"Learning - from experience"
BUSINESS SKILLS TRAINING
KEY PEOPLE - KEY SKILLS
Your lawyers are your business. You want them to be the best they can be. They need to be technically excellent - that is a given. To really thrive and grow, they must also be fluent in the commercial "softer" business skills, which are so valued by your clients.
With over 30 years practical experience, working with many high street names, leading entrepreneurs and others, I bring a practical, relatable and engaging approach to the skills training environment.
The training I deliver will be designed around a firm's particular needs. I have sat through enough "standard" training over the years to convince me that training is often too general, rather unremarkable and little more than a rote CPD box ticking exercise.
To give a flavour, of what I do, I gave set out below some the areas I focus on and, on the next page, some examples of course topics, split out across different levels of experience.
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT SKILLS
An absolutely crucial skill set for today's lawyers and one which has been learnt "on the hoof" for too long.
Lawyers today need to be business leaders, as well as good lawyers and also have the skills and mindset to properly manage their careers and help others in managing theirs.
KEY ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT AND OTHER CLIENT FACING SKILLS
Without question, the number one gripe across all of the clients I have spoken to and worked with over the years is - "Why don't they just give us what we need, rather than what they want to give us". And yet.....
Excellent client service always starts from the premise of "What do they need and how can we best give that to them?"
My experience is that this crucial element is missed, or ignored, time and again.
SELLING, NOT ADVISING
Lawyers are schooled from an early age to be careful, thoughtful and reserved. Highly appropriate in the context of technical legal advice - less helpful however when its comes to securing new business, cross-selling and marketing to potential new clients.
Time to change the mindset.
IMPACTFUL COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT
Whether written, verbal, non-verbal or visual, the ability to communicate effectively, and engage your audience, is an absolute key for any lawyer but, again, often an optional extra when it comes to training and development.
I focus on clear, concise and effective communication, and the ability to translate the difficult into the understandable - something which sets great lawyers apart.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WELLBEING
You want your lawyers to be driven and ambitious. Consequently, they will want to know that they are being properly supported along their particular career path.
They will need help, encouragement and training here - again, too often in the past have these skills been learnt on an ad hoc basis.
Crucially in today's highly pressured environments, resilience and an ability to look after the mental wellbeing of yourself and others is a crucial, largely, new skillset.