Paula Black – Paula Black & Associates

A book of business gives you power, clout and… a seat at the table. If you want to be a partner in any law firm, big or small, you must have a book of business. It’s as simple as that!…more

I don’t know a lawyer that isn’t trying to squeeze more out of every single day… maximum productivity. We would all like to find a silver bullet… the answer to the demanding obligations we have in our lives. Jeff Haden…more

Firm culture… It can foster business development or it can thwart it. Consider all the different aspects of your firm that your culture influences. Jeff Haden, contributor to Inc. Magazine, highlights Dharmesh Shah, the…more

The legal profession is evolving… are you? Granted change is tough. But the longer you put it off, the farther behind you fall, and the harder it is to get started. So, make the choice… take the first step! Harvard Business…more

At the end of April, I was on a panel at the ABA Annual Litigation Conference in Chicago with Laurel Bellows (the ABA President), Sofia Lingos, Damian Thomas, Paul Lehner and practice management expert Ann Guinn. We spoke to…more

Have you ever left a meeting with a smile and thought…”I really like that person?” Chances are the person was witty or even downright funny. Or have you been in an extremely tense meeting and someone cracked a joke and all of a…more

If you are a frequent reader of my blog you know that I have a motto for business development… Do Something Every Single Day! Creating a business development habit is key to building a book of business. But along with that we…more

Training your brain to stay positive is a tall order for lawyers. You are trained to look at the dark side of an issue. But when you are developing business that trait doesn’t serve you well. It blocks progress and inhibits…more

Few would argue that the core of legal business development is… relationships. How you build them, nurture them and value them is the difference between lawyers who are serious about building a successful practice and others who…more

GCs are using social media to hire law firms. Could it be? The answer is YES according to John Cory, the founder of GreenTarget…more

CHANGE. Few like it and least of all lawyers. It's important to have a firm culture built on good work but equally important is to build a firm culture around business development. If business development is at the core of how…more

No matter how good you are... you can't do it alone. You need a team. The team could include staff members, colleagues, a contract attorney, freelancers and the list goes on. There is no question that you need a team to be…more

Do the emails you send to your clients build credibility? Credibility... like your ability to be laser sharp and get to the essence of an issue? Or are they written like mini briefs? Everyone gets more emails per day than they…more

Are you a team player or do you prefer to fly solo? If you are building a practice you need to think twice about that answer. Even if you are a solo practitioner you need to have a "team players" mentality…more

When you read the headline... 6 Habits of Remarkably Likable People, did you think... "Oh, that's me!" or did you think... "I wish that were me?" If you thought the latter, read on…more