LegalBizDev Products

For every lawyer / Book: Legal Business Development: A Step by Step Guide.
Speeches: Our most popular speeches include How to increase new business by increasing client satisfactionand What otherlaw firms are doing to develop newbusiness,andwhat it means for your practice. Speeches are 60 to 90 minutes in length, and can include optional follow-up programs.
Webinars: Legal business development: basic principles andbest practices is a series of six one hour webinars that provides an overview of best practices from other law firms and from other professions.
Workshop: How to improve your elevator speechis a two hour session for a maximum of eight people.
For rainmakers / Group coaching: 60day group coaching programincludes planning sessions, a workshop, and eight weeks of scheduled calls, reports, and unlimited support for a group of up to six lawyers.
Speech: Should you spend more time developing new business?This 45 minute speech reviews data on how the legal profession is changing, to motivate lawyers to set aside more time to bring in new business.
For associates / Webinars: Business development for associatesis a customized version of our six webinar series, Legal business development: basic principles and best practices. We will modify the contentto fit your firm’s policies and expectations for associates, and produce a customized workbook for your firm.
For practice groups / Workshop: How towinnew business by applying industry intelligenceis a three hour workshop, customized for each practice group. The program includes 60 days of follow-up for a maximum of eight people.
For business development staff / Workshop: How to help lawyers increase results from their limited marketing time, three hours, plus 30 days of follow-up for up to six people.
Trainer certification program: We will train and certify your internal business development staff to deliver any or all of these LegalBizDev training and coaching programs.

Book: Legal Business Development

/ Legal Business Development: A Step by Step Guide will help lawyers from mid-size and large firms to get more results from their limited marketing time. It includes step by step instructions to help each lawyer decide how much time to devote to business development, to identify the most productive activities that can be accomplished within that time, and to assure follow-up. Numerous exercises and quick references will guide each lawyer to identify immediate and practical steps that fit their practice, their personality, and their schedule.

What lawyers and marketing professionals are saying about this book:

“This book…belongs in every business development library, and will be a valuable reference for every rainmaker - and everyone who wants to be one.” – Catherine Alman MacDonagh, Director of Business Development, Day, Berry & Howard LLP and Co-Founder and Director, Legal Sales and Service Organization

“The business development steps outlined in this book really do work, resulting in a number of new engagements at our firm.” - René Kraus, Director of Marketing and Business Development, Patent Group, Fish & Richardson PC

“A no nonsense approach to legal marketing from a professional who understands that lawyers have no time to market.” – Paul Kelly, Partner, Segal, Roitman & Coleman

Recent orders include:

  • copies for every attorney at a 300 lawyer firm
  • copies for every partner at a 50 lawyer firm
  • 25 copies for key rainmakers at a 300 lawyer firm
  • 60 copies for key rainmakers at a 500 lawyer firm
  • copies for every marketing person at a 200 lawyer firm
  • copies for every marketing person at a 700 lawyer firm

Available for $49.95 per copy at and For orders of 5 copies or more, bulk discounts begin at 35%.

Speeches

Client satisfaction / Our speeches will motivate lawyers to consider which of their skills might be improved, and what they need to do to improve them. The speech How to increase new business by increasing client satisfaction will help lawyers focus on current clients first, identify action items that are most likely to make a difference to each client, and find time to follow up. The length and content is customized to meet the needs of each audience, and typically includes:
  • Evidence from ALM Research and others showing that the most effective business development programs start with current clients
  • Survey data from BTI Consulting, Inside Counsel magazine and others on legal competition and trends in client satisfaction
  • Research from the Gallup organization, the Harvard Business Review, and others on the best techniques to increase client satisfaction.
  • An exercise to define action items to increase the satisfaction of your top clients.

Competitive trends / The speech,What other law firms are doing to develop new business, and what it means for your practicetypically covers:
  • A review of business development data from LexisNexis, Hildebrandt, American Lawyer Media, BTI Consulting Group, the Legal Marketing Association, Corporate Legal Times, the Association of Corporate Counsel, and others.
  • Observations about 2007 business development and marketing tactics at large Boston, New York, and Washington firms.
  • An exercise to relate these trends to each lawyer’s practice, and begin to plan action items to protect current clients and to find new ones.

Optional follow-up / Every speech ends with a brief exercise to help each individual to identify action items. LegalBizDev also offers optional follow-up programs after each speech including:
  • Asking for volunteers who will be followed up for two weeks.
  • Collecting action items from volunteers.
  • Quickly working with the relationship attorneys to review and approve or modify each action item.
  • Checking on progress after one week and after two weeks.
  • Sending reports to every lawyer in the firm listing the names of volunteers, approved action items, and each individual’s progress. This builds accountability and publicizes success.

Webinars

Goal / Our six webinar series on Legal business development: basic principles andbest practices provides an overview of best practices from other law firms and from other professions. Each participant will create a personal marketing plan to focus their limited marketing time on the activities that will produce the fastest results for their practice, their personality, and their schedule.
The approach / The six one hour webinars are typically conducted at a standard time (e.g., 12:30-1:30 Eastern time on the first Tuesday of each month) to maximize the chances of busy lawyers fitting the presentations into their schedules. Individuals can participate from any site where they have an internet connection and a phone, whether alone in their own offices, or with a group in a conference room. Each participant will receive a copy of Legal Business Development: A Step by Step Guide and copies of quick references and handouts for each session. At the client’s request, this series can be taught in person rather than by webinar (for an additional cost).
Content / Each one hour module includes an introductory lecture and a written exercise. As an option, some modules may include a brief discussion with one of your most successful rainmakers about how the principles apply at your firm. The six modules are:
  1. Business development basics and best practices
  2. How to increase business with current clients
  3. The process of finding new clients: From prospecting to closing
  4. How to define your personal marketing plan
  5. How to increase results from networking, speaking and writing
  6. How to assure follow up and success

/ Different firms have different expectations and policies regarding associates’ roles in business development. Therefore, we also offer Business development for associates based on the six webinars above, customized for your firm. We will modify the content to fit your firm’s policies and expectations for associates, and produce a customized version of The Legal Business Development Workbook for Associates to be used to improve results at your firm.

Workshop: How to Improve Your Elevator Speech

The problem / Many lawyers would like to have an “elevator speech” which summarizes their value proposition in a few short statements, but need help to quickly craft the most effective message.
The solution / A two hour workshop will help lawyers develop and practice elevator speeches which summarize their personal value propositions.
Results / After completing this workshop, lawyers will be able to:
  • Deliver an elevator speech which they have created for their own practice
  • List the elements of an effective elevator speech
  • Explain the continuous improvement approach

Audience / This program is designed for up to eight lawyers from a single firm. The group can include both attorneys who want to improve the elevator speech they already have, and others who are creating their first elevator speech.
Deliverables / The workshop will open with a brief presentation explaining:
  • The goal of every elevator speech
  • The best length
  • The elements of a value proposition
  • The need for different speeches for different situations
  • The continuous improvement approach
Most of this twohour interactive session will be devoted to exercises in which each participant drafts elevator speeches for different situations, and practices and improves them. Participants will receive handouts outlining key elements of an effective speech, and a step by step continuous improvement process to develop, test, and improve their own. Each lawyer will also receive a list of customized talking points: facts about their firm and their practice that could be included in their elevator speech. Finally, each participant will receive a copy of Legal Business Development: A Step by Step Guide by Jim Hassett.
Customization / Before the workshop, we will review your firm’s website, brochures, bios and other sources to list “talking points” which lawyers could include in their personal elevator speeches. Each firm will have an opportunity to review and edit that list before the workshop is offered.

For Rainmakers

/ Our60 day group coaching programis customized for up to six lawyers who are interested in increasing new business. On the first day of the program, participantsspend three hours discussing how business development research applies to their clients and prospects. For the next eight weeks, they follow up on specific action items, and work with a coach to increase impact and efficiency. Weekly calls and reports help assure accountability and results. Participants can include experienced rainmakers and lawyers who are just getting started. Each will receive a copy of The Legal Business Development Workbook and a copy of Legal Business Development: A Step by Step Guide.
Deliverables /
  • A planning meeting to discuss how the program should be adapted to help meet each firm’s goals.
  • A twohour workshop with up to six lawyers. Based on their practice and personality, each lawyer will begin to answer the question,What should I do today to increase new business?
  • A 60 minute, one-to-one meeting with each lawyer after the workshop to define action items that are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timed).
  • For the next eight weeks, the coach will call each lawyer at a scheduled time to review progress and suggest next steps.
  • Throughout the eight weeks, lawyers can contact the coaches for unlimited help preparing for business development meetings, such as writing customized question lists for key clients, emails, agendas, elevator speeches, and PowerPoint presentations.
  • Aweekly written progress report to the group assures accountability and motivates lawyers in a friendly competition.
  • At the end of the coaching, we meet with decision makers to assess satisfaction and to discuss next steps, including a personal plan for each lawyer to sustain progress.
  • A final report, summarizing the program’s results and tactics the firm can use to assure future results.

Speech / For firms that are not certain how many lawyers are willing or able to commit time to group coaching, we offer a 45 minute speech entitled Should you spend more time developing new business? We review data on how the legal profession is becoming more competitive, to motivate lawyers to set aside more time to bring in new business. This speech will also help each individual decide whether coaching could help them get more results from their available time.

For Practice Groups

/ How to win new business by applying industry intelligenceis built around a threehour workshop which is custom designed to help a single practice group bring in new business. The program includes 60 days of follow-up, and is built around each group’s goals, tactics, members, and roles. Each participant will receive a copy of The Legal Business Development Workbook for Practice Groups and a copy of Legal Business Development: A Step by Step Guide.
Objectives / Learning objectives and action items will be custom designed for each practice group. For example, participant action items couldinvolve increasing visibility within the targeted industry, meeting with potential clients, and focusing on pre-selected industry specific questions to engage prospects in sophisticated discussions about their needs.
Deliverables /
  • Kickoff meeting to discuss the practice group’s goals, tactics, members, and roles.
  • Training Design (Draft 1) – A short summary of the training program including audience, learning objectives, content, instructional approach, schedule, evaluation plan, how to create buy-in, and criteria for success.
  • Training Design (Draft 2) – Will incorporate changes based on feedback from decision makers.
  • Customized version of The Legal Business Development Workbook for Practice Groups(Draft 1).
  • Customized version of The Legal Business Development Workbook for Practice Groups(Draft 2).
  • The three-hour workshop, Business development tactics for the ___ practicegroup.
  • 60 days of follow-up with each participant, providing consultation to increase impact and to assure that action items are completed.
  • Weekly reports will be sent to the group, summarizing each lawyer’s progress on their action items.
  • A final report to summarize results and next steps.

For Business Development Staff

/ In our half day workshop,How to help lawyers increase results from their limited marketing time, business development staff will identify action items to increase their personal impact. The program includes 30 days of follow-up, to measure the results, and to adjust tactics as needed. Each participant will receive a copy of The Legal Business Development Workbook and a copy of Legal Business Development: A Step by Step Guide. In addition, through our Trainer certification program your staff can be trained and certified to use professional training and coaching materials from any or all of our programs.
Audience / This workshop is designed for up to six business development staff at a single large firm. If participants are based in several locations, some may participate by webinar.
Content / The workshop content will be customized to meet the needs of each firm. We typically begin with a review of key principles of consultative selling, and how to adapt them to increase lawyer buy-in and efficiency, focusing on six key tactics:
  1. Prove the value of starting with current clients.
  2. Explain the power of listening.
  3. Define advances.
  4. Help each individual to apply personal strengths.
  5. Form a business development support group.
  6. Focus lawyers on building the right relationships.

Deliverables /
  • Kickoff meeting to customize the content and exercises for your audience and objectives.
  • A brief outline of workshop time and activities, showing how the content will be customized for your firm.
  • A threehour workshop in which each participant identifies action items for the next 30 days.
  • 30 days of follow-up with each participant to assure that action items are completed, and to provide consultation to increase effectiveness.
  • Three progress reports summarizing participants’ progress on action items after 2 days, 15 days, and 30 days.

Trainer certification / The LegalBizDev Trainer certification program is designed for large law firms that are looking for innovative ways to help internal business development staff to perform their jobs more efficiently. Staff members will be trained and certified to use the materials from any or all of the LegalBizDev training and coaching programs.

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