Lindsay Griffiths is the International Lawyers Network’s Executive Director. In this capacity, Ms. Griffiths is responsible for the oversight and management of day-to-day operations of the International Lawyers Network (ILN). She develops strategies and implementation plans to achieve the ILN’s goals, and handles recruitment, member retention, and a high level of service to members. She is engaged in the legal industry to stay on top of trends, both in law firms and law firm networks.
In her role as Executive Director, she develops and facilitates relationships among ILN member firm lawyers at 90+ law firms in 67 countries, and seeks opportunities for member firms to build business and relationships, while ensuring member participation in Network events and initiatives. These initiatives include facilitating referrals, the management and execution of the marketing and business development strategy for the Network, which encompasses all communications, push-down efforts, and marketing partnerships, providing support and guidance to the chairs and group leaders for the ILN’s thirteen practice and industry specialty groups, the ILN’s women’s initiative, the ILN’s mentorship program, the management and execution of all ILN conferences, and more.
During her previous tenure as Director of Global Relationship Management, the ILN has been shortlisted as a Global Law Firm Network of the Year by The Lawyer for 2016 and 2017, and included as a Chambers & Partners Leading Law Firm Network since 2011. She was awarded “Thought Leader of the Year” by the Legal Marketing Association’s New York chapter in 2014 for her substantive contributions to the industry, and was recently included in Clio’s list for “34 People in Legal You Should Follow on Twitter.” She was also chosen for the American Bar Association Journal’s inaugural Web 100‘s Best Law Blogs, where judge Ivy Grey said “This blog is outstanding, thoughtful and useful.” Ms. Griffiths was recently chosen for as a Top Author by JD Supra in their 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards, for the level of engagement and visibility she attained with readers on the topic of marketing & business development. She has been the author of Zen & the Art of Legal Networking since February of 2009.
Sick of hearing about the coronavirus? Take a break and read a social media rant from rainmaking coach and trainer Jaimie Field!
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I actually posted a version of this blog almost 6 years ago. And, I feel the need to repost (and revise it to reflect 6 more years of being on social media), particularly after what has happened on my various social media channels in the past two weeks.
Have we met?
Have we connected in any way on LinkedIn?
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Coronavirus.
The hot topic on everyone’s mind at the moment (unless you’re in the US and then it’s pretty evenly split between politics and germs). I almost hate to join the fray and discuss it, but with so many events being cancelled, and travel restrictions being enacted, I wanted to add some suggestions for how to continue networking during this time, so that you don’t lose momentum on your relationship building efforts.
For some of us, travel and events still move forward. Travel guidance varies – it depends on your destination and the size of the gathering. Common sense and good hygiene are essential, and for our group, we’ll be instituting what we’re fondly referring to as “Operation Fist Bump” at our upcoming Annual Conference (which may be further downgraded to “Operation Wave Hello.”
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In this week’s rainmaking recommendation from expert and trainer, Jaimie Field, she talks about “failure to implement” syndrome – read on to find out what that means, and how to solve it. I’ll add my two cents as well – when you’re struggling because you have all the information you need to make changes, but you’re just.not.making.them, what you need to do is find your “why.” That is the thing that’s going to get you moving when you don’t feel like making change. It has to be a big enough why that even when you’re tired or frustrated or burned out, you’ll still take action, so it may take some soul searching. But it will be worth it. Read on to see what Jaimie suggests!
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Just getting it in under the wire – I wanted to take the opportunity to mark the occasion of Zen & the Art of Legal Networking’s 11th Anniversary. Eleven is a lot of years to be writing – I started this blog when I was only four years into my career with the ILN, when I was still finding my way in the legal industry, and it helped me to gain confidence, meet talented, smart people, and engage in thoughtful conversations around interesting topics that were and continue to shape our field. In that time, I’ve published 1,265 posts, a number of them guest posts from amazing contributors. We’ve looked at topics ranging from leadership, the future of the legal, networking, business development, relationship development and more to content marketing, social media (from its first baby steps to where it is now), and legal marketing. I look forward to seeing what the future brings, and hope to continue to bring you interesting content and topics for many years to come!
Over the years, on our anniversary, I’ve shared lessons I’ve learned, tips for blogging or networking, my favorite posts from the past, or the past year. An eleventh anniversary gift is typically supposed to be steel, which represents strength – it’s a good characteristic to have for this year, the year in which I take on the role of Executive Director of my network, navigate new waters, while continuing to stretch and grow, face the coronavirus while making global travel plans and hosting events, embracing new challenges and opportunities. Strength isn’t only internal though – it’s also about the network of support that you have around you, who act as a sounding board, build you up, pick you up, dust you off and throw you back out there when you need it the most. I’m very fortunate to have built one of the strongest support networks I know.
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In this week’s Rainmaking Recommendation post, trainer and expert Jaimie Field talks about breaking the cycle of stopping and starting your business development. Does that sound like you? Read on…
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With all due respect to Susan Powter (who you ask?? keep reading), I’m asking you to “stop the insanity!”
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We may have had a mild winter (most of us) so far, but let’s be honest, 2020 has been a bit of a slog so far, am I right?
I haven’t talked to anyone who isn’t feeling like we don’t already need a do-over for this year. So much for a fresh decade! (Yes, I know, technically, the new decade starts in 2021, so we’ll revisit this again next year).
But there’s no time like the present to feel like we’re starting over. Who’s to say that today ISN’T the day we start again?
How can we do that? By creating some “WOW” in our relationship development, using these two tips.
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The ILN is proud to announce our latest firm of the month, UdinkSchepel Advocaten, the Netherlands!
This week’s rainmaking recommendation from trainer and coach, Jaimie Field, dovetails nicely with my second tip from this week’s post on “Fixing the Two Biggest Networking Blunders that Lawyers Make.”
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For almost 20 years as a Rainmaking Trainer and Coach, I have been saying the same thing: It’s not about you. It’s about them. “Them” being the prospective, current and former clients.
It’s always been about them, but every year there is a proclamation about the fact that lawyers and law firms must become “client-centric,” and “put the clients first.” You have been told that it is a buyers’ market (and it is).
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None of us are perfect networkers/relationship builders.
Yes, it seems to come more easily to some than to others, but it’s not an exact science. For the most part, it’s an ever-adapting process that we’re constantly refining based on our current goals and our target’s needs.
But there are a couple of areas that we tend to go astray with building relationships, and that’s where we’re going to focus today.
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Continuing with the theme of International Networking Week is a post from rainmaking trainer and expert, Jaimie Field, who’s bringing you ten best networking practices for networking events.
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Apparently, according to my friend and colleague, Lindsay Griffiths, the Executive Director of the International Lawyers Network, it’s International Networking Week. I had no idea that there even was such a thing until last year. It is to celebrate how networking helps business professionals grow their businesses.
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