In today’s rapidly evolving legal landscape, relationship marketing remains a cornerstone for business development. However, the strategies that worked in the past need to be updated to resonate with the expectations of modern clients and colleagues. Here are two key tactics to modernize your relationship marketing approach:Continue Reading Relationship Marketing for Lawyers: Strategies for Meaningful Connections

Networking remains one of the most powerful tools for building professional relationships, but it’s often misunderstood. Many lawyers feel the need to lead with their expertise, thinking that showcasing their knowledge will automatically attract clients. However, the most successful networkers know that effective networking is more about listening than speaking.Continue Reading Mastering Modern Networking: Listening and Connection Strategies for Business Lawyers

The landscape of networking has shifted dramatically due to recent global events, but business lawyers have unique opportunities to leverage these changes to their advantage. Here are five updated strategies to help you navigate networking in the current environment:Continue Reading Five Networking Tips for Business Lawyers in Today’s Evolving Landscape

On average, a person engages in 145-200 interactions daily, both in-person and online. However, only 10-20% of these interactions are truly memorable. Among all these interactions, approximately 5-10% are negative, while 7-20% are positive. This means that despite the sheer volume of daily exchanges, only a small fraction will leave a lasting impact.

When you look at all of that data, and what each individual rates as important in their own lives, consider for a moment where their attention on YOU as a lawyer or your firm as a brand may rank.Continue Reading Kindness in a Digital World: Building Positive Brands and Relationships

In an era where LinkedIn reigns as a premier platform for professional networking, the notion of instant results and effortless connections can be misleading. Dispelling the myth of a magic formula, this post dives into the core of effective LinkedIn engagement for modern professionals. Brace yourself for a reality check – there’s no shortcut, just strategic diligence, and genuine effort.Continue Reading LinkedIn Strategy Unveiled: Elevate Your Professional Networking Game

In a digital age teeming with advice on LinkedIn utilization, it’s crucial to cut through the noise and focus on strategies that resonate with the demands of today’s professional landscape. Let’s rewind a bit and revisit the early days of LinkedIn, about 15 years ago. Back then, the platform was a fledgling concept, and its potential was not universally recognized, especially among legal circles. Fast forward to the present, and LinkedIn has evolved into one of the most esteemed social media platforms, not just for networking, but also for strategic business development.Continue Reading Mastering Modern LinkedIn: Strategies for Professional Success

When I wrote my first blog post on February 26, 2009, I could hardly have imagined where we’d be 14 years later. It would be fun to try to predict, and maybe I’d have gotten some of it right, but I try not to guess at the future.

One of the things I suspect we’d all have gotten right in some form is ChatGPT. I have been loathe to try it for many reasons – I’m not a technophobe, as you can all imagine, nor am I someone who advocates for lawyers to run and try the next big thing. Though, for those of you who have clients who may be using it or dipping their toe in the water, you know I will suggest you get to know it intimately for the usual legal reasons.Continue Reading Happy 14th Anniversary to Zen & The Art of Legal Networking!

Bad news everyone.

There’s no magic bullet when it comes to LinkedIn. Or, for that matter, any business development or marketing tool.

There’s only strategy and hard work.

Anyone who tells you differently is selling something.

Are there instances where you’ll connect with someone and they’ll immediately buy your services or you’ll write a post and it will go viral? Absolutely! That’s down to luck (and sometimes, strategy and hard work behind the scenes). But it’s not because there’s some trick to it all. You’re not going to suddenly “figure it all out” and have one tool be doing all the work for you and bringing you lots and lots of clients. It doesn’t work like that.
Continue Reading LinkedIn for Lawyers: There’s no Magic Bullet

There is a lot of advice out there on how to use LinkedIn and why you should use LinkedIn and what’s useful about LinkedIn – have I used “LinkedIn” enough in this sentence yet?

I’ll begin at the beginning with a little story and without naming any names. About 15 years ago, when I was a wee baby and before LinkedIn was at all popular with lawyers, I gave a presentation to about 200 of my clients, extolling the benefits of the platform and why it was going to be the “next big thing.” At that time, it was nowhere near as useful as it is today because it lacked engagement, but I could really see the benefits. One of our very senior attorneys tapped me on the shoulder in the middle of my speech and in a stage whisper, told me that no one cared about what I was saying, and I needed to cut the rest of the LinkedIn stuff out because I was running too long. It was by far one of the most mortifying moments of my career.
Continue Reading LinkedIn: Three Actually Helpful Tips