Personal Development

I had coffee with a managing partner last week who made an observation that stuck with me. He said he could predict which attorneys in his firm would become rainmakers by watching how they treated the receptionist, the mailroom staff, and the cleaning crew. It wasn’t about their legal skills or their pedigree from prestigious law schools. It was about something far more fundamental about their character and long-term potential. The principle of elevating everyone you encounter isn’t just feel-good philosophy wrapped in corporate speak. It’s smart business practice rooted in practical reality. In professional services, particularly in law firms, your reputation precedes you into every room, every negotiation, and every potential client relationship. That reputation gets built through countless small interactions with people at every level of the professional ecosystem. The paralegal you dismiss today might become a general counsel tomorrow. The junior associate you mentor could refer significant business your way in five years. The court clerk you treat with respect will remember your professionalism when you need a favor during a tight filing deadline. I’ve witnessed this dynamic play out repeatedly in my practice. One attorney I know always took time to learn the names of security guards, administrative assistants, and IT support staff at every office building he visited. This wasn’t calculated networking; it was genuine respect for people doing important work. Years later, when he was pursuing a major client housed in one of those buildings, the security guard remembered him and provided insights about the company’s culture and decision-making process that proved invaluable in winning the engagement. Meanwhile, another lawyer I encountered consistently treated support staff as invisible obstacles to his important work. Word travels fast in professional circles, and his reputation for arrogance preceded him, costing him opportunities he never even knew existed. The mathematics of professional relationships makes this approach even more compelling. Every person you encounter knows other people, and those connections form an intricate web of influence that extends far beyond what’s visible on organizational charts. The bookkeeper at your client’s company might be married to a procurement officer at a Fortune 500 company. The court reporter in your deposition could be related to a partner at a competing firm who’s looking for co-counsel on a complex matter. When you consistently elevate others through genuine interest in their perspectives, respectful communication, and acknowledgment of their contributions, you’re making deposits into a relationship bank account that compounds over time. The most successful professionals I represent understand that elevating others isn’t about being nice for their own sake, though kindness certainly matters. It’s about recognizing that every interaction is an opportunity to build your reputation as someone worth working with, someone who sees the value in all people regardless of their position on the corporate ladder. This mindset transforms routine encounters into relationship-building opportunities and turns everyday professional interactions into investments in your long-term success. Your calendar reveals your priorities, but your treatment of others reveals your character. Both matter immensely in building a sustainable practice and a meaningful career.

Let me tell you a truth that will make every partner at your firm uncomfortable: if you don’t have a book of business, you don’t have a career. You have a job. And jobs disappear. I’ve watched brilliant lawyers get shown the door during economic downturns, firm mergers, and practice group restructurings. These weren’t bad lawyers. They were excellent technicians who made one fatal mistake: they believed someone else was responsible for their career security. Here’s another uncomfortable truth: the profession has failed catastrophically at teaching lawyers how to generate business. Law schools don’t teach it. Firms give lip service to it. Partners hoard the knowledge like state secrets. The result? A profession full of technical experts who can’t feed themselves. The Business Development Crisis Is Real The numbers tell a devastating story. Walk into any law firm and count how many lawyers actually have portable business. It’s not many. Most attorneys are completely dependent on others for their livelihood, and they don’t even realize how precarious their position is. The lawyers who don’t develop business within their first decade of practice consistently earn less over their careers. The gap only widens with time. But the real cost isn’t just financial. It’s personal. I’ve seen lawyers stuck in toxic work environments because they can’t leave. I’ve watched brilliant minds accept below-market compensation because they have no leverage. I’ve witnessed careers derailed by politics because the lawyer had no independent value proposition. The firms suffer, too. When business development is concentrated among a few senior partners, firms face massive revenue volatility. When those partners retire or leave, the revenue walks out the door with them. Yet firms continue to perpetuate a system that creates this vulnerability. The Mythology That’s Killing Your Career The legal profession has created a mythology around business development that’s actively harmful. We’ve convinced ourselves that rainmakers are born, not made. That you need to be a natural salesperson. That introverts can’t succeed. That business development requires playing golf and attending cocktail parties. All of this is hot garbage. I’ve worked with lawyers who hate networking events. Who’ve never played golf with a client. Who don’t do TikTok dances. Yet they’ve generated tens of millions in business over their career. How? Because they learned that business development is a system, not a personality trait. The most successful business developers I know aren’t the loudest people in the room. They’re the most systematic. They understand that business development is about solving problems, building relationships, and creating value. These are learnable skills. The Introvert Advantage Here’s something that will shock the golf-playing, cocktail-circuit crowd: introverts often make better business developers than extroverts. Why? Because business development isn’t