Blog/Podcast: How Business Coaching Helps Lawyers Be Their Best

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Almost every lawyer can benefit from business coaching. The trick is finding a coach who understands the legal industry and what lawyers need.

Anthony Geraci, a lawyer and entrepreneur, founded LawCoaching.com to teach lawyers how to effectively grow their firms. He got a crash course in business development while founding his own successful firm and started coaching with the intent to help attorneys learn from his experience. Anthony discussed the benefits of coaching, entrepreneurship and the impact technology is having on the practice of law on the latest episode of the Law Firm Marketing Catalyst podcast. Read the highlights below.

Why coaching is more important now than ever

Business acumen has always been helpful for practicing law, but lawyers need to understand how to run a business now more than ever. The lawyers who can identify “good” clients, provide top-notch service and create consistent revenue streams, are the ones who will survive as disruptive technology continues to change the industry.

As both the business and the actual practice of law become more automated, business coaching can help attorneys learn how to stand out and demonstrate their value, which translates to more high-quality clients (and more revenue). Coaching also teaches lawyers how to embrace and leverage technology, rather than run from it.

Who benefits from coaching

When it comes to coaching, lawyers in every practice area can benefit. A wills and trusts attorney needs clients just as much as a personal injury attorney does, even if those clients are very different. Every lawyer, regardless of practice area, wants the same things: quality clients, revenue growth and great people to provide excellent service. Coaching can help lawyers create a plan to achieve those goals, no matter what type of practice they have.

The only person who can’t benefit from legal coaching is someone who thinks they don’t need any help (and doesn’t have the humility to recognize that they do). This type of personality won’t be receptive to a coach’s message, and coaching would likely be lost on them. Instead, save coaching for people who are motivated to grow and improve.

Why lawyers may learn best from other lawyers

Although there are plenty of good business development coaches out there, Anthony believes the best person to coach a lawyer is a fellow attorney. Someone who’s created their own practice or law firm from the ground up understands the ins and outs of the business like no one else can. Anthony learned about business development the hard way, and he hopes other lawyers can avoid the same challenges and reach their goals faster than he did.

What to expect from a coach

In Anthony’s case, he offers coaching that’s broader than just business development. He helps lawyers with all of their goals, whether that’s getting more clients, finding new work strategies, changing firm culture or getting more time away from the office.

Before reaching those goals, however, you have to identify them first . Anthony helps “diagnose” his clients’ objectives and create a plan to achieve them. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all process; every firm and lawyer will have different ambitions, weak spots and resources that require different strategies. Once goals have been pinpointed, Anthony helps clients break them down into small, achievable units and figure out any blocks that are getting in the way of success.

Perhaps, most importantly, a business coach helps lawyers stay focused. Most goals take months or even years to complete and it’s easy to lose interest and motivation in the meantime. A good business coach creates the accountability that’s needed for change.

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