In order to transform something you must be innovative. Being innovative means doing something first, ahead of your compitition. Lawyers and Law Firms are not known for being first for much. Two books you must read now are "Blue Ocean Strategy", by W.Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, and "Our Iceberg is Melting", by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber.

In the first book, "Blue Ocean Strategy", it paints a vivid picture of what is possible when you go out and get ahead of your competititon. The second, "Our Iceberg is Meltin" is a very clever story about how to get people to move with you into uncharted territory. The are both quick and valuable reads-enjoy!

As a junior associate you have a lot of pressure on you to say the least. Where possible now is the time to take more control over your career. That means becoming proactive. Ask for help when needed; ask for feedback on files; and begin to generate your own book of business. The more you do now the farther ahead you will be when you are on the partner track. Recently I have met with a few lawyers who are taking more control over their careers by paying for coaching out of their own pockets. That is being very proactive. These lawyers will have more leverage within their firms and be in a position of control. It’s up to you. It’s your career.

Recently I have been in talks with two National Canadian firms. One is investing in their people this year the other is not. Can you guess what the next few years are going to look like for the firm that is investing? Here are some hints: better retention, higher revenues, increased client loyalty, and on it goes. So ask yourself is 2010 going to be the year you go for it or are you going to let the other guys get there first?

With most law firms frozen in their tracks and budgets cut or illiminated, it would be so easy for those who have even just a bit of courage to stand out in the marketplace.

 Want to know how? Email me for our White Paper on Law Firm Innovation. gary@gemcommunications.ca

Most firms have cut back or haulted investing in professional development due to this economy. The bad news is that while you think you are better positioning yourself for re-bound, you are not. The reality is this. Most of your associates and some of your partners are bored to death right now. That boredom leads to unhappiness. If you don’t do something to curtail this bordem, when the economy does rebound, you won’t have any talent left to serve your clients.

There couldn’t be a better time to get out from the number crunching game and get into the people development game. Why? For one most if not all of your competition is going to sit on their hands and do nothing. So this presents an amazing opportunity to differeniate yourself from your competition. Two, your lawyers have idle time on their hands. Why not make use of that time for client relationship training, business development training, and leadership training? One of the key motivators for lawyers entering the profession of law is the intellectual challenge that if provides. With less stimulating work right now and more time on their hands they are left to brew. And if you are opperating a small or regional firm, the opportunities are even greater and more and more general counsel look for greater value and are open to looking to smaller firms for larger files.

This is just plain common sense. Oh, that’s right; common sense is not so ‘common’.

In times of economic uncertainty, one of the first places law firms look to cut is from the marketing budget.
If you’re a marketing partner or marketing professional, now is the time to present a 2009 marketing plan that proves your worth (and saves your job!).

Show them that this crisis actually equals opportunity, by designing cost-effective, high-return strategies that will allow your firm to weather this economic storm and come out on top. For example:

1. Renegotiate client deals

There couldn’t be a better time for innovation in the way you charge for legal services. Not only are some or most of your clients hurting right now, but corporate counsel has long been calling for better value. Help your lawyers to understand why this is important and then suggest ways to offer better service and value to their clients.

The return: Nothing will instil greater loyalty than this one simple step. It will strengthen how clients view your firm and your services, and will virtually make your firm invaluable to them.

2. Improve your firm’s relationship-building tactics

Help each of your lawyers develop a business plan focused on where, how, when and with whom to build relationships. Help them build stronger relationships internally, with their target market, and with new potential markets. Your lawyers are more likely to try new approaches now that the old ones may not be proving as fruitful.

The return: New clients in new markets, and the cultivation of strong referral networks that will keep the pipeline flowing your way.

This marketing crisis equals your opportunity to reinvent your role as a marketer and offer tangible benefits to your firm. When this happens, your firm will not only ride out this economic downturn — you will emerge from the other side much stronger for it.

In Part 2 of this post, we’ll explore two more strategies for marketing through the crisis and seizing the opportunities within.

If you don’t know where you want to go, you’re not likely to reach your intended destination.

No matter what stage of your career you’re at, you need a plan to remain targeted, strategic and focused in your day-to-day actions.

If you’re a junior associate, examine what you want to achieve in your career. For example, which practice area best suits you and will keep you focused and happy? What types of work and people do you enjoy the most?

As a senior lawyer, you should also regularly consider whether you need, or want, a change of direction. Are you meeting your career targets? Do you have a plan in place for building your team and your practice?

There is no right or wrong way to prepare a law business plan, but here are some key elements you may want to include:

•    Your end goal: What does success look like to you?
•    Your place in the market: What are your competitors up to? What is your audience looking for?
•    Your current state: What are your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats?
•    Your assets: What are the resources you have on hand?
•    Your action plan: What do you need to do to get what you want?

Keep your plan accessible as a word processing document; review and update it at least once per quarter.

Also, make sure someone else has a copy of it so that you can be accountable to them. This might be a mentor, marketing professional or a coach.

Every great success story started out as something that someone imagined. So imagine your dream law career, and then plan how you are going to achieve it.