about being the life of the party. It’s about listening, understanding problems, and building trust. Introverted professionals excel at: Deep listening (the foundation of understanding client needs) Building one-on-one relationships (where real business happens) Thoughtful follow-up (the key to converting prospects) Consultative approach (what clients actually want) The extroverted rainmaker who works the room might get attention, but the introvert who has deep conversations with three people often gets the business. The Skills You Actually Need Real business development isn’t about charm. It’s about competence in five areas: Problem identification: You need to understand the challenges your prospects face better than they do. This requires research, curiosity, and the ability to ask probing questions. Value articulation: You must clearly communicate how you solve problems differently and better than alternatives. This is about positioning, not personality. Relationship building: This isn’t about being likeable. It’s about being reliable, insightful, and valuable to be around. Process management: Successful business developers have systems for identifying prospects, nurturing relationships, and converting opportunities. It’s project management, not magic. Persistent follow-up: Most business comes from multiple contacts over time, not from the first meeting. This requires discipline, not charisma. The Control You’re Missing The fundamental issue isn’t that lawyers can’t generate business. It’s that they’ve never been taught how. Law school’s focus on technical skills. Firms promote based on billable hours. The profession rewards everything except the one skill that actually controls your career trajectory. When you have a book of business, you have options. You can choose your clients, your matters, your compensation, and your work environment. You can weather economic storms. You can build wealth instead of just earning a salary. Without a book of business, you’re at the mercy of others’ decisions. Your career is subject to firm politics, economic cycles, and the whims of partners who may or may not have your best interests at heart.

I almost didn’t show up. After a long international road trip, van trouble, and a disrupted routine, the temptation was real: skip the live presentation. Or mail it in. Just this once. But I didn’t. I showed up—because I made a promise. Not for the audience because, to be honest, depending on the platform, I sometimes don’t know if there are 1,000 people watching, or 0. The promise I made was to myself. I would show up and talk about something impactful, something that could change one person’s way of thinking and, just maybe, their life. I would show up and play full out. Since January 2023, I’ve shown up every month for a live presentation, whether people attend live or catch the replay. (As of today, that’s 29 live presentations.) This isn’t marketing. This isn’t lead generation. This is a commitment I made to myself: I will deliver one live presentation per month because it aligns with who I am, the work I do, and the promise I’ve made—to myself—for myself. And that’s what this post is about: the promises lawyers keep, and the one type of promise we too often break. Lawyers Are Excellent at Keeping Promises—to Everyone Else Let’s be clear: the lawyers I coach, those Accomplished Seekers, are some of the most disciplined professionals on the planet. They keep their promises. They wouldn’t be extraordinarily successful if they didn’t. To clients? Absolutely. You don’t miss deadlines. You show up in court. You meet your obligations. You do what you say you’ll do with the goal of serving the client and creating an evangelist for your firm. To partners? You don’t leave your colleagues hanging. They count on you and you count on them. Simple. To your team? You set expectations and follow through. You do what you say you’ll do and expect them to do the same. To judges and courts? You comply with the rules of the game—even when it’s chaos behind the scenes. To family? You try. There are seasons when you’re more available than others—like the 44-day federal white-collar trial I thrived in—but you do your best to follow through when you say “I’ll be there.” But there’s one person lawyers consistently betray—themselves. The Most Important Promises Are the Ones You Make—and Keep—for Yourself “I’m going to start eating better.” “I’m going to get to the gym three days a week.” “I’m going to stop checking email after 6 PM.” “I’m going to block time to think strategically about my firm.” You know these promises. You’ve made them. And chances are, you’ve broken a few. Maybe more than a few. Here’s why it matters: every time you make and break a promise to yourself, you erode trust—not with others, but with you. You move further away from the person you believe yourself to be. Instead, you move closer to what your internal voice continuously tells you you are, that someone who doesn’t deserve success and won’t do the work to create it. And that internal breach creates a dissonance that leaks into your energy, your mindset, and your leadership. It’s Not Time Management, It’s Energy Leadership Lawyers love to blame time: “I don’t have time to work out.” “I don’t have time to meditate.” “I don’t have time to think strategically.” Time, my friends, is not the problem. Time is indifferent. It’s agnostic. It doesn’t give a sh*t about your goals, your schedule, or your aspirations. Time doesn’t need managing. What needs mastering—what needs leading—is your energy. When I talk about Energy Leadership®, I’m referring to the seven levels of attitudinal energy that shape how we experience the world, how we lead, and how we perform. They range from the lowest level—victimhood—to the highest—pure creation and choice. Here’s how this applies to promise-keeping: Level 1 You skip your workout because “life is too hard right now.” Level 2 You resent even needing to think about it: “Why do I always have to push so hard?” Level 3 You rationalize: “It’s fine, I’ll get to it later.” Level 4 You think of your team, your clients, your family—everyone but you. Level 5 You begin to realize that keeping promises to yourself is a win-win. You benefit, and so does everyone around you. Level 6–7 You start showing up as the strategic CEO of your life and career, choosing how and when you bring energy to each domain. The problem isn’t your