Page 161 - MASTER COPY LEADERS BOOK 9editedJKK (24)_Neat
P. 161
Leaders in Legal Business
learning valuable information from monitoring the listserv and the ability to have a practice-related question
answered by hundreds of attorneys in a split second.
Leadership Positions in Bar Associations Can Help You Get Jobs
At a recent conference I heard a terrific presentation by Linda Klein, the current managing
shareholder at the Georgia office of Baker Donelson. Ms. Klein became the first woman to serve as
president of the State Bar of Georgia in June of 1997. In her speech Linda described how she agreed to
chair a committee for the Georgia Bar Association long before she became its president. This was a position
that had been avoided by most in the organization. Linda’s work in that position led to more prominent
roles within the Georgia State Bar, which after a great deal of dedication and hard work resulted in her
becoming the organization’s first woman president.
After completing her term as president, Baker Donelson was looking for a managing partner of its
Georgia office. The majority of Linda’s managerial experience came from her work with the Georgia State
Bar. