The Busy Lawyer’s Guide to Success
Essential Tips to Power Your Practice
By Reid F. Trautz & Dan Pinnington
American Bar Association
$69.95, soft cover, 141 pages, 978-1-2019-60442-468-3 (2009)
This pocket guide (and it really is a pocket guide – I chuckled at its size when opening the mailing package) is described on the back cover as “the ‘best ever’ collection of practical tips, ideas and techniques” to help lawyers survive and be successful practicing law.
The book is divided up into eight key topics:
· Client service
· Marketing and client development
· Technology
· Coping with email
· Making (more) money
· Ethics and professionalism
· Firm management and operations
· Strategy and planning
I should immediately point out that none of the advice in this guide is earth-shattering. Although basic, the information is still well worth hearing over again as a reminder of what it takes to gain and keep more clients. This is especially true during these difficult financial times when you can’t read a legal publication without mention of how many lawyers have been fired. I can only assume that many attorneys have recently opened their own practices out of necessity, rather than choice. As such, this guide provides common sense advice that should not be ignored.
In the section on Marketing and client development, for example, the authors present eight practical ideas on how to be more effective in business networking, each with a full paragraph of description. In summary form, they are as follows:
1. Go with a goal.
2. Don’t just hangout and schmooze with friends. Branch out.
3. Create a five-second sound bite and a 30-second elevator speech.
4. Have the right handshake.
5. Listen more than talk.
6. Bring business cards.
7. Follow up after the meeting.
8. Remind new contacts who you are.
I know, I know … there’s nothing ground-breaking in that list. It’s just plain, solid advice. But if you can do the basics well, just like the saying about showing up, you’re halfway there.
The other thing I like about this guide is that at the end of each of the chapters, there’s a list of additional resources to turn to – often a book, article or website. Even better, the authors highlight one selection saying, “if you read just one book on [this topic], read ….” Oh sure, the featured selection is often an
Of course, once you’ve read this helpful guide, then the really hard work begins: following the advice. After all, it’s one thing to know what to do; it’s another thing entirely to actually follow the suggestions. One plan might be to pick one or two proposals from each of the eight topics and implement those ideas. Once you have a few mastered, add a few more until you follow through on all the ideas you believe would be helpful in your practice.
If I have any criticism of this guide, it’s the same fault I find with most
Buy it here on Amazon.
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