Image provided by Sacramento Bee
At 79, Alice Thomas is a Step Closer to Becoming an Attorney
The legal field is buzzing about the work and accomplishments of a 79-year-old Sacramento, CA woman.
Her name is Alice Thomas.
Thomas has just earned a degree from the McGeorge School of Law and has landed first her first job in a Reno, NV law firm.
According to the Sacramento Bee, after a long career doing office work, Thomas enrolled at McGeorge in 2002 to pursue her life-long dream of becoming an attorney. And, like many law school students, Thomas struggled.
"Most of the time, the other students acted like I wasn't even alive. Some of them asked if I was really serious," she says. "I told them I could take a first-class trip around the world and not spend as much money and not have to work as hard."
To make matters worse, Thomas also tried to stay afloat while caring for a longtime companion with Alzheimer's.
But with determination, Thomas persevered!
Thomas now plans to sink her teeth into the legal field, focusing on elder law issues. She also wants to start making a dent in the $70,000 of student loans she racked up in law school.
Thomas will turn 80 this summer and she won't find out if she passed the bar exam until November.
Until then, as she reaps the rewards of all her hard work, Thomas will serve as an inspiration to all of us.
At a time when most people her age are looking back and reflecting on their lives, Thomas is looking FORWARD.
She is proof that it's never too late to achieve your dream!
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Believe in Yourself and Others Will Too!
Did you know that confidence is your most powerful asset?
It's true!
Confidence can knock down any barrier - even fear - and take you to new professional heights.
Confidence is also incredibly attractive.
Think about it. People flock to confident brands.
Where would brands like NIKE, Mercedes, and Apple be without confidence? Probably out of business.
Confidence is a state mind that has to be backed up by GREAT VALUE and SERVICE. Be the best you can be and project your own self-confidence to the world!
If you project confidence in yourself, that confidence will transmit to your clients. Business will pick up. Referrals will come in. Contacts and prospects will be calling YOU...because your professional brand encompasses CONFIDENCE.
Comedian Jim Carey's story is a perfect example of the power of confidence. At the beginning of his career, when his phone wasn't ringing, Carey didn't let despair bring him down. He remained confident in himself and continued to visualize success. Just three years later he was a movie star!
Everyone has their ups and downs. The key is to maintain your confidence despite temporary setbacks and periodic disappointments.
Confidence is a key component of your brand...NURTURE IT. BUILD IT. CONSISTENTLY CONVEY IT TO YOUR CLIENTS. Your success depends on it!
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Your brand is sacred. It is also the lifeline that runs your business and keeps your contacts close.
However, managing your online presence poorly can SABOTAGE the very brand you worked so hard for - in seconds!
The Internet is where first impressions occur long before in-person handshakes are made, therefore managing your image online has never been more important.
Social media expert Dan Schwarbel offers five ways to protect personal brands against online attacks.
1. Pay attention to mentions about your brands.
Did you know that 58% of Americans don’t even Google themselves?
As you create your personal brand on a variety of platforms, your name will start popping up in search engines and on social networks. This can be both beneficial to your brand or harmful depending on the context. Unfortunately, negative mentions generally spread like wild fire.
Set up a Google alert for your name, your company's name, key competitors, and partners. Stay current on what's being said about you and your industry. You can also try Social Mention for a more complete solution to brand mentions on social networks.
2. Choose your networks wisely.
Don't spread yourself too thin by participating in every social network on the Internet. This can hurt your brand because you'll find it hard to update all of your social profiles and discussions regularly.
Join only the largest social networks - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn - as well as those networks in your industry. Then update them often!
3. Know your audience.
Be selective about who you invite into your network. The second you add your manager or colleagues is the time when you have to rethink what you publish or what you syndicate from other social networks.
On Facebook, consider having a profile page for your inner circle of friends and family and then a Facebook Fan Page for your professional image. This way, you can make your profile private and hide it from search, while having a fan page that you can point your coworkers to.
4. Keep self-promotion to a minimum.
Successful self-promotion only works in moderation, because if you’re constantly only promoting yourself, many people will unfollow, unfriend, or block you from their network.
The best way to build a strong personal brand is to promote other people, which creates goodwill and a connection, as well as distributing value based on what you have to offer: Your expertise.
If you’re helping people 80 or 90% of the time, then people will be much more accepting of your self-promotional messages the other 10%. You will also start to notice that other people will promote you — and their endorsement is even stronger than your own proclamations.
5. Be consistent.
Selecting a unified “picture” and spreading it across all your social media — your website, your blog, your presentations, your press kits, your business cards, etc. — will build image recognition in the mind of your audience. Consistency is significant for pictures, your name, as well as the fonts, the colors and the overall message that you communicate through your online properties.
Building a good personal brand is only half the battle. You also have to manage it.
Get in tune with what's being said about you on the Internet.
Save your image from self-sabotage!
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Fear is crippling.
Fear is paralyzing.