calendar. The problem is how you’re relating to the commitments you make to yourself. Self-Leadership Is the Key to Influence You can’t preach a culture of well-being, sustainability, or high performance if you don’t live it. Your words won’t matter—your actions will. If you say, “We honor deep work,” but you never protect your own focus time… If you say, “We take real vacations,” but you’re answering emails poolside in Maui or in the Sacred Valley of Peru… If you say, “I’m working on being more intentional,” but you never slow down long enough to reflect… Your people notice. As any parent will tell you: people hear what you say and they watch what you do. They believe what you do. If there’s a disconnect between what you say the culture is and you don’t “walk the talk,” your influence suffers. The paradox is this: when you start keeping promises to yourself, you not only build internal integrity—you elevate your external influence. The Benefits of Keeping the Promise (To You) When you consistently keep promises to yourself, four things happen: Your Confidence Grows You start to trust yourself more deeply. You stop relying on motivation and start building identity. “I’m the kind of person who keeps my promises”—even when no one’s watching. Your Integrity Realigns The disconnect between how you see yourself and how you behave dissolves. You begin acting in alignment with your values and vision. Your Influence Expands Your team, clients, and even your family start to follow your lead—not because of what you say, but because of how you live. Your Freedom Increases When you show up for yourself, you create space—for thinking, for health, for creativity, for growth. You step off the hamster wheel and into your role as a true CEO. So, What’s YOUR First Promise? What’s the one promise you’ll make today—for yourself? It doesn’t need to be grand. A salad. A 20-minute walk. A 15-minute strategic thinking block. The promise isn’t about scale—it’s about significance. It’s about sending a signal to yourself that you matter. That your leadership begins with you. A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step because until you take that step, the journey cannot start. It only continues if you keep stepping. And you only keep stepping if you keep the promises you make to yourself for yourself. Final Thought Am I the type of person who keeps their promises? Yes? Good. Am I the type of person who keeps my promises to myself—for myself? That’s the question. Because when you start keeping those promises—when you lead yourself first, everything else follows.

The legal field has evolved over the years—there is really no way to dispute that. This evolution has changed the field across the board—for in-house professionals, private practice attorneys and for staff. This momentum has also caused many teams to grow—putting legal professionals, both attorneys and staff alike, in a leadership position managing other team members. While this evolution is certainly a positive one in the field, many legal professionals find themselves in a leadership position with no formal leadership training or support for leadership-specific needs. Why does this matter? That is a loaded question. Teams Have Greater Success with Strong Leadership According to Harvard Business Review, leadership development improves organizational performance by 25 percent and according to McKinsey, 65 percent of high-performing companies prioritize leadership development. So, in other words, a strong and high-performing team is directly correlated to strong leadership. And strong attorneys and staff translate to a strong business or firm. But the thing is, most professionals were not born with those skills. They are promoted to a leadership position based on how well they perform in their current role—with no guidance on how to manage other team members once they are elevated to that position. This is something that requires training and support—just like the day-to-day tasks they perform in their roles. Employees Leave Managers—Not Firms We have all heard this before. And, in my experience working with a variety of firms of all different sizes—this is absolutely true. I have seen it happen time and time again. According to LinkedIn, companies with leadership development programs report a 29 percent higher employee retention. The cost of losing an employee or attorney is nearly impossible to calculate—but it is safe to assume that it is not low when you consider the hiring and onboarding process of replacing them. Good leadership can be the linchpin in keeping your employees happy and therefore wanting to stay with your business or firm. Happy Employees are Contagious—But So Are Unhappy Ones The Harvard Business Review reported that leadership development reduces team conflicts by 20 percent. A leader that knows how to not only manage effectively, but connect with their team members and provide support, will produce happy team members—which can be contagious! But, on the flip side, bad leadership can negatively influence team members. Imagine a team member frustrated by unclear expectations and little direction—without proper leadership, that discontent can ripple through the team and affect overall morale. An unhappy team member can be more contagious than a happy one. What Now? So, now that you know how important leadership development is for your business or firm, what can you do about it? What does strong leadership look like and how do you achieve it? Strong leaders can: Think strategically, Communicate effectively, Lead with emotional intelligence and empathy, and Engage in cross-functional collaboration, especially with other attorneys, practice groups, and business or firm leadership. These traits are not innate in most people—these are skills that require training. Invest in leadership programs for your leaders and managers. The benefit will far outweigh the cost. Investing in this type of development will build internal credibility with firm leadership, create a culture of accountability and innovation, and enable better team retention and development. Whether it is one-on-one executive coaching, management training sessions or leadership cohorts, you can find what makes the most sense for your business or firm. The future depends on the leaders you develop today. Start by evaluating your current support systems—then act. Your team, and your organization, will thank you.

It is common advice for witnesses in the courtroom or representatives at counsel table: keep a poker face. That advice—avoid scowls, grimaces, and other head-shaking reactions while you’re being observed by a jury—has some obvious common sense behind it. But the advice can also be taken to an extreme. Maintaining the court’s decorum and avoiding negative perceptions are important goals, but such discretion shouldn’t be the enemy of communication. A baseline level of reasonable human reaction and expression can be a good thing. This is supported in the research as well. A recent article in Scientific American reports on a study (Kavanagh, Whitehouse & Waller, 2024) showing that facial expressiveness is associated with greater likability. The team reported on their study that showed that “moving your face in some way, whether you’re smiling, raising an eyebrow or wrinkling your nose, may help people warm to you more.” Studying partners in conversational settings, they assessed each person’s nonverbal expressivity and discovered that greater facial expression led to participants being seen as more likable and agreeable. The team reasons that non-verbal communication is favored based on its evolutionary advantages in building community and common understanding. Someone who is perceived as being easier to read is going to be seen as more trustworthy and likable for that reason. This suggests a few considerations for those appearing in court. Avoid an Artificially Flat Affect On one end of the spectrum, some in the courtroom will try to turn their non-verbal reactions off. As much as that might seem like the safe route, it is probably impossible. You can’t communicate “nothing,” and instead the passive face is likely to be interpreted as “bored” or “angry.” We expect to see some level of non-verbal engagement. The researchers report on prior studies showing that humans are probably more facially expressive than any other species and note that on average, people in typical social interactions will produce 101 facial movements every minute. You can’t bring that to zero even when you’re in the hushed environment of a courtroom. Avoid Anything that Could be Seen as Performative On the other end of the spectrum, the last thing you want is for jurors to feel like you are putting on a show. The idea that you are telegraphing your reactions to them nonverbally can be seen as distracting, insulting, or insincere. When it comes to whether the question or the testimony coming from the witness box is ridiculous, whether opposing counsel is being obnoxious, or whether a ruling from the bench is unfair, jurors will form their own conclusions. They don’t want to see a witness or party representative in the courtroom performing that reaction for them. Let Your Natural Reactions Guide You Whether you’re at counsel table or in a witness box, they key is to be natural. Stay engaged, think about the content of what you are hearing, and react normally. Knowing that the courtroom is a very constrained place—I sometimes call it a “civil cathedral,” with its hushed and formal environment—you won’t want to react the same way you would if you were in a bar, or if you were in the legal team’s war room. You want to be restrained, serious, and respectful. But that doesn’t mean being blank. You can still be human. You should try and avoid reacting to every statement by the other side, and the best emotion to convey is just that you are attentive and engaged.

Many lawyers underestimate the impact that mental illness can have on an individual or family. It can be difficult to admit that you have a mental health problem in your life. Secondly, it can be just as difficult in getting the people you know to understand your situation without making any kinds of judgments. As a result, here are six reasons why you should make your mental health an important priority in your life. 1. Your Situation Will Improve if You Get Help Your anxieties and fears can be challenging to manage and more than likely you will need some help. Just as you talk to your doctor about your regular health, you should not be hesitant in seeking help for your mental health. If left untreated, your anxieties and fears may not go away. 2. Drugs and Alcohol Are Not the Answer Drugs and alcohol can make your problems more complicated. Many people have said that drugs and alcohol will only add more problems to your situation. Be smart and learn how to cope with your mental health issues by talking to a qualified professional. There are many health professionals in your area that can give you some ideas on where you can go for assistance. 3. You Will Save Time and Money Eventually, you will have to confront your fears and mental health issues. Save yourself the time and heartache and confront your problems now rather than later. You will save months of struggling by getting help right away. The sooner you get assistance the faster you will start getting some relief. 4. You Are Not Alone Everyone deals with fear, stress, and anxiety in one’s life whether your friends and others care to admit it. In addition, do not be embarrassed that you are getting help. We all learn new things from others on a daily basis and learning how to manage your anxieties is no different. In addition, your goal is to get your life back on track and not to get everyone’s approval. If people start asking you questions, just say you’re dealing with stress. Most people can relate to dealing with stress and anxiety! 5. Do Not Make the Mistake of Doing Nothing There are many people who struggled with anxiety and other mental health related issues, and they tried to ignore their problems. As a result, some of these people struggled on a daily basis and eventually things became more difficult. It can be scary asking for assistance, but the key is to take things one day at a time. 6. You Have a Variety of Options There are many mental health support groups, organizations, and counselors in your area that can help get your life back on track. Talk to your doctor to get more details on where you can go for some assistance. Help is available but you must be willing to make the choice of getting better. Remember that every problem has a solution. You just have to make the effort to find the answers. 

