manifesto for a Creative Life. Her mission is to unleash the untapped creative capacity inside women everywhere, so they bring all of their greatness into the world. She teaches and supports accomplished women to move past what keeps them blocked, stuck and small, to create and live their biggest, best liv

Being a great communicator is essential to your success as a lawyer. Whether you are counseling a client, managing paralegals or associates, giving a presentation, or just trying to cultivate relationships that might lead to business, effective communication is everything to your success. If you are like me, in law school, you learned to think like a lawyer.  You cultivated your legal research and writing skills and learned to interpret the law.  When you entered the real world, you soon learned that you need a whole different set of skills to succeed.  And a lot of that has to do with how you communicate whether it is with clients, referral sources, colleagues, and other lawyers. In this episode, I speak with Donna Mac who has a lot to say on the subject of effective communication. Donna is founder and President of iVoice Communication and trains current and emerging leaders to create new, healthier communication practices so they can become influential, resilient and speak with confidence.  She teaches mind

LinkedIn is a critical marketing tool for lawyers. This has been underscored this year as the world of in-person networking has remained largely shut down.  But as the world opens up and we find ourselves at conferences, networking functions, meeting for lunch or coffee, LinkedIn will continue to be an important tool in the marketing tool bag. In this episode episode, we do a quick dive into LinkedIn and talk about how to make the most of LinkedIn. My guest Kristyn Brophy has a lot to say about using the platform more effectively.  Kristyn has worked in-house at a number of major law firms in the Boston area .  More recently she joined Legal Internet Solutions Incorporated as Director of Client Strategy.  She is a fountain of knowledge about legal marketing, social media, and the newest platform in the social media ecosystem, Clubhouse. Additional Resources With LinkedIn, Measure Quality of Engagement not Quantity Getting Personal on LinkedIn Once in a While Episode 11-The Social Media Maven Networked: H

This past year has been one of great reflection for many attorneys. The lawyers I speak to are thinking more about what they want from their careers and how they can find meaning in their professionals and personal lives. One group I'm particularly enjoying working with are senior lawyers who have 30 or more years of experience in practice.  The pandemic has caused this group of attorneys to think more about existential questions (What do I really want to do the next 10-15 years?  Am I ready to make a big shift? Should I cut down on my practice or leave the practice altogether and if so, how do I fill my time in meaningful ways?) Making a career transition raises a host of issues for lawyers at any stage of their career.  But financial issues are particularly salient for senior lawyers.  Do I have enough to retire?  When can I stop working full time?  How do I protect myself and my family as I go through this transition? In this episode, my guest Chris Cahill talks about these issues and provides a framework

As we’ve discussed several times on this show, there are 100s of law firms  throughout the country that are facing succession planning issues.  Baby boomers are aging quickly and firms that want to be in business in 10 years need to have a plan that makes room for the next generation.  How can firms make a successful transition and ensure the long-term viability of their practices?  What options are available to firms? In this episode, I’m excited to welcome Jeremy Poock who knows a lot about this subject.  Jeremy, who is Founder of Senior Attorney Match, works with lawyers who have practiced for at least 30 years. He helps develop, design, and implement succession plans for their law practices.  He has a great model for helping senior lawyers to get value out of their firms while ensuring a smooth transition into the future. More Resources Episode 58-Managing Your Exit (Career Succession Planning—with Bill Lahey) Episode 50- Late Career Shift to Public Service Episode 40-Succession Planning for Law Firm