This article was provided by Gary Mitchell, a lawyer coach since 2005, taking a unique approach with his clients by focusing on the psychological aspect of the way they work. Having coached lawyers from coast to coast spanning numerous practice areas and at all stages in their careers, Gary continues to expand and hone his knowledge of the legal industry with every new client engagement.
Coaching isn’t a miracle pill, but it will help you speed up the time in reaching your goals by shortening your learning curve.
To illustrate what might be possible for you and your law practice or firm, in this 2nd part of this series, I will share a few more client success stories that have come about over the past 18 years, just a few examples of what is possible with business coaching.
6. A small firm owner hires me to coach 1st-year associate and law clerk
After reading my first book on vacation, this small law firm owner calls me up and hires me to coach his 1st-year associate and law clerk in business development.
Within a year both the 1st year associate and his law clerk were bringing in substantial new work to the firm. And, on top of that, his law clerk increased her billables by over 20% that same year because of her improvement in time management and docketing.
A great example of how it pays to invest in your people
7. Co-founding partners leave their jobs on a Friday and open their law firm on the following Monday
This partnership of two young lawyers had seen enough of the old boys’ club and decided it was time to start up their own law firm. With little more than a year of experience each, they did just that. At the time we worked together, they had just completed their first year in business. Their goal was to create a model that would allow them both to have families and a successful law firm/career.
Fast forward a few years, through 3 maternity leaves, COVID-19, and a major health scare, they continue to grow, now operating in 3 locations. Even more impressive, is they are both home by 5 every night of the week, and don’t work weekends. It is possible to have it all. You just can’t do it all by yourself.
8. A senior partner at a large firm comes back from a medical leave
My mandate with this partner was to help him get back up to speed and get his practice back to where he had left off before taking leave. His confidence was low. His self-esteem was shot. We were focused in the immediate to get him back to the start line, nothing more.
Over the course of a year, he learned new habits and new ways of practicing and building his team.
Shortly thereafter he had built an impressive team, was bringing in new business regularly, mentoring his juniors, and perhaps most importantly, was focused on the parts of practicing law he loved most. He had never experienced such fulfillment in his career. Plan. Do the work. Don’t give it. You can get there!
9. Millennial goes from Good to Great!
I was initially brought on to work with this 34-year-old founding partner to help him create a path to partnership for his 5 young lawyers. Over the course of the next couple of years, I worked with him, his lawyers, para’s, and office manager.
Fast forward two years and he had grown to 12 lawyers and additional staff and hasn’t looked back. Two years in a row he was named the fastest growing law firm in his region. What started out looking out for his people turned into a raging success!
10. Established partner leaves cushy position for the unknown
6 weeks before the Covid-19 lockdown, this senior equity partner left her comfortable position at a boutique law firm where she did not need to engage in business development, for a non-equity partner position where she was going to be responsible not only for growing her practice but also the office practice group of this national firm. That in and of itself is remarkable to take such a leap of faith without being forced to.
I got an email from her on Monday in the week of March 2020 that we went into lockdown. The next day we had a consultation. By the end of that week, the world was in full lockdown. So, how does this lawyer begin to transition into her new firm when there is no face time? She is faced with working from home, something else she had never done before, has to drum up business in lockdown, and she is a single mom taking care of her two daughters.
She did it! She managed to transition successfully into her new role, building her book of business, mentoring juniors building her team, and contributing substantially to the national practice group. Truly remarkable!
In all of these examples, the lawyer spoken of would have reached their goals on their own. They are all driven and committed to their success. However, working with a coach sped up the process and shortened their learning curves.
Asking for and getting help is NOT a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It demonstrates that you will go to any length to learn, grow, and reach the next level of your career.
What is possible for you, your practice, or your firm?
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