In a highly globalized world, commercial disputes are more likely to involve cross-cultural features. (“Cultural features” refers to aspects like language, expression, body language, value systems, governments, and negotiation styles that differ from region to region.) Each litigant’s unique culture, identity, or cultural value system may pose unique challenges to resolving disputes. This adds a layer of complexity in negotiations, further signifying the importance of a mediator’s cross-cultural competency to facilitate the resolution process. When negotiating across cultures, different perspectives may result in potential misunderstandings, which can reduce the chance of exploring and finding solutions that integrate various perspectives and resolve disputes effectively. These tips can provide you with valuable tools to add to your complex dispute mediation toolbox. Actively Recognize and Identify Cultural Differences While obvious cultural differences in one’s tone, expression, or language may be easily identifiable, it takes a well-trained mediator to effectively navigate non-obvious cultural differences. Recognizing the subtle cultural differences such as mannerism and business etiquette require stronger observation. In a multicultural resolution environment, the actions, gestures, and speech patterns encountered by individuals are susceptible to a wide array of interpretations, potentially leading to misunderstandings and hindering cooperation. The main challenge arises from perceiving parties through our own cultural perspectives. Cooperation can become particularly difficult when these value systems clash. For instance, someone from Saudi Arabia or Japan may take a longer time culturally to establish trust, the slower pace of which could be misinterpreted as a lack of enthusiasm for reaching a resolution by someone from the United States. Meanwhile, the Saudi party might view the American’s fast-paced approach to reaching an agreement as disrespectful and overly transactional, lacking long-term interest in actual dispute resolution. In such cases, it is essential for the party, and mediator, to consider the perspective of the opposing party’s cultural value system rather than solely relying on his or her own. However, achieving this understanding is challenging and requires competence in navigating delicate cultural nuances. Recognizing the cultural divide adds another dimension to resolving the dispute. It requires more adjustment than a typical behavioral analysis in a domestic setting so the mediator must actively recognize and identify cultural barriers. The mediator’s strongest currency in resolving a dispute is arguably the trust of the parties, and cultural nuances affect how parties perceive authority, build relationships, and establish trust. To remedy often-unintentional divides in dispute resolution, one would be served well by becoming more competent in their cultural intelligence. Cultural intelligence refers to an outsider’s innate capacity to interpret unfamiliar and ambiguous gestures in a manner consistent with the expectations of the person’s fellow country persons. Possessing cultural intelligence can assist the mediator with the ability to build trust and avoid roadblocks because a mediator with cultural intelligence knows how to properly interpret social cues. For instance, a seemingly innocuous thumbs-up gesture, commonplace for Americans, between Greek or Iranian parties, could have disastrous consequences, as it will be deeply offensive to those parties. Similarly, discerning facial expressions accurately is crucial, as it distinguishes between various possible cues. A smile, for example, may not universally signify happiness, and a nod may not always indicate agreement but rather understanding or a simple “I hear you”. Throughout these interactions, understanding the context is paramount. Context serves as a guide for mediators, informing them of the appropriate responses in various situations. Ultimately, establishing relationships and fostering trust, respect, active listening, and open collaboration are crucial. By actively learning, cultivating self-awareness, and demonstrating empathy, individuals can develop the necessary skills to discern the appropriate cues, sharply understand context, and overcome challenges in cross-cultural negotiations. Beware of Implicit Bias The value system of a party influences his or her approach to negotiations. Unconscious implicit bias is our natural preference for people who look like us, think like us and behave like us. Once mediators understand their own behavioral patterns and the blind spots of other parties, they will properly respond to tone, negotiation style, body language, hand gestures, and ways each party may handle rejection. A proper response is situational and depends on the circumstances. When unsure how to handle a matter, caucusing and respectfully asking a party about the nuances involved may be a reasonable path to avoid a roadblock. Mediators are wise to admit the potential for ignorance on the subject matter to facilitate a transparent discussion. Seeking understanding of the system at work by facilitating a resolution-oriented conversation about difficulties that unfamiliar customs pose can in fact show respect for these differences and facilitate trust-building. The parties will likely appreciate mediator’s effort and the good faith shown, which can help avoid ill feelings that may lead to an impasse. Calibrate the Process Prior to the mediation, in preparation and during the joint conference, mediators are encouraged to address cultural differences. Additionally, in the opening session, whether done jointly or in a caucus, the mediator has another opportunity to present ground rules that demonstrate the mediator’s cognitive grip on the cross-cultural features of the dispute. For example, in the opening, a mediator with parties of