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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.” …
Continue Reading Collaboration in 2020: What Does that Look Like?

Michael Roch is a Zurich-based software entrepreneur and advisor to Managing Partners and CEOs, who has been consulting for over 20 years to law and professional services firms in the US, UK, Europe, Africa and Asia. He is the founder and managing partner of a global consulting boutique for the last ten years, and is…

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? …
Continue Reading The Stockdale Paradox and its Pandemic Relevance

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…

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. …
Continue Reading Leadership Excellence in the Time of COVID – the Disney Philosophy we Need

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

Marie Macdonald is Chairman of Miller Samuel Hill Brown, in Glasgow, Scotland, a member of the International Lawyers Network. In this episode, we talk about the importance of communication throughout a crisis (be it pandemic or otherwise), how lessons learned in 2008/2009 prepared her to face the challenges of 2020, and the long-lasting impacts of this year. Tune in below! …
Continue Reading Law Firm ILN-telligence Podcast | Episode 12: Marie Macdonald | Miller Samuel Hill Brown

It’s true – running an organization that is built on in-person personal relationships has it’s challenges. But what doesn’t have its challenges in 2020, right?

A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post about how lawyers and law firms can leverage their referral networks to achieve more value, whether these networks are formal or informal (I happen to run a formal one). There’s no reason that this has to stop because in-person events have been put on pause; in fact, many of our members have said they’ve never felt their membership has been more valuable than it has been this year. In part, that’s due to the historical relationships that they’ve built over many years. But we’re welcoming new firms too. And it’s possible to forge new relationships and create new business – it simply takes a little creativity. …
Continue Reading Leveraging Your Referral Network for More Value…During a Pandemic

These are the words from David Ackert of The Ackert Advisory during a webinar that he gave for our ILN membership yesterday, and oh boy do those hit home.

I can say that as an organization, we’re not just “hunkering down” when it comes to our strategy for 2020, but is that something that sounds familiar to you for your firm or practice? When COVID hit, was there an immediate flurry of “batten down the hatches!” and everyone just hold on for dear life? …
Continue Reading “Hunker down” is not a growth strategy; it’s a survival strategy