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The weather has been violent in recent days and weeks ... from very hot to very, very cold and wet. While Mother Nature rocks and rolls, humans continue to do the same as evident by the tragedies in France this last week. You may believe you can do nothing about either types of calamity. However, one on one, with our clients, we can make a difference ... should we choose to do so. Focus on the "wants" and "needs" of clients. Understand the differences and communicate effectively and often with your clients. Make them loyal advocates for you. Then we'll all be better off.
Start the New Year Right: Special for January One-time coaching session with me AND a copy of my book Life After Law (see below).
lawbiz.com
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Perfection, Deadlines, and Cost-Effectiveness: A Delicate Balance
Internal tugs between conflicting desires and responsibilities mark life on a daily basis for most lawyers. This is particularly evident in the perfectionism/deadline/cost-effectiveness tug-of-war.
One of the defining features of lawyers is that they tend to be perfectionists. It's never good enough. They always look back in finishing a task, trying to think better, think further, research more, write a better sentence, and so forth. If you're in a larger firm, perfection is important to your success and evaluation in terms of being a good lawyer.
However, perfection is not the only consideration for a lawyer. Other factors in this equation include deadlines and cost-effectiveness.
Perfection is nice, but it takes time. In any given matter, you've got to ask your supervising lawyer when that supervisor wants the work completed, and you've got to meet the deadline. Although a supervising lawyer is not a court, the deadlines are just as important. Even if you learn that the supervising lawyer provides fallacious deadlines just to put the pressure on you, you've got to deal with that because your ability to meet deadlines will be part of your internal evaluation.
However, even if the deadline is so loose that it allows you to perfect your perfectionism, the end result of perfectionism is a buildup of hours. And if you're on the hourly billing system as opposed to the value billing system, you get more money for doing that, which means that the client has to pay more. The truth of the matter is that not every matter requires perfection. Some matters are sufficient with "good enough." You need to know when that is, meaning that you've got to understand your client and what the matter is, as well as what your client values and what your client wants.
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New Year's Special!
$275
JAN ONLY
For the lawyer in your life, start the year right.
To Order:
1-800-837-5880
or order online at lawbizstore.com
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Special one-time coaching session with Ed (normally available only as part of the full six-month package) and a copy of Life After Law.
Note: This is a one-time offer with limited availability. First come, first serve.
About Ed:
- Lifetime Achievement Award, State Bar of California (LPMT)
- Fellow, College of Law Practice Management
- Board Certified Coach to the Legal Profession, SAC
- Member of the Million Dollar Consulting® Hall of Fame
- Learn more About Ed, his Coaching Program and his Books & CDs
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| NEW SERVICE:
CLIENTS SAY:
"I worked with Ed for a year while working to become a partner in my law firm. With Ed's coaching, I was able to achieve that goal at the end of the year. Through his coaching techniques, Ed showed me how to communicate assertively and confidently with the partners I needed to persuade to vote for my promotion into the partnership and to convince them of my abilities. I can honestly say that without Ed's help, I would not have made such an excellent impression on my partners."
KR
"I'm gradually learning, through my weekly coaching sessions, how to get in touch with what I like to think of as my 'inner Ed.' With 'Ed in my head' between coaching sessions, I have been able to negotiate better fees and attract more work and a higher quality clientele. With Ed as my ally, the stress of being a sole practitioner is greatly reduced."
AS
New York
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