Law Consulting Blog : Cordell Parvin's Law Consulting Blog : Coach & Consultant For Lawyers & Law Firms : Business Development, Career Planning

When I was in college and law school, I hated UCLA's basketball team because they were wining the NCAA every year. I remember being at a college party in 1968 and everyone cheered when Houston upset UCLA in the Astrodome. Later that year UCLA routed Houston in the NCAA tournament.

As fate would have it, my first assignment in the Air Force after law school was at a base in Southern California. Each night, I watched John Wooden being interviewed by the media. Within a very short time, I came to realize why he was not only a great coach, but also a great leader and mentor for his players.

John Wooden’s character and principles always showed through whether his team won, or when it infrequently lost. Since I lived in Southern California, I have bought books about him and bought tapes of him speaking. I am always inspired by his approach to life and building a team. I have written about him and you can find some of what I have written on my website.

Lawyers and law firms can learn a great deal from "The Wizard of Westwood." Take a look at his website and his “Pyramid of Success.”

On his website home page you will find one of my favorite Coach Wooden quotes: "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming."

He talks about the real joy in life and his definition of success in this short interview.

The reason that this quote was so important to me, and hopefully to you, was my realization that measuring my success based on what others achieved would either cause me to give up, thinking I could never achieve what some of them had achieved, or alternatively cause me to not reach as high as I might, thinking I had achieved more than some of them had achieved.
 

Work each day to serve your clients and to become the best lawyer for your clients you are capable of becoming. That will bring you the peace of mind and satisfaction Coach Wooden speaks about.
 

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On Tuesday, I wrote about the work the Beatles did to become THE BEATLES and I asked what are you doing to become THE RAINMAKER. Knowing you might benefit from reading about what other lawyers are doing, here is a good example.

Last year I had the opportunity to coach Lizzette Zubey, an IP associate with Lewis and Roca in Phoenix. At the time, Lizzette was the President of Los Abogados, Arizona’s Hispanic Bar Association. Lizzette first got involved with the organization as a law student, after receiving its Honorable Valdemar Cordova Scholarship. She was drawn to the group because of its efforts on civil rights for Hispanics. During her first year in practice, she ran for a seat on its Board of Directors. In her fifth year she was named its President.

In our first coaching session, Lizzette and I talked about narrowing her market and striving to become a “go to” IP lawyer for Hispanic owned businesses. She loved the idea and worked during our entire coaching year on raising her visibility. Here are a few examples:

• She was interviewed on IP issues on Inside Arizona Business, a television program in Tucson.

• She organized a luncheon where the two Democratic candidates running for Maricopa County Attorney's Office spoke, which was covered by local Spanish and English news media.
• She was selected by the Business Journal as a member of the 2008 Hispanic Leaders Under 40.
• She is Regional President of the Hispanic National Bar Association and her firm hosted events during the HNBA Board Meeting in Phoenix
• She was featured in the January/February 2009 issue of Iguana, a children's Spanish language magazine with international circulation. The title of the article was: “Young Lawyer Persevered Before Difficulties.”

Like the Beatles, Lizzette is working hard to become more visible and she knows it doesn’t happen overnight. She is patient and persistent. I know her efforts are slowly raising her profile in the Hispanic business community. What can you do the rest of this year to begin the process of becoming THE RAINMAKER.

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I wrote recently about practicing law by Blogging. It reminded me of the Beatles. Many Americans have this notion that the Beatles arrived in America from Liverpool and were an instant sensation. Few know how much work the Beatles did before they took the trip across the Atlantic. Your efforts to become a rainmaker require that same kind of work.

A while back, Seth Godin wrote a Blog titled: “When did the Beatles Become THE Beatles?”

Malcolm Gladwell discussed how the Beatles became successful in his book “Outliers” and talked about the Beatles in a short video that will help you grasp the point.

Seth Godin and Malcolm Gladwell describe that at the beginning, the Beatles were playing two or three long sets a day in a Hamburg club, making a few pounds if they were lucky. The Beatles worked on their music in these clubs for years. What are you working on now to make yourself more valuable lawyer to your clients?

Godin says that as the Beatles got more traction they were marketing in every direction. After you have done your homework, then you will work at becoming visible by writing for industry publications and speaking to as many industry groups as possible. Before you get there, consider writing for and speaking to Bar groups. Even though you are not likely to be hired by competing lawyers, this stage will provide opportunities to become a more effective writer and presenter.

Seth Godin says the transition stage was brief but essential. When people started noticing them, the Beatles didn’t stop marketing. Instead they poured it on. At this point they shifted from being the chasers into being the chased. During the transition stage, organizations notice you and ask you to write for their publications or speak at their meetings. That is the time for you to “pour it on” to gain momentum.

After all the years playing in clubs and developing their skills, the Beatles came to America. Seth Godin says that many reach this stage and stop. When you feel you have “arrived,” have some healthy paranoia. That means continuing to learn, continuing to figure out what impacts your clients and writing and speaking on those subjects. It also means continuing to focus on building relationships with each of your clients and becoming their trusted advisor.

At this stage, the Beatles became THE Beatles and you will become THE Rainmaker.

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A couple of years ago I met with the managing partner of a 500-lawyer firm for which I was about to begin coaching 15 junior partners. He was my age and, in addition to being the managing partner, he was a leading rainmaker.

During our conversation, he expressed skepticism about the value of coaching. He said: “Rainmaking, you either have it or you don’t. Some lawyers are meant to be finders, others minders and others grinders.”

I respectively disagreed and several months into our coaching program, he acknowledged that based on what lawyers in the firm were doing differently, lawyers can learn to develop business.

Deliberate Practice

Every recent study has concluded that inborn talent does not explain high achievement. According to researchers, “deliberate practice” is the answer. Deliberate practice is not just any kind of “practice makes perfect.” It is designed to: continually stretch an individual beyond his or her current abilities; be repeatable; get feedback; and be mentally demanding.  To learn more about it in a general context, read the article or book by Geoff Colvin "Why Talent is Overrated."

In a future post I will share with you my ideas of what “deliberate practice” lawyers can do to become rainmakers. I am convinced you can develop your skills over time. In the meantime let me leave you with a quote I like:

"The truth is that our finest moments, more often than not, occur precisely when we are uncomfortable, when we’re not feeling happy or fulfilled, when we’re struggling and searching."

M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled and Beyond

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