Top 10 Rainmaker Best Practices for Associates

November 2014

Featuring — Tasneem Goodman, Partner, Akina Corporation

Market conditions have brought the legal profession to the realization that success in a law firm depends, at least in part, on all attorneys’ — including associates — ability to develop business. Business development skills cannot magically be switched on once an attorney reaches partnership.  Just as associates’ and their firms’ expectations have changed around business development, both parties have a role to play in advancing the skills they need to become successful rainmakers.

Tasneem will share the fundamentals of business development, as well as the individual strategies associates can use and organizational solutions firms can implement to sow the seeds for rainmaking.

Self-Advocacy & Your Negotiation Plan: Praising Yourself to Inspire Others

September 2014

Featuring — Victoria Pynchon, Co-Founder, She Negotiates, LLC

It’s review time…are you ready?  Do you know how to be a self advocate or are you relying on someone else to advocate on your behalf?  Think again – be ready to learn, advance, and market yourself to supervisors, management, and partners by starting to think “it’s about me!” as you write your glory statement or negotiation plan.

Victoria will teach participants how to prepare for their career advancement through strategic self advocacy and negotiations.

Mindset, Grit & Resilience: Positive Change for Positive Results

July 2014

Featuring — Milana Hogan, Director of Recruiting & Professional Development, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Highlighting her extensive research and work showcased through the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession’s Grit Project, Milana will teach the science behind mindset, grit and resilience – and more importantly, how these common traits are integral in the careers of successful women lawyers. Participants will be provided with the tools to access and implement these traits and learn how to enhance the active retention and promotion of women in the profession.

Working Well: Connecting Wellness to Work-Life Control

May 2014

Featuring — Mark Goldberg, Global Wellness Manager, Latham & Watkins LLP and Carol Vitelli, Manager of Wellness Programs, White & Case LLP

There is growing attention to wellness programs and the importance they play in building resilience, decreasing absenteeism, and increasing morale.  But wellness is also an essential tool to achieving work-life control just as work-life control is essential to your overall well-being.  Making this connection successful is critical in the legal environment where stress, poor eating habits, and a stationary lifestyle are pervasive.

Mark and Carol will discuss the fundamental connections between wellness and work-life control by highlighting the business case and the strategy, implementation, and marketing processes of wellness programs as part of our collective efforts to realizing a happy, healthy, positive, and flexible workforce.

Leveraging Social Capital

February 2014

Featuring — Robert Nelson, Director, American Bar Foundation and Ellen Ostrow, Founding Principal, Lawyers Life Coach LLP

Social capital is not just your network; it’s the by-product of your efforts to contribute to the success of others.  In general, majority groups tend to have more social capital due to the ease of developing networks, while women and diverse attorneys are often excluded from these powerful circles.

Robert and Ellen will highlight ways women and diverse attorneys can strategically forge relationships with powerful allies via reciprocity and social capital and provide the latest research on how attorneys in the minority are (or are not) leveraging their social capital and the statistical effects of this on the legal profession.

Looking Ahead: Your Business Development Plan for 2014

December 2013

Featuring — Sara Holtz, Founder & CEO, ClientFocus

Sara is a noted business development coach for women lawyers and the author of “Bringin’ in the Rain: A Women Lawyer’s Guide to Business Development.” She will discuss the eight steps you need to take to develop a concrete action plan to grow your practice and career in 2014.

What If I Say the Wrong Thing? An Open Conversation with Verna Myers

November 2013

Featuring — Verna Myers, Founder & President, Verna Myers Consulting Group (VMCG)

Verna will educate, engage, and entertain participants with an open and honest conversation about the difficult talks we all have had (or need to have) with co-workers, management, and people we meet in life.

How Women Can Be Sponsor Ready

November 2013

Featuring — Ritu Bhasin, Principal & Founder, bhasin consulting inc.

Ritu will discuss key strategies and tools for becoming “sponsor-ready” from the individual and organizational perspectives.

Demystifying Generational Differences

July 2013

Featuring — Lauren Stiller Rikleen, President, Rikleen Institute for Strategic Leadership

The Millennial generation is entering the workplace in increasing numbers, and many senior leaders are experiencing the challenges of managing a multi-generational workforce. Lauren will present findings from her research (and upcoming book) on Millennials, dispelling many of the myths surrounding this generation and providing practical advice for strengthening intergenerational relationships.

Effective Management for Flex Success™: Supervising Flexible Work Lawyers

February 2013

Featuring — Cynthia Thomas Calvert, Principal, Workforce 21C & Senior Advisor, Diversity & Flexibility Alliance

The success of flexible work programs depends on the partners supervising the lawyers who are working flexibly. Manage well and the firm prospers; make too many mistakes and costs rise, productivity tanks, and clients complain. Cynthia will discuss of best practices for supervising lawyers who work nontraditional schedules. Learn the three keys to effective management of flex workers, and the worst mistake that supervisors can make. Throughout the presentation, Cynthia will provide tips to make your work life easier as you manage flex lawyers.