When it comes to bringing business into a firm, perception is everything. A client’s perception of you as an attorney will dictate whether or not he or she decides to retain you. Additionally, that same perception can determine if the relationship with a retained client will be positive or negative. As a young attorney, I sometimes speculate on what factors lead a client to entrust me with his or her business. What type of person did I reveal to the client in order to convince him or her to hire me for his or her legal claim? Conversely, in the instances where I was not retained, what attributes persuaded the potential client to bring his or her business elsewhere?
For all young attorneys, the responsibility of bringing business into a firm can be intimidating. Acquiring new clients is not a talent that young attorneys get to practice. Legal education almost never emphasizes the skills that are necessary to bring in new business. Internships and clerkships do not provide the opportunity to learn what it takes to sell our legal knowledge on the open market. Prior to becoming lawyers, our legal minds are rarely permitted to practice sale tactics on clients. We simply do not know what works or does not work when it comes to developing our own selling points.
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