Discovering Your Courtroom Impact

You slide your chair away from the table, rise and approach. You can't help but watch yourself, hear your footsteps and feel the hairs on the back of your neck.

What are your opening words? Where is your opening focus? What is the impact you've already made?


Litigators know the power of their presence and courtroom performance. It's one thing to have their case strategy laid out. It's quite another to deliver the effect they're after, create a connection with the jurors and judge and relate without going over the top. And clients want them to be confident as well.

Where do you turn to determine the impact you're making?

The Comfortable Way for Lawyers to Network

Just as Stephanie Francis Ward suggests in her article, Shy Lawyers' Guide to Becoming a Rainmaker, there is a major quality of many lawyers that serve them will when it comes to networking - their ability to research.

How do the two go together? As Ward suggests, it is all about focus.

How lawyers fool themselves

If you don't believe your head is in the sand, (click to read the article by Leadership Freak) you may want to ask yourself a few questions about your ability to focus ON your lawyer business vs. IN it:

Merri's Tips - Part 8

47. Take care of yourself. Instead of saying yes to everyone who needs assistance, decide in advance what type of things to say yes to, how many at one time, and then you'll learn the art of saying No. It can sound like this:
"I am already committed to 'x amount' of things and feel it would be irresponsible to commit to more."
"Thank you for thinking of me, but I am committed to "x" right now."

Understanding your commitment and time boundaries is one of the biggest ways to take care of yourself.

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?