Friday • May 5, 2006

'The Successful Lawyer' is a great example of 'virtual mentoring' available to all lawyers

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Over the past week I have been listening to an audio CD program called The Successful Lawyer: Powerful Strategies for Transforming Your Practice. It's a six-disk audio version of the book by management consultant Gerry Riskin.

Both products are published by the ABA Law Practice Management Section and can be purchased on-line at www.ababooks.org. Here is a search-results page which provides purchasing information for the book alone, the CD set alone and a combination of the two.

Here's how the book is described at the ABA's on-line bookstore:

"Global management consultant and trusted advisor to many of the worlds' largest law firms, Gerald Riskin authors this comprehensive and inspirational book conveying practical and helpful solutions to make your practice not only more profitable, but far more satisfying. Large firm or small, regardless of position, The Successful Lawyer provides you with valuable road-tested advice that is immediately helpful and rewarding. This comprehensive book explains how to transform the lawyer you are right now into a more exciting, fulfilling, and profitable one. You'll learn how to re-plan your future and build skills in a wide arena, including areas such as active listening, client rapport, effective delegation, dealing with complaints, effective meetings and business development. Dare to dream! If you're looking for ways to enhance your personal practice, allowing you both added income and increased satisfaction, then look no further."

I have found the audio version to be absolutely excellent, and I recommend it without hesitation to any practicing lawyer in any practice setting. Gerry Riskin is a pleasure to listen to, and his words resonate with on-the-ground, in-the-trenches credibility from his experience as the managing partner of a successful law firm.

Riskin is rapidly establishing himself as the Tom Peters of the legal profession, as you can tell from visiting his excellent blog, Amazing Firms, Amazing Practices

There is a larger point that needs to be made here.  It concerns how "mentoring" in the legal profession has changed over the past twenty years or so.

Briefly stated, it is now possible for any lawyer in any practice setting to obtain "virtual mentoring" of the highest quality from books, audio CDs and on-line resources -- including, in particular, the many fine publications of the ABA Law Practice Management Section.

That's a wonderful thing for lawyers in firms of all sizes, because "virtual mentoring" fills a gap that exists in large and small firms alike. After all, let's be honest:  solo practitioners are not the only lawyers who suffer from a lack of personal coaching in today's busy and competitive legal profession.

I've got Gerry Riskin at my elbow.  How 'bout you?