Practice Management

Web 2.0 meets Legal KM at JD Supra

Posted on April 05, 2008
Larry Bodine informed me that JD Supra is now online and firms from the AmLaw 200 to GP Solos are posting content. What is JD Supra? According to Bodine's website: "In order to get listed, the attorney must contribute a...

Patrick McKenna Launches Leadership Advisory Board

Posted on April 05, 2008
So, you are a managing partner facing a vexing issue and the usual advisers and articles leave you as confused as before. What's a MP to do? Edge Group Consultant Patrick McKenna teamed up with Managing Partner Magazine to help....

Naked Conversation Interview

Posted on April 05, 2008
Richard Levick interviews Shel Israel, co-author of Naked Conversations, a book about blogging and social media. Why is social media important?"When we wrote the book, blogging was social media. But now, if you?re a business, or an institution, or an...

ABA LPM Magazine Focuses on Tech and Competitive Intelligence

Posted on April 05, 2008
The recent issue of Law Practice Management Magazine (available online) has some great articles, including 45 Tips for Competitive Intelligence by Ann Lee Gibson, Keeping Up with Marketing -Speak, by Sally Schmidt and a Roundtable on Competitive Intelligence Tools, by...

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Green to Speak at LMA Event

Posted on April 05, 2008
Charles Green, co-author (with David Maister) will speak at LMA's Senior Roundtable in Washington DC in June. This is from the LMA website:"We are excited about this year?s program. Charles Green, co-author of The Trusted Advisor and Trust-Based Selling, will...

Jim Collins to Speak in Denver, May 14th

Posted on April 05, 2008
Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, will make a rare speaking appearance in Denver on May 14th. The Community First Foundation is sponsoring his talk. I hear Collins speak last Fall, where he discussed new research on great companies....

Diversity Call to Action Summit

Posted on April 05, 2008
This sounds cool. Several years ago, General Counsel from several hundred companies drafted and signed the Diversity Call to Action - a statement of principals and tasks to improve diversity in law firms and legal departments. Not a lot has...

Ballard hires Client Interviewer

Posted on April 05, 2008
Did you see this article in The Legal Intelligencer (also on law.com) about how Ballard Spahr hired a "non-lawyer" to interview clients with the sub-title, "Could this new form of communicating with clients lead to the end of law firm...

Speaking Gigs: Regional Marketing and CI

Posted on April 05, 2008
I'll be speaking at the following events: Regional Marketing and Business Development StrategiesWebinar sponsored by HildebrandtMay 28, 2008 Noon ESTClick here for more information Competitive Intelligence in the Modern Law FirmSponsored by Managing Partner MagazineJune 10, 2008 New York City...

Ukila nanasi, tunda lingine basi

Posted on April 05, 2008
Ukila nanasi, tunda lingine basi. In Swahili, it means, "Once you taste a pineapple, you''ll never go for any other fruit" Wouldn't it be nice for your clients to say this about your firm? What would it take for your...

Lessons from Terminal Five

Posted on April 05, 2008
London's Heathrow Airport opened Terminal 5 this week, reminding me of the troubled opening of Denver's International Airport more than ten years ago. Terminal 5 was slated to solve much of Heathrow's problems, including long security lines. The terminal was...

Webinar on Succession Planning

Posted on April 05, 2008
Phyllis Weiss Haserot will be conducting a webinar on succession planning on April 9th at 12:30 PM EDT. Click here for more information. Phyllis is a wonderful speaker and insightful adviser. If you have not been to her website, it...

Web 2.0 meets Legal KM at JD Supra

Posted on April 05, 2008
Larry Bodine informed me that JD Supra is now online and firms from the AmLaw 200 to GP Solos are posting content. What is JD Supra? According to Bodine's website:"In order to get listed, the attorney must contribute a brief,...

Patrick McKenna Launches Leadership Advisory Board

Posted on April 05, 2008
So, you are a managing partner facing a vexing issue and the usual advisers and articles leave you as confused as before. What's a MP to do? Edge Group Consultant Patrick McKenna teamed up with Managing Partner Magazine to help....

BTI Research Reveals Shift to BD and Client Service Priorities

Posted on February 24, 2008
BTI Research published their annual benchmark survey of law firm marketing activities last month.  You'll have to buy the survey to get all of the details, but here are some trends illustrated by the data:   The AmLaw Second Hundred (firms 101 to 200) is catching up with the AmLaw 100 in marketing spending per attorney...

Raindancing Expert Audio Series

Posted on February 23, 2008
This week I met Cole Silver, the brains behind the Raindancing Expert Audio Series.  Cole has interviewed dozens of brilliant authors, consultants and experts in law practice management and marketing.  The 30 minute conversations are available on a subscription basis, for download or streaming audio from his website, findcareersuccess...