Eastern and Western culture would be served well by addressing decision-making processes of the negotiating parties and how each company would approach corporate decision-making. In addition to adjusting the process itself, the mediator must think critically about the underlying needs of each party, how those needs may be driven by their cultural values, and how that positions their interests. Mediator should stay flexible during the proceeding and when necessary, recalibrate their strategy. For example, a mediator may recognize that a party is at unease by the pace of the process. It may be too fast, or too slow for that party. The mediator may benefit by caucusing and discussing the pace of the process with each party separately, and to provide context of the other party’s norm to avoid misunderstandings between the parties. Include Cultural Competency in Preparation While we often prepare for the legal aspects of a case, it is essential for the mediator to also prepare for the unique cultural elements of a dispute. Become aware of your own and others’ potential biases beforehand and anticipate how these elements may impact the proceeding. A wise mediator recognizes the process of decision-making is different in every culture. It is important for mediators to familiarize themselves with the unique process for each party’s culture and adjust their process accordingly. Be aware of the actors not in the room. Often, there may be informal influencers in each culture who may not be present at the mediation proceeding and yet make or break a deal. As such, the conscious mediator must find out early on who the players are and how each party will make a decision. Use Empathy to Avoid Pitfalls It is quite common when confronting cultural differences for people to oversimplify their counterpart and rely on stereotypes. Instead of focusing on stereotypes, shifting the attention to prototypes, or “cultural averages on dimensions of behavior or values,” can better allow both the parties and the mediator to understand each other’s behavior and adapt their negotiating technique to that prototype. Having empathy can help the mediator avoid generalization, stereotypes, and other similar pitfalls (like, Middle Eastern people may enjoy “haggling” or Thai people are always welcoming). Yet, each party is an individual who may not conform to common stereotypes. Each culture may possess different expectations, practices, and experiences that affect communication, trust-building, negotiations, and dispute resolution. When the mediator is aware of these differences, he or she is better equipped to guide the parties to a resolution. Whether or not the parties settle, adopting these strategies makes an impasse due to cross-cultural unawareness of the mediator unlikely. Originally published in the Daily Report and reprinted with permission.

When we talk about social media presence, we’re referring to the visibility you or your firm has across social platforms, allowing you to connect and engage with your community. While it’s possible for a lawyer to build a thriving practice without a strong social media presence, the truth is that it’s much more challenging. A robust presence helps attract followers, generate leads, and establish your firm as a trusted authority in your industry. How can you create a presence that adds value to your audience and builds your reputation? Let me walk you through some key strategies for attorneys looking to level up their social media game. 1. Take the Time to Engage Social media is one of the only channels where your clients and prospects feel they have real access to you—and you can respond to them. It’s important to engage in intentional ways with your target audience. Seek opportunities for your followers to engage with you at a deeper level, such as creating polls or asking open-ended questions. 2. Understand Community Management It’s possible to build a real community around your firm but to do so, you need to be proactive about reaching out to partners, industry leaders, and clients. You should also be proactive about creating and participating in conversations. Think of social media like a networking event—just being present isn’t enough; get in there and meet some people! A great way to do this is to engage with prospective clients and answer questions on social platforms. 3. Remember: Out of Sight, Out of Mind It’s important to be consistent and post regularly. You don’t want someone to follow you for valuable insights, only to realize you haven’t posted in two weeks. A lot of firms start off strong, posting every day. Then these activities are the first to be cut during busy times. If you’re running out of ideas, try limiting the platforms you are active on, or simply asking followers what they’d like to hear more about. 4. It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint Many growing firms are excited about what social media can do for them and expect results right away. However, social media requires a long game. It’s important to remember your goals and what brings you closer to your audience. That means never paying for followers or engaging in gimmicks that will attract useless traffic. 5. Keep a Firm Voice and Aesthetic Just like you want to be consistent with your posting schedule, you need to be consistent in how you display your brand. You should have one brand identity across all of your marketing channels and communications. Ideally, if someone sees a post from you, they can recognize your brand from other elements like your website. 6. Research Competitors It’s OK to be a little nosy when it comes to people competing for your business. Find them on social media and see what they do well. It’s OK to gain some inspiration for new ideas (without outright copying). Can you tell how your overlapping audience is perceiving them online? 