The evidence lawyers leave behind

Lawyers, you may not see it now, but there is evidence you're leaving behind. And it's crucial that you learn of it. It's the evidence of how well you are performing in the courtroom.

Not long ago, Ronda Muir wrote The Unique Psychological World of Lawyers, which demonstrates the "strikingly different" profile of lawyers as compared to that of the typical US public.  Based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Muir concludes that in 3 of 4 areas, lawyers are made up differently from non-lawyers. (see the article for details) They are thinkers, introverts and intuitors as opposed to feelers, extroverts and sensors - the later of which the general public can relate to. But most of us are judgers vs.  perceivers.

Merri's Tips - Part 7

43. Create SMART goals. You're a business owner, I presume, so identify goals that will help you build business. If they are SMART, they are specific, measureable, actionable, realistic and timely. Only then can you assess your progress and stay accountable to what you say you're going to do.

44. Constantly reach out to folks you already know in your industry and your network. Staying top of mind is tough unless you have good experiences with people. Make coffee dates, go for a walk around the building, do what it takes to stay in front of 8-10 or more folks each week.

Quick Tip for Lawyers who want to Build Business

Time is money. In the lawyer world, this doesn't only ring true for committing to the billable hour focus. This is true for working ON business as well as IN it.

If you were to look at your daily task list, somewhere near the bottom you would no doubt find things like - call Mike about having lunch to discuss some referral options, RSVP for the chamber after hours event, return a call/email to ABC prospect.

Why are these tasks at the bottom of the list?

Lawyer Communication: from Writing to Speaking

There's no doubt about it. Lawyers are great writers. Whether this is based on natural gifts or skills they've developed over the years, it serves them well to craft the content, the flow and the wordsmithing of their written messages.

Shift to speaking, and the circumstances can flip-flop from lawyers being confident to suddenly overwhelmed. Put many lawyers in front of a group for a public speaking event and the challenges they face include:

Merri's Tips - Part 6

40. Shape the voice in your head first thing in the morning. Otherwise, you will wine about getting out of bed, forget what you're so good at, procrastinate on using your abilities and forget why your life is so good. Shaping the voice in your head refers to remembering your value, what makes you unique and putting this focus and those skills into use. These are your intrapersonal skills, the communication skills that set the tone for the day and determine your ability to show up in life.

 Lawyers can use praise, encouragment as well as discipline, yet if they aren't willing to do these things for themselves, no amount of it from others will help.

From Anxiety to Enthusiasm - Introverts and Public Speaking

Labyrinthe, by shortgreenpigg





I grew up unsure of myself - unsure of how to enter conversation, what to say, how to respond to questions, and unsure of what I thought. This mix of unsurety kept me at arm's length from relationship development until I was in my mid-late teens. At that point, Beth Huffman, the teacher who made the biggest difference in my life, encouraged me to take her speech and then her drama classes. Only because I already admired her as my English teacher, I signed up. Then my eyes were open to what it feels like to step in front of audiences - anxious. Really anxious. Later I learned how to move the anxiety into enthusiasm.

But first I realized there were certain things about myself, the introvert, that seeks the enthusiasm of the audience.

Quieting the Lawyers' Chatty Head

If you've read many of my posts on this blog, you have learned I offer communication support to lawyers, especially those who are introverts. That's a whopping 64% of lawyers!

Introvert lawyers are the thinkers, the planners and the chattiest of all, if you consider their common behavior of talking to themselves. They do this incessively in their heads, whether to criticize themselves, to compare themselves to others or to in some other way, sabotage themselves. An introvert myself, I know this because of my own behavior patterns. So the intrapersonal communication skills of shifting away from the sabotage talk to the ability to quiet that voice in our head is a challenge worth taking on.