ABA Top 100 Discriminates Against Non-Lawyers?

Posted on February 23, 2008
The December 2007 cover story on the ABA Journal featured the "Blawg 100" - the top blawgs written by attorneys, ranging from our favorite law practice management blogs to "gossip, rumor and innuendo".  Some legal 'blawgers', however, noticed that many insightful blawgs were omitted from the list not because of their content, but because they were not authored by attorneys...

InnovAction Awards Nominations Open

Posted on February 23, 2008
Nominations for the 2008 InnovAction Awards are now open until June 2, 2008.  The InnovAction Awards is a worldwide search for lawyers, law firms, and other deliverers of legal services who are currently engaged in some extraordinarily innovative efforts...

More Law Firms Launch Leadership Programs

Posted on November 17, 2007
Reporter Gina Passarella of The Legal Intelligencer reports on the law firm of Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young's new Leadership Development Program in her article, Leadership Programs Born From Lack of Born Leaders .   What do you think?  What is the best way to provide leadership training for lawyers?

Cordell Parvin Launches BD Blog

Posted on November 17, 2007
Cordell Parvin, a former construction lawyer for the Texas firm Jenkins & Gilchrist, has started a second career as a business development trainer and coach.  His blog, www.lawconsultingblog.com, tells stories of his clients' success and gives a number of business development tips...

Leadership Development for Lawyers

Posted on November 17, 2007
Several legal marketers have been discussing leadership development on its list serve.  Here is my response to one member's question about starting a leadership development program in their firm: Thank you for launching a discussion topic that is close to my heart...

Lawyer 2 Lawyer podcast

Posted on November 03, 2007
A few weeks ago I discussed lawyer ranking websites, along with Lawdragon.com founder Katrina Dewey and legal ethicist Ben Cowgill.  The conversation was moderated by host Robert Ambrogi, co-author of Legal Blogwatch.   You can listen to the show at Lawyer2Lawyer, or download the MP3 here...

Lawyer 2 Lawyer podcast

Posted on November 03, 2007
A few weeks ago I discussed lawyer ranking websites, along with Lawdragon.com founder Katrina Dewey and legal ethicist Ben Cowgill. The conversation was moderated by host Robert Ambrogi, co-author of Legal Blogwatch. You can listen to the show at Lawyer2Lawyer,...

New Book on Business Development for Lawyers

Posted on August 25, 2007
Veteran law firm marketer and consultant Sally Schmidt has come out with a new book on business development for lawyers.  Years ago Sally wrote the definitive book on lawyer marketing.  I'll review the book on this blog in the future.  In the meantime: Read the Google Book Preview...

Client Service Perception Gap

Posted on August 25, 2007
When I ask a law firm leader what makes their firm distinctive from others, most say, "We're really good at client service.  We are known by the high level of personal service we provide."  Clients, however, disagree.  According to a new BTI survey, only 25% of clients give top grades to their outside counsel for client service...

Attorney Retention a Priority for Mid Sized Firms

Posted on August 25, 2007
According to this National Law Journal article, mid-sized firms are hiring professional development directors to provide training and support to attorneys.  Excerpt: "We don't want to just pay them a lot of money," he said. Although most of the megafirms in recent years have invested in hiring associate-development teams to help coordinate programs and address work-life issues, development director positions are new for many midsize regional firms...

Integrating Business Development Staff into a Marketing Team

Posted on August 25, 2007
Marketing staffs are growing in major law firms.  Only a few years ago the ratio of lawyers to marketing staff ranged from 35:1 to 50:1.  Today it is closer to 24:1.  Firms are not hiring more PR or advertising folks.  They are investing in business development professionals who help lawyers be more effective in attracting clients, building networks, establishing relationships, and professional sales...

Leadership Development in Law Firms Widely Divergent

Posted on August 25, 2007
Law Firm Inc Magazine published an article on the state  of leadership development training in law firms last month.  In "Reluctant Leaders", (free registration required), reporter Arthur Jones interviews several law firm managers and trainers on the nature of and acceptance of leadership development among law firms...

Brand You

Posted on August 25, 2007
It has been 10 years since Tom Peters wrote an article in Fast Company called, "Brand You", but the principles of personal branding (read:  reputation) remain the same.  Lawyers especially rely on their reputation as a niche specialist for referrals and new business...

Schwartz and West Allen Launch "Brains on Purpose"

Posted on August 25, 2007
Stephanie West Allen, JD (ideablawg.com) and Jeffrey Schwartz, MD, author of The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force have teamed up to create a seminar and blog on the topics of neuroscience and conflict resolution for lawyers...

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