Lawyers Like Learning; Good Mentors Like Teaching
Young attorneys in his practice area must understand the client base. ... Some people mistakenly think that bringing in business is a matter of knowing how to work a room, but clients aren't looking for a charming personality.
October 12, 2018 at 10:06 AM
4 minute read
One of the first rules of practice development, says J. Scot Kirkpatrick, is “you have to bring the younger people along.”
Kirkpatrick, a shareholder at Chamberlain Hrdlicka, has led the trust and estates group in the firm's Atlanta office since 1989. “An essential part of growing a practice is mentoring,” Kirkpatrick says he has learned over the years.
The transformation from eager young lawyer to a steady, mature person who is making a solid contribution to the practice will go much faster if senior lawyers get involved, Kirkpatrick says. Chamberlain has a well-thought-out formal program for mentoring, including accountability metrics, but Kirkpatrick says it's the informal daily interaction between senior and junior lawyers and a commitment to teaching and learning that make the difference.
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