7. Capitalize on Trends Trends are an essential component of social media for attorneys. Every few weeks you probably see some form of trend, challenge, or current event being discussed. When that happens, ask yourself how you can organically participate. It shouldn’t feel forced, but it’s a good idea to jump on a trend if you have something to add to the conversation. 8. Be Vocal About Issues When Appropriate These days, potential clients want to work with people whose values align with their own. That means they want to see what you stand for and hear your opinions on important topics—particularly legal ones. If there is an important issue being discussed in your industry, you should chime in with your opinion. 9. Use High-Quality Images People scroll through so much online content these days, they can spot the difference between bad graphics and good ones. Invest in great images, video content, infographics, and other visuals. It will make you appear polished and professional. 10. Listen to Your Audience—Then Make Adjustments Social monitoring and listening can provide some really powerful insights. You’ll learn more about your industry as a whole, your competitors, and what potential clients think of different firms. Use that information to inform your brand strategy. For example, does it appear as though some people are disappointed that a bigger firm isn’t offering a certain practice area? Make sure you publish what your firm does. 11. Always Optimize for SEO Many people don’t realize that SEO plays a role in social media for attorneys just as it does with websites. However, there’s a lot of value in optimizing your SEO profiles to make it easier for people to find you. One of the simplest tactics is using the right hashtags, but you should also use researched keywords in descriptions and have working links that go to other online channels. 12. Be Transparent About Mistakes It’s easy to find social media blunders online, and if you spend enough time on social, you may make one yourself. In these instances, own it and address it. Think about how you can learn from it and don’t be afraid to share these insights with your followers. 13. Treat Platforms Uniquely All social media platforms are different and what works for one might not work for another. It’s important to note the difference between repurposing content and duplicating it. What works on Facebook may not work on LinkedIn. You don’t want to simply paste the same content into every social media platform. Customize your approach to the different social media tools. 14. Add Value Over Promotion Everyone realizes you’re on social media to gain followers and promote your business. However, you have to provide value to people, or you won’t get those followers in the first place. Remember that social media users don’t go online to see ads for legal services. Balance your promotional posts with those that inform, educate, or simply entertain. Give people something to come back for. 15. Use Automated Tools There are third-party tools available to help you publish, monitor, and track posts. Many also allow you to schedule posts across various platforms, which can be a huge time saver. The analytics you can get from such tools are also invaluable. Try reviewing this list of social media marketing tools to see which one might be worth trying. 16. Focus on Accessibility Too many content creators don’t realize how important accessible social content can be. Things like captions and alt text can make a big difference for your followers. 17. Use Data to Inform Your Strategy Analytics are great for learning how certain things performed, but the work doesn’t stop there. Data should guide your future efforts as well. Learn more about what is interesting to your audience at various stages so that you can create more successful content. Start by reviewing your analytics dashboard and looking for trends. 18. Be Selective About Platforms It’s tempting to think you should jump onto every social media platform and figure it out from there, but that’s not a good use of time. Do some research to figure out where your audience spends time, and prioritize those social media accounts. 19. Consider User-Generated Content (UGC) It can be difficult to come up with new ideas for social media. Why not involve your followers? User-generated content allows you to reach new audiences and lets your followers engage with you more on social networks. UGC also offers a form of social proof, which prospects and new clients will find reassuring. 20. Promote Your Social Media Accounts Give people as many opportunities to find you and follow you on social media as possible. Include links to social accounts in your email footer, for example. Think about how you might share social media information on things like your website, your business cards, or other collateral. Make it easy for people to find you on social. 21. Learn New Features Social media platforms are always evolving and offering new functionality that you may or may not want to take advantage of. You can’t do anything with these features if you don’t know what is being offered. 22. Collaborate With Influencers One effective yet underutilized strategy for attorneys is to collaborate with influencers in the legal or adjacent industries. Influencers can help amplify your voice and expand your reach to new audiences. Consider teaming up with respected legal bloggers, industry thought leaders, or even satisfied clients with strong social followings. Authentic partnerships can position your firm as relatable and credible, while showcasing your expertise to a wider audience. Takeaway Building your social media presence is an ongoing effort, but a worthwhile one. You shouldn’t ever consider this job done, because you can always gain more followers or try new features. Make the time to keep exploring social media for attorneys and creating great content, and you will enhance your online visibility exponentially.

Delegation isn’t just a skill; it’s an art—and let’s face it, one of the hardest to master. As a lawyer and leader, it’s easy to convince yourself that you’re the only one who can do things the “right way.” But the reality is, clinging to every detail isn’t just exhausting—it’s holding you, your team, and your firm back. I know this because I’ve been there. Back in the day, when I started my law firm I leaned into doing more than I ought to have—client work, marketing, networking, admin work, everything. It was a different story when I started my coaching business because I had learned to let go, focus on the things I was good at and that moved the needle for my business, that I truly experienced the power of leveraging my team. Delegation is about creating time and space for what only you can do: lead, strategize, and envision the future. In this post, I’ll break down the four levels of delegation and, more importantly, how you can embrace the pinnacle—Designing—to achieve growth and freedom. Four Common Mindset Barriers to Delegation Let’s start with the mental roadblocks. If you’ve ever hesitated to delegate, chances are one of these is to blame: Fear of Losing Control I see this all the time with my coaching clients—and I’ve struggled with it myself. We worry that if we hand something off, the quality will suffer. But here’s the kicker: trying to control everything creates bottlenecks and limits your firm’s potential. Perfectionism Lawyers often tell me, “No one will do it as well as I do.” That may be true initially, but without delegating, your team will never rise to meet or even surpass your standards. Remember, perfection is the enemy of progress. Fear of Being Less Essential I call this the “busy equals valuable” trap. If your calendar isn’t packed, do you still feel like a leader? Delegation gives you the space to breathe and think strategically, which is where your real value lies. The Time Investment Misperception “It’s faster/easier if I just do it.” Sound familiar? While that might be true in the short term, it’s a myth in the long run. Training someone else to handle repeatable tasks pays dividends over time. The Four Levels of Delegation Let’s walk through the progression of delegation. Understanding where you are—and where you need to go—is the key to transforming how you lead. Level 1: Doing Here, you’re stuck in the weeds, executing tasks yourself. It’s exhausting and unsustainable. When I started Advocatus Coaching, I wasted hours scheduling appointments and managing my inbox. Once I delegated these tasks, my productivity skyrocketed. Level 2: Deciding This is the micromanagement zone—you assign tasks but require constant approvals. It’s a step forward, but not enough to truly free up your time or empower your team. Level 3: Delegating At this level, you delegate both the task and the authority to complete it. Your team begins to take ownership, but there’s still a gap between independence and innovation. Level 4: Designing Now we’re talking. Designing is where you, as a leader, define the vision, align your team’s goals, and trust them to innovate and execute with excellence. What Does Designing Look Like? Imagine you’re a managing partner tasked with expanding your firm’s business litigation practice. Instead of dictating every detail, you outline the high-level goal: become the go-to firm in the region within three years. Then, you empower your team to figure out the best way to achieve that goal. One partner creates a targeted client acquisition strategy. Another revamps internal processes to handle increased caseloads efficiently. By letting go, you’re not just delegating—you’re cultivating leaders within your firm. Mindset Shifts for Designing To lead at this level, you must adopt two critical mindset shifts: From Doer to Visionary: Stop focusing on how tasks get done and start focusing on where you want your firm to go. When I stopped designing every marketing campaign and instead shared my vision for what I wanted my brand to represent, my team produced incredible results—sometimes better than I imagined. From Manager to Leader: You’re no longer there to supervise; you’re there to inspire. Trust your team to take ownership, and watch them grow into the roles you’ve envisioned for them. A Real-World Example of Designing Delegation One of my clients, a managing partner at a mid-sized law firm, was overwhelmed. She was juggling operations, client work, and managing her team—and had no time for strategic thinking. Recognizing the bottleneck, she hired a COO and gave them full ownership of the firm’s operational efficiency. This move freed her to focus on two critical areas: building client relationships and dedicating time to strategic planning. For the first time, she had space to anticipate market trends, align her team’s efforts with long-term goals, and explore growth opportunities. The results were transformative and her ability to step back and think strategically made all the difference. Principles for Success in Designing Delegation Clarity of Vision: Define the “why” and the end goal, then let your team determine the “how.” Example: When delegating client onboarding, outline the ideal experience and allow your team to design the process. Trust and Autonomy: Let go of micromanagement. You hired your team for a reason—let them shine. Example: Entrust your associates to develop new legal strategies for complex cases, stepping in only for final approval. Continuous Feedback: Create a culture of learning. Celebrate successes and use setbacks as opportunities for growth. Example: After a major project, host a debrief to identify lessons learned and refine processes for the future. The Time to Start Is Now Delegation isn’t about giving up control—it’s about building a stronger, more resilient team and creating space for yourself to lead effectively. What’s one task you can delegate at Level 4 today? The sooner you start, the closer you’ll get to transforming your leadership—and your firm’s future.  My clients are the best attorneys in their fields. They’re managing partners and law firm CEOs who are comfortable with being uncomfortable, who think big to keep their firms thriving. They increase revenue, master their time and focus, improve performance, and ultimately enjoy more freedom with less burnout. You can too. Schedule a complimentary 30-minute discovery session with me here, or send me an email.