By Lindsay Griffiths on “Authenticity” has become a dirty word. It’s right up there with some of the other most hated buzzwords and phrases – “at the end of the day,” “thinking outside of the box,” “synergy,” “value add,” “circle back,” “bandwidth.” Are you cringing yet? But even though the word “authenticity” might make your skin crawl, it’s actually … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on Rainmaking expert and trainer, Jaimie Field, is bringing us the latest in her legal branding series today, with the 8 laws of personal branding. *** The past three Rainmaking Recommendations have been about building your personal legal brand and its importance. Before discussing the many tactics and the ethical considerations in using those tactics to build your brand, I … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on The idea that you would be so busy, that you’d send your assistant or an associate in your place to a client meeting, wearing a mask of your face and pretending to be you, is ludicrous, right? But we build relationships online via proxy all the time. And not just with potential clients, but with … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on Today, I’m bringing you a post from an ILN marketer, Amanda Schneider. Amanda is with ILN member firm Epstein Becker Green, where she is the Chief Marketing Officer. Amanda provides tips on how firms can leverage the multigenerational attorney workforce through involvement in business development initiatives. *** It is critical for firms to understand that … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on We’re ending the week on a high note, with a guest post from Lance Godard, of The Godard Group. For over 30 years, Lance has worked with lawyers and law firms to help them craft their messages, so if you’re looking for someone to help you with your content, look no further than The Godard … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on When I did a search back on Zen to see what else we’ve discussed about networking, the results revealed that it’s…a lot. We’ve covered everything from networking for introverts, to conference networking, to social networking, to networking for people who hate networking, and more. So why do we keep talking about it, over and over … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on Today, you’re in for a treat, as I’m bringing you a post from ILN marketer, Jennifer Smuts. Jenn is with the ILN’s member firm in Delaware, Connolly Gallagher, where she is their Director of Marketing & Business Development, and today, she’s talking about how the time is always right for client and new business development. … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on Today, I’m bringing you a guest post from Rainmaking expert and coach, Jaimie Field, who has some sage words of wisdom for us as we get back into the swing of things in this new year: *** For many people with whom I have spoken, this was a difficult year. I know it was for … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on As we approach the end of the year, and you begin to think about what you’ll be doing next year to drive new business for your practice and your law firm, Jaimie Field of Marketing Field asks a tough question and issues a challenge. *** Rainmaking is as much a mind-set as it is a … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on Like with any relationship, the relationship you have with your law firm network will give back what you put into it. (This is true for any informal referral networks too, by the way) While we wholeheartedly advocate that you join a network with the goal of being able to better serve your clients by offering … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on This morning, I’m bringing you another guest post – this one from longtime contributor to Zen, Jaimie Field. She’s taken a little hiatus from writing, and is jumping back into blogging and her work to fill you in and offer you some tips on an important topic in our industry, how to avoid burnout. *** … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on Most of us are familiar with a typical referral – a lawyer that you’ve built up a relationship with who has need of your practice expertise or a client with work in your jurisdiction will call you up and ask for your assistance. At times, they will pass your name directly to their client to … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on We’ve talked extensively on Zen about how to make the most out of conference attendance and networking. But with the ILN’s European Regional Conference coming up next week, it’s at the forefront of my mind! Before we jump in, I’d like to point out that I think the word “networking” can get a bit of … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on Recently, I was asked to appear as a guest on a new podcast with Louise Kulbicki, which focuses on teaching non-native English-speaking lawyers “Legal English.” Paid members can also get access to further learning materials, including quizzes and transcripts. Our conversation centered on the importance of social media, and LinkedIn in particular, for making and … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on Raise your hand if you’ve received an overly friendly email from a stranger, asking you for a favor. Everyone? I thought so. Why do these bug us so much? Aside from the fact that we’re busy enough trying to do our own work, balanced with some personal time, and fitting in helping out people we … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on How can we network better? Many posts offer the same tips, spun in a different way – and that’s important, because I can always get something out of implementing the tried and true. But when I find something unique, I’m always happy to share it. Recently, I came across this piece from Branding Magazine, with “5 Tips … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on Who wants to think about work while they’re on vacation? I know, the idea is to get AWAY from work. And I fully endorse that. But there are two things I know to be true: You never know who you’ll meet, and where – you may meet a potential client or referral source while you’re … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on In this week’s Rainmaking Recommendation from expert and trainer, Jaimie Field, she talks about something near and dear to my heart – writing for your audience. We talk a lot about the WHO of your content here on Zen, and it’s an INCREDIBLY important piece of being successful in your writing – whether it’s blogging, … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on Recently, I had the opportunity to write a piece for JD Supra’s Perspectives, on 5 Ways a Law Firm Network Can Make Your Firm More Successful. Sure, I’m a little bit biased, but here’s how I feel: Over the last decade, we’ve seen a titanic shift in the legal industry, and one thing I know … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on We’re bringing you another great rainmaking recommendation today from expert and coach, Jaimie Field! Also, you’ll want to take advantage of her special offer for her “Blueprint for Rainmaking Success Bootcamp,” a six-week teleseminar series that begins this coming Monday – head here for more information. *** Recently, I have been receiving a rash of … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on Avid readers of Zen will know that one of my favorite topics is networking. So I was immediately drawn to read J. Kelly Hoey‘s new book, Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Relationships in a Hyper-Connected World, when Mark Beese recommended it in his latest newsletter. I’ve been following Kelly since the early days of … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on We’re bringing you another rainmaking recommendation from trainer and coach, Jaimie Field, today, and this one should get you up and motivated to, as the title suggests, DO SOMETHING! In her post, you’ll see that Jaimie mentions a gift for subscribers, which is referenced also at the end of the post. To become a subscriber, … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on I am a couple of days late with this, due to travel, but nonetheless, happy 8th blogiversary to Zen & the Art of Legal Networking! It’s a bit hard to believe that 8 years ago I wrote my first post (Is the Billable Hour on its Way Out? – spoiler alert, it’s still dragging on), … Continue Reading
By Lindsay Griffiths on The ILN is extremely fortunate to have not only a lot of talented lawyers, but a number of other talented professionals as well. Included in that group are the hardworking marketing professionals at our member firms across the world. This year, I wanted to highlight some of their expertise in a series of guest posts … Continue Reading
