Lawyers make the worst clients
Just as most doctors will tell you that doctors make the worst patients, I think most lawyers would say the same thing about our species. It’s because we know how things are supposed to work. And it’s...
View ArticleTwo six-month vacations per year
Hey there. I’ve got something to share with you. But it will have to wait. I’ll be back in an hour. . . Okay, I’m back. Where did I go? What did I do? I didn’t go anywhere, and I didn’t do anything. I...
View ArticleAre you excited about practicing law?
Are you excited about practicing law? I was, when I started. But it didn’t take long before the thrill was gone. I liked helping people and I liked the challenge of building something from scratch. But...
View ArticleWhen was the last time you were scared?
I was pretty cocky about starting law school. But I was also scared. It was new, it was different, and it was intimidating. I didn’t know if I was embarking on a great adventure or I had made a big...
View ArticleEveryone is an entrepreneur. Including you.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re employed or self-employed, you are an entrepreneur. Deal with it. You are an entrepreneur because every day, you take risks with your career. You may get fired today....
View ArticleGoals are a bitch
Goals can be a demanding and unforgiving bitch. You do what you’re told, or rather what you said you would do, or there’s hell to pay. Who needs that? Yes, you want what you want, and yes, you’re...
View ArticleAre you getting stale?
You’ve been a lawyer for more than a few years and you’re good at what you do. So good, you could do most of your job in your sleep. You know the forms to use and the words to say. You know the best...
View ArticleWhy I stopped collecting coins
I was a coin collector as a kid. My grandfather got me started. I subscribed to Coin World, and read it every week. I belonged to The Kennedy Coin Club, where I where I met with other collectors to...
View ArticleYour clients think you’re getting rich at their expense
Your clients have no idea how expensive it is to run a law practice. Is it any wonder that some clients shake their heads at $400 an hour? Can you understand why a $10,000 retainer might be...
View ArticleWhat would you do if you knew you could not fail?
One of my favorite quotes is from the late Dr. Robert Schuller, who, in his books and in his sermons often asked, “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” Asking yourself this question...
View ArticleI’d rather be eating pizza and binge-watching Netflix
I was out for a morning walk and saw a car with a license plate frame that read, “I’d rather be riding horses”. I thought about the work I had waiting for me at home and it made me think about what I’d...
View ArticleIs hard work truly the key to success?
All our lives we’ve been told that hard work is the key to success. And so all of our lives we’ve worked hard or felt guilty if we didn’t. But is hard work truly the key to success? What about people...
View ArticleWhat are you willing to do to be successful?
You want to build a successful law practice. You want to make money, help people, and do things that matter. The question is, how bad do you want it? Are you going through the motions in your work,...
View ArticleIt’s not just the money
You’re looking at two possible new clients. Client A doesn’t have a lot of work for you but you like him and the work. You think his business will grow and that this will lead to more work for you down...
View ArticleDo less
You’re smart. Good at your job. Successful. But you want to be more successful so you do what most people do, you look for ways to do more. More clients. More projects. More work. To fit it all in, you...
View ArticleThe three stages of a law career
The way I see it there are three stages to a law career. Some lawyers go through all three stages. Some stay in one stage their entire career. Stage one is where you love the work you’re doing or the...
View ArticleFaking it
Do you remember the day you learned that you had passed the bar exam? Sure you do. We all do. We also remember how we felt when we got the news. Me? I was relieved. Not excited. Okay, maybe a little...
View ArticleWhat if you don’t like what you do but can’t change that?
In response to yesterday’s trip down memory lane, attorney RG asked, “What if you don’t like what you do (law but can’t change that). . .” I love a good challenge and “can’t change that” is about as...
View ArticleWhat do you want, exactly?
In order to figure out what you want in your practice or any area of your life, it helps to first figure out what you don’t want. Try this exercise: Sit down in a quiet place and write, as quickly as...
View ArticleIf you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right
Dale Carnegie said,”People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they’re doing”. Was he right? Can you be successful doing work you hate? Or work that bores you to tears? In the short term, sure....
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