Fear is wasted energy.
No one has gotten anywhere driven by fear. Successful people are confident and in control - masters of their own destiny!
No matter what life throws your way, you can OVERCOME your fears and flourish, both personally and professionally.
Here are some ways to get you back in a confident state-of-mind:
1. Anticipate and prepare for obstacles.
There will always be challenges lying in the road to success. The key is to anticipate and be ready for them. Surprises can shatter confidence and instill fear.
2. Develop an obsession about your goals.
Think about what you want to accomplish daily. Dream about your goals. Write them down. Talk about them with friends and family. By doing this, your goals will seem less like uncharted territory. The more familiar your goals become, the less fearful you'll be of achieving them.
3. Figure out the worst case scenario.
What if your worst fears do come true? What's the worst that can happen? Visualize the worst case scenario, then ask yourself if you could live with it. Chances are the answer will be yes.
4. Stay positive.
Fear is a big fat negative. Always try to keep a positive mindset, even when you're faced with the toughest challenges. Positive people succeed!
5. Take the plunge.
Overcome fear by facing it head-on.
Think about all of those successful solo practitioners who walked away from their comfortable corporate jobs to strike out on their own. Sure that initial leap was scary, but they would have never found success on their own without facing their fear and taking the plunge.
Don't let fear drag your dreams down!
Pull yourself back up and start playing to your strengths with confidence!
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It's no secret that the road to success is bumpy. It's never smooth sailing - for anyone!
Obstacles are out there. Some of them are big. Some are small. But, ALL of them can have a negative impact on your personal and professional well-being.
Experts like to call these obstacles "barriers." They come in a variety of forms, but most stem from internal circumstances.
Here is a checklist of common INTERNAL barriers that stand in the way of success.
- Fear of the unknown
- Easily embarrassed
- Moodiness/depression
- Lack of confidence
- Fear of failing
- Fear of success
- Fear of change
- Perfectionism
- Balancing work and family
Fear has a way of stopping people dead in their tracks.
Don't let it!
Face your fears by identifying which barriers impact you. All of us experience "head chatter," negative talk that drags us down and takes a bite out of our self-confidence. How do you take the punch out of those self-limiting thoughts? By having a ready retort to your false self beliefs---a positive statement that directly rebuts your negativity, i.e. "I can handle this!" "I have always been successful!"
If you consistently and repeatedly replace negativity with positive affirmations about yourself, you will begin to THINK AND FEEL the truth about yourself....that you CAN achieve your goals....that you CAN be fearless.
Think about it. The one thing you're afraid to do is probably the one thing you need to do to achieve success.
Your fears should NEVER be bigger than your determination - ever!
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Must-Have iPhone Applications for Busy Lawyers
Some of the best apps for lawyers come with the Apple iPhone.
Sure, there are some BlackBerry apps for lawyers that are mighty convenient. But iPhone users insist the following apps take the cake when it comes practice management and social media marketing.
- QuickOffice. The key feature is the ability to edit Word and Spreadsheet documents.
- Cliff Maier reference apps allow you to access tax codes, patent laws, civil and appellate produces.
- DaysFrom. This is a quick and easy way to count days. For example, you can count 20 days, 100 days, etc. either forward or backwards from a specific date.
- Wikipanion. This free app lets you quickly find information on Wikipedia.
- Google Mobile App. Its voice activation feature makes searching on the go fast and convenient.
- Various weather apps. The Weather Channel and AccuWeather apps are great for lawyers who travel.
- A Twitter client. Check out Twitterific or Tweetie for managing one or multiple Twitter accounts. This is ideal for lawyers who do a lot of social media marketing.
- Facebook. Facebook’s iPhone app is a convenient way to keep in touch with friends from college and law school.
- Black’s Law Dictionary. This is a personal favorite for many lawyers, but is more expensive than other iPhone apps - $50.
- NetNewsWire. A great free app for quickly reading RSS feeds to keep up with websites and blogs.
Of course, there are literally thousands of iPhone applications available at the iPhone app marketplace.
Which applications are YOUR favorites?
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When it comes to landing a client, don't just "take what you can get."
Less-than-ideal clients can be troublesome, time-draining, or worse - deadbeats!
Start marketing your services to people whom you'd like to work with. People who will VALUE your time and pay for it!
This is not a pipe dream! Ideal clients are out there - YOU just have to identify who fits the bill.
Create an "Ideal Client" profile by asking yourself these questions:
- Where are they located? Are they in the U.S. or in another country?
- What industries are they in?
- If they are companies, what specifically do they do and what are their revenues?
- Would doing their work fit your expertise?
- How does their work capitalize on your strengths and experience?
- What are the typical billings for their matters?
- Will they likely bring you more business and/or referrals?
- What kind of working relationships do they want to have? Collaborative or autonomous?
- What personal characteristics do you want to avoid?
After answering those questions, compose a detailed, written description of who those ideal clients are so that you will have total clarity about the prospects you are going after.
Remember, it's okay to be picky about clients.
Focus your business development efforts by pinpointing and finding your IDEAL CLIENT today.
In the end, you'll find that you actually enjoy the work that you do - and the clients you work with.
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Office technology is like a double-edged sword.
You can use it to slash away at a to-do list, saving you a ton of time. But technology, like email and voice mail, also offers plenty of chances to embarrass yourself.
Don't get burned!
Deborah Schneider, author of Office Etiquette Essentials at the American Bar Association, offers some email guidelines that will help you AVOID a technology faux pas.
- Treat e-mail like a letter or memo. Spell check, grammar check, and review all e-mails before sending them.
- Make the subject line as informative as possible. Going through 20 e-mails from one person where the subject line is only the client or project name can be a waste of time.
- Organize your thoughts, be succinct, and use line breaks literally. Format your e-mail so that it scans well, particularly on a Blackberry. If what you have to say requires more than a few paragraphs, write a memo.
- Don't send snippy or derogatory e-mails, and don't send e-mails when you're upset. Don't type in all caps, either, as that's considered "yelling."
- Don't put anything in writing that you wouldn't want to see published in a newspaper. "Before you send a message, always ask yourself: ‘What if this got forwarded to my boss?'
- Always check the "To:" line before sending an e-mail. Check the "Cc:" and "Bcc:" lines as well to make sure you are copying the appropriate individuals.
- Don't let your e-mail address book automatically fill in a recipient's name based on typing in the first few letters of the address. You can easily send an email that is intended for a friend to a firm partner.
Many of the mentioned email essentials can be applied to voice mail too.
For example, don't leave a voice mail you wouldn't want forwarded around the office. Messages should also be brief. If you plan on taking more than 60 seconds, send an e-mail or warn the listener at the beginning of the message.
Bottom line: Always exercise good judgment!
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Talking about dropping clients may seem like a strange topic in this economic climate where ADDING CLIENTS is what all of us are focusing on.
We need to build that client base no matter what, right?
Wrong!
Tough times make SELECTIVITY crucial.
Troublesome Traits.
Troublesome clients are not only energy drains, they can literally suck the life out of your practice.
So, which clients generally fall at the bottom?
David Leffler, a New York City-based lawyer, lays out some troubling characteristics in a recent GPSolo Magazine article.
- Constant complaining about your work, your availability, your bill, etc.
- Doesn't heed your advice - ever!
- Skips out on a bill or is slow to pay.
- Is unreachable until a day before trial.
Wasted time. Wasted energy. Personal misery aside, these types of high-maintenance, low-return clients are bad for your practice...and for your HEALTH.
Think about it. All the time you spend with a huge headache of a client who drives you nuts or doesn't pay on time could be otherwise devoted to a better-quality client who follows your advice, pays your bill, and is a pleasure to work with.
In addition, Leffler writes:
"The amount of time and emotional energy taken up by this [bad] client is way out of proportion to the amount of revenue brought in. Not to mention, you're affected when you're NOT working with them. Trouble clients can challenge your self-esteem, making it harder for you to do well with other clients."
While it's hard to actually cut a client loose, it's important to understand that doing so will most likely lead to more work. Once you fire a counter-productive client, you'll have:
- More time to devote to your professional relationships with existing clients.
- More time for lawyer marketing and business development.
- More time for networking and pinging contacts and referrals.
How to Delicately Fire a Client
Once you've determined which clients are weighing you down, it's time to give them the boot!
Termination of services should always be carried out politely and in person. Never do it by e-mail!
Leffler reminds attorneys to keep malpractice in mind as well.
"You can't just leave a client high and dry in the middle of a lawsuit. Be sure to observe all local rules in this regard."
Finally, be courteous enough to make yourself available to the next lawyer. Make sure the client's file is ready and waiting for new counsel ASAP! Be proactive!
A proactive lawyer is a productive lawyer.
Don't be bogged down by unhealthy attorney-client relationships.
Cut bothersome clients loose and start reaping the rewards!
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Goal-setting is a critical step on the road to success.
Goals are essentially little hurdles that move you closer to making your long-term vision a reality.
Set real goals for yourself by being SPECIFIC and REALISTIC.
Think in quantifiable terms.
Don't just aim to get more clients, set a realistic goal to get four new clients this year. Numbers, dollar figures, percentages and names will allow you to really see if you've accomplished your goals.
Here are a few other concrete examples of realistic and specific goals:
- Cultivate three new referral sources from your network.
- Get one internal referral from a lawyer in your firm.
- Increase originations by 12%.
- Cross-sell your firm's real estate department to three clients.
Remember, be realistic! Think about the time and resources you have to invest and whether you're being overly ambitious.
Don't set yourself up for failure!
Clear, concise, and realistic goals will lead to better business development - and will move you closer to your ultimate vision: SUCCESS!
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