Practice by taking an associate to lunch and telling them about your practice, and then do the same with a colleague. After a while, you will get better at selling yourself, and before you know it, you could become a rainmaker. Recognize Imposter Syndrome
Full Answer
Rank | Department | Average Salary |
---|---|---|
1 | Engineering | $85,055 |
2 | Plant/Manufacturing | $45,158 |
3 | Facilities | $43,496 |
4 | Administrative | $37,644 |
achiever | celebrity |
---|---|
winner | baller |
For over fifteen years, Rainmaking For Lawyers has advised individual attorneys and law firm leaders on how to reach their business and financial goals in the context of what they want out of their lives. As former lawyers, management, business development, and IT professionals, we understand how the legal industry has changed, and we use that knowledge to help our clients navigate business development, marketing, and human resources decisions toward gaining more control over their practices.
At the end of 2021, managing partners will sum up their law firms’ revenues to determine areas of focus for the next fiscal year, but there’s something individual lawyers can ]
One thing that many lawyers forget to do is to simply ask their contacts for their business. If you don’t, they may assume you’re too busy to take on new work. Alternatively, they may think you’re not interested. The best form of communication is clear communication. Without being too pushy, simply let your contact know that should they ever find themselves in need of an attorney, you would be happy to speak with them about representation.
And most importantly (from a business development standpoint), you will meet other volunteers who may someday be in the position in their private or professional lives to need an attorney. You better believe those people will call you first.
Obviously, this strategy isn’t for everyone. Contrary to popular belief, not all lawyers like to talk in front of a crowd. If you are a skilled speaker, however, speaking engagements are a great avenue for developing business. Moreover, the opportunities are endless. You can speak at professional association meetings (meetings of the local contractor’s board, for example), fund-raising events, or any situation that calls for a keynote speaker.
I quickly learned that developing business wasn’t a requirement that my firm invented. All law firms need to bring in new clients and new matters in order to make money. I had just naively presumed that I would be able to avoid the task by making myself an indispensable worker bee for the actual rainmakers. Again, not true. Indeed, even non-lawyer professionals like paralegals and admin staff have a much easier life within the firm when they bring in new clients.
Attracting high-quality A-players are really rainmakers in waiting. They supply the core competencies like integrity, passion, grit, ambition, etc. Having these qualities means they just need proper training to hone in on these skills and truly become a rainmaker. However, firms rarely train employees to become rainmakers.
Law firm partnerships, on its own, is a complex and difficult issue to manage. If law firm partnerships go awry, law firms typically die. Harvard Law School points this out in their piece “Why Law Firms Collapse.”
Feed mavens with information; identify the practice areas, legal topics, or issues that interest them. Pay for education, training, and support. Then, once they’ve achieved the appropriate level of competence, give them a forum to share their knowledge on your blog, guest posts, or partner sites.
According to a recent survey by Altman Weil, 30 to 40 percent of attorneys are near retirement or ready to retire. What’s alarming about this is the fact that attorneys at or over the age of 60 control 25 percent (or more) of a firm’s total revenue.
Spend most of your time attracting high-quality, A-player employees — the top 10 percent in your industry. Using a proven hiring methodology like Topgrading, you can attract the top 10 percent of talent in your area/industry at a lower cost.
If you’re like most firms, you need rainmakers.
You have access to eager employees who are ready to grow your firm and grow your firm. You just have to ask. Every attorney in your law firm can become a rainmaker.