Bylined Pieces

Are law firms using AI for business development? Last week alone, I counted four separate times that someone asked me some version of that same question, and I am sure other marketers are hearing it as well. It’s clearly top of mind. And the answer is yes—but the real opportunity goes a step  further. The firms that are seeing the…

Yesterday, NALP released its latest diversity report, and while there are some gains worth noting, the broader picture is more complex. Yes, women now make-up more than 50% of those graduating law school. Yet according to NALP only 30% of partners at the firms that provided them with information are women. The proportion of Asian and Black associates has also…

I always want to know what enables law firms to operate and grow when it comes to marketing and business development. Last week, I had a chance to participate a terrific webinar moderated by  Paula Viera of Mattos Filho, featuring Daphne O'Connor of Arnold & Porter, Sarah Heaton Concannon of Quinn Emanuel and Jean Marie Campbell of Jenner & Block.…

If there is one misconception I wish more lawyers and other professionals would let go of, it is this: Business development requires you to be someone you are not. I was recently interviewed by David Lat about my book, "Breaking Ground" 🪴  and what I learned from speaking with more than 60 rainmakers across four continents. One of the themes that…

Last week, I had the joy of teaching a session at Columbia Law School. The topic was something we rarely talk about early enough in legal careers: knowing how business development works and the role of networks. Many assume that rainmaking is a skill lawyers learn much later on, after they make partner. I believe the foundation should start much…

I didn’t write my book because I believe women need different skills than men. I wrote it because I believe women deserve access to the same skills, the same insights, and the same so-called “secrets” to success. At its core, one of those skills is business development. Partners who can create their own client relationships and build a practice tend to have: --…

We often talk about culture within law firms and other organizations. Yet it raises an uncomfortable but necessary question What happens to culture when scale becomes the strategy? I’m always reminded of the Ship of Theseus question—one I often discuss with clients. In simple terms (the kind I can recall!), if you replace the planks of a boat one by one, at…

There is a persistent and costly disconnect between law firm business development and marketing departments and the lawyers they are meant to support. It exists in firms of every size and reputation. Not every firm, but at many. At some firms, leadership has made a deliberate effort to integrate these professionals into the fabric of the firm. At others, the…

For years, we told professionals to be everywhere, say yes to everything, and trust that hard work alone would lead to business. Many learned the hard way that this model was unsustainable and often ineffective. In my research for "Breaking Ground," and in a recent article I wrote for CEO World, a different pattern emerged. The women building the most durable practices…

Before I walked into a conference room, I used to have that flicker of doubt. What if I'm the one who knows the least? What if I'm not prepared to answer each question? After working with thousands of lawyers, I can tell you this: insecurity is not a "women's issue." Men feel it too. They may tend to voice it…