How can law firms and lawyers do more to support veterans, military service members, and/or their families?

Law firms and lawyers can do more to support veterans, military service members, and/or their families. There are many great ways to do so, and many pro bono efforts/charities/groups exist. Excellent and bona fide pro bono and/or volunteer programs that support veterans can be found by contacting:  The American Legion (http://www.legion.org/troops/volunteer); the VFW (http://www.vfw.org/Community/Get-Involved/); the ABA (www.americanbar.org) and/or state bars. To volunteer and/or donate in the most productive manner, be sure to first verify the group/organization (because not all veterans’ charities/organizations use/apply their donations legitimately). Websites to visit to verify charities’ track records include: the American Institute of Philanthropy, Charity Navigator and/or GuideStar.

How to Make Business Development a Habit: 8 Best Practices for Lawyers

1. Know and embrace the proven fact that habits and routines are hard to change. Existing habits and routines will not change by thinking about them for a minute, 10 minutes, a half-hour or a day; nor will they change by wanting, wishing and/or hoping they change. It takes conscious, methodical effort over time to change habits or embed new habits into your routine as described below.
2. Realize, accept and embrace the fact that 90% of effective business development starts and lives in your mind. In your mind lies your level of personal self-discipline, your self-control over your use of time, and your self-control and choices in response to external cues and situations and how you handle/respond to distractions. Much of effective business development consists of self-discipline, taking action, and committing sweat/effort even when you do not want to or don’t feel like it.
3. First, you must commit. If you are only somewhat interested in changing a habit or embedding a new, upgraded habit into your routine, studies show you will likely not accomplish it. You must COMMIT. The difference between interest and commitment is intensity of will – which lies in your mind. If you are committed, you will do whatever it takes; no hurdle/distraction will stand in your way, you will make it happen and you will do it. On the other hand, if you are mildly interested, you may do it when you think of it or have extra time, but because you are really not 100% committed, you will likely blow it off for various reasons. So commit!
4. Plan ahead. Multiple studies show that the more thoughtfully and thoroughly you plan ahead, the greater are your chances of success. Other studies show that reducing a plan to writing more than doubles your chance of success. A lengthy plan is not necessary; a simple list and/or recurring auto-reminders in Outlook about what you want to do and when will suffice. Periodically, at least once a year, you should review your plan and progress against your original goals and objectives and adjust accordingly.
5. Know and impress reasonable expectations in your mind. To embed any new habit into your routine such that it becomes second nature – something you automatically do without much extra effort – multiple studies show that it takes (on average) 60-90 days of consistent, conscious effort. Know this ahead of time and plan for it.
6. Create and use external and/or visual cues. Have a list in writing. Program your mobile device(s)/Outlook to auto-remind you, and use Outlook categories. Put a “sticky note” note on your phone. Do whatever works for you to visually remind you/cue you about your commitment.
7. Plan ahead for challenges, hurdles, distractions, and weak motivation and have a plan in place to handle them. For example, every Thursday after lunch close your office door and ask your assistant to hold all calls for half an hour while you review and get in touch with clients, referral sources and/or contacts. If you are interrupted or distracted, discipline yourself to complete the efforts/tasks another time and mark it in your schedule.
8. Realize, accept and embrace that repetition is the force of habit. Hundreds of studies prove this. So build into your plan, for a period of at least 90 days, a cadence of repetition that works for you. For example, if you want to become a huge rainmaker, build at least 15-30 minutes of business development time into each day. Or discipline yourself to review and stay in touch with select contacts as appropriate every Thursday after lunch, for example.

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6 Ways for Lawyers to Identify New Business Opportunities

1.    Ask about business and/or personal issues and problems: current, developing, future, and latent.

2.    Ask about recent and developing projects, plans, and/or trends.

3.    Ask about what is changing, has changed, or will likely change. REMEMBER: Change is constant and all change equals opportunity.

4.    What is the gap/hole created by these changes? What exposure and/or potential liability might result?

5.    Link the above responses to your core capabilities and your firm’s core capabilities by describing the benefit(s)/solutions you and your firm can provide.

6.    Ask if you can help/be of service to them.

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