Two years ago, we were talking about the skills that young lawyers are seeking to hone as they in order to become successful, experienced lawyers, and it’s starting to become hard to believe that one of those was in-person presentation skills. While I absolutely believe that we’re going to get back to being face-to-face at some point in the future, in the meantime, it’s necessary for all of us to consider how we can improve our virtual presentation skills. We may think that if we’re skilled presenters already, that we’re ready for our zoom debuts, but it can be a different skillset – so let’s look at four ways to translate your in-person skills to an online world, and some bonus tips for presenting in a virtual environment.
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Law Firm ILN-telligence Podcast| Episode 18: Sven Burchartz | Kalus Kenny Intelex
Sven Burchartz is a partner with Kalus Kenny Intelex, a progressive, commercially oriented firm, specializing in property, corporate and commercial, and dispute resolution in Australia and a member of the International Lawyers Network. In this episode, we discuss the steps his firm has taken to ensure the mental health of its members, the importance
Collaboration in 2020: What Does that Look Like?
One of my favorite topics to discuss is the idea of collaboration. It’s been much more popular over the last few years, but as we get deeper into the pandemic, the isolation is driving up the risk of returning those of us in the legal industry to silos (if some of us ever really left). I know that there’s been a lot of upheaval this year, and reverting to the way things “were” may sound attractive, in the same way that the phrase “but this is the way we’ve always done it!” can be. But I promise you that more than ever, insisting on moving forward with collaboration in the legal industry, both across silos and across functions within the profession, is essential for us to be successful.
Before we get into the “how” of collaboration in 2020, if you’d like to understand “why” you should bother to collaborate, head over to “The Case for Collaboration in Law Firm Networks: the Value Proposition for Your Clients.”
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Law Firm ILN-telligence Podcast| Episode 16: Marga Wolpert-Witzel | Wolpert Rechtsanwaelte
Marga Wolpert-Witzel is the founding partner of Wolpert Rechtsanwälte, a firm specializing in intellectual property, competition and antitrust law in central Germany, and a member of the International Lawyers Network. In this episode, we discuss the benefits of a hybrid remote-working system on lawyers’ mental health and work-life balance, the ways in which Zoom
The Stockdale Paradox and its Pandemic Relevance
If you’ve been hanging around Zen for a while, you may have heard me mention one of my favorite business concepts, the Stockdale Paradox. It’s something that I’ve been thinking a lot about over the last several weeks (I’ll define it in a moment if you’re not familiar with it), because I’ve heard a lot of people saying things along the lines of “if we can just get through the next few months to 2021,” or “I can’t wait for this year to be over!” as if the pandemic or the economic crisis or in the case of the US, our elections, will solve all of the current issues that we’re facing.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could flip a switch and everything would suddenly be resolved?
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Law Firm ILN-telligence Podcast| Episode 15: Olga Torres | Torres Law, International Trade & National Security
Olga Torres is the founding partner of Torres Law, International Trade & National Security, a boutique law firm with offices in Dallas, Texas and an appointment-only office in Washington, DC, and a member of the International Lawyers Network. In this episode, we delve into pivoting an in-person marketing and business development plan to a
Networking Happens Everywhere – the Quarantine Edition
Unless you’re new here (and if you are, welcome!), you’ll know that I often say that networking happens everywhere. So what happens when your “everywhere” gets slimmed down during a pandemic, and even when you ARE out and about, your (hopefully) smiling, open and friendly face is hidden behind a mask?
We adapt!
I know how much lawyers love change, and how much change you’ve already embraced in 2020, but this is the year to throw out old systems, test new ideas and see what works and what you feel comfortable with. The GOOD news is that we’re not changing what has always been true about how you get new work – by doing good work in the first place, and then through word of mouth. For lawyers, we’re in a people business, and that’s not going to change no matter how much technology we add into the mix. What IS going to change is the how.
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Law Firm ILN-telligence Podcast| Episode 14: Sebastian Lopez-Sanson | SyLS
Sebastian López-Sansón is the founding partner of Salaberren & López-Sansón Abogados (SyLS) in Buenos Aires, Argentina and a member of the International Lawyers Network. In this episode, we discuss the challenges of cultural differences when having to migrate all of your networking and business development online, while working will never be fully remote, and how
Leadership Excellence in the Time of COVID – the Disney Philosophy we Need
It should come as no surprise that my most sought after post for this year is one about leadership excellence – in a time when many of us are trying to find our way in uncharted waters, seeking advice from someone with a tried and true philosophy can feel comforting and stabilizing.
While it’s no secret that Disney has had their ups and downs this year too (how could they not, being in the tourism industry during such a unique period?), their translatable philosophy still holds a lot of wisdom for the rest of us. I wanted to share some of the highlights with you again, in the context of the current environment. This advice comes from a presentation that Jeff Williford from the Disney Institute gave several years ago, but still holds true today.
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Law Firm ILN-telligence Podcast | Episode 13: Uday Ahlawat | Ahlawat & Associates
Uday Ahlawat is co-managing partner of Ahlawat & Associates in New Delhi, India and a member of the International Lawyers Network. In this episode, we discuss emphasizing wellness for the whole lawyer to make us all better professionals, the idea of remote working versus working from home during a pandemic, and how a firm’s ability to generalize may help them survive a pandemic and market downturn. Tune in here!
Continue Reading Law Firm ILN-telligence Podcast | Episode 13: Uday Ahlawat | Ahlawat & Associates