|
 This last weekend, I did another bike ride. This one was for 72 miles in the Morro Bay, CA area, riding through one of my favorite little cities, Cambria, and passing Hearst Castle, one of the most elegant tourist spots in the country. Along Highway 1, I saw huge elephant seals bathing and then, in Cambria, one of many local displays of Scarecrows in anticipation of October's Halloween...
If you will be in the following areas when I will be, I'd welcome having breakfast with you. Please contact me directly.
White Plains, NY - October 5, 2012
Monterey, CA - October 12-13, 2012
Lake Tahoe, CA - October 17-18, 2012
Washington, D.C. - October 25-27, 2012
San Francisco, CA - November 12-13, 2012
lawbiz.com |
Lawyers as Teachers
How Good a Teacher Are You?
It is not surprising that Rebecca Mieliwocki, honored earlier in 2012 as "Teacher of the Year" at a White House ceremony, went to law school as part of her training. Lawyers are, after all, teachers. They tell stories to instruct jurors and judges for the benefit of their clients. But lawyers can also use teaching techniques in many other ways to make "The Business of Law®" more successful. How good a teacher are you for these subjects?
Your Fees.
Attorneys must educate their clients about the value of their services. Most clients recognize the importance of and are willing to pay a fair fee for value. What they do not want is to pay too much - to pay for inefficiencies, duplications, or unnecessary services. To avoid fee disputes, lawyers must regularly demonstrate that their skills and the way in which services are delivered to the client coincide with what the client wants and needs to have.
Your Knowledge.
Lawyers often know a great deal about industry and economic issues that are important to clients, and can educate their clients about trends and developments using blog posts. A blog combines the lawyer's observations on breaking legal or regulatory issues with specialized content and research and can offer the option to comment and ask specific questions. This defines a teaching relationship, and also often defines the beginning of a client relationship.
Your Staff.
In the current law firm world, lawyers and staff are affected by the ongoing transformation of client expectations and legal service delivery. Lawyers must take the lead in helping all staff members understand this upheaval in the way law is practiced. Secretaries, technology specialists, project managers - any and all staff need a better understanding of the forces reshaping law firms, and the lawyers who employ them should provide that understanding.
Your Colleagues.
Young lawyers can enhance their situations by educating their firm's partners on what the lawyer has actually done in a key area like business development - attending trade shows or writing articles and blog posts are valid marketing activities that, when properly accounted for, can help the young lawyer who engages in them make a convincing argument: "This is what I've done to promote myself and promote the firm." These efforts may not be known, so those who matter must be taught their value.
It's All About Communication
Education is all about communication. It is essential that those with whom a lawyer interacts knows what the lawyer is doing and understands why it is being done. It benefits your practice, both in terms of client relations and improved collection of your fees, and in the process helps you derive greater personal satisfaction from the practice.
|
|
Special Price:
$99
until Nov 1
(reg. $149)
Looking for ways to make your practice more successful?
|
|
To Order: 1-800-837-5880 or order online at lawbizstore.com.
This package contains:
1. The Profitable Law Office Handbook: Attorney's Guide to Successful Business Planning, 16th Anniversary Edition.
2. Business Competency for Lawyers: A LawBiz® Management Special Report eBook
3. 3-Dimensional Lawyer (3 CD Set)
Learn more.
|
|
|
|
What Clients Are Saying:
"Through Ed's invaluable coaching and no-nonsense approach, I was able to not only stay employed at the firm, but to make partner and have a future with the firm."
JM
Los Angeles, CA
"Ed knew the right questions to make me answer. He has taught me virtually everything I know about formation, planning, and now management of a successful law firm."
RJM
Los Angeles, CA
"Ed is fair, kind and forthright, is very professional and was a very enjoyable person with whom to work. I would highly recommend the services of Ed Poll to anyone in need of assistance with understanding their business, improving its operations or valuing it for sale or transition to some other operational format."
DMG, R.N. J.D.
Austin, TX
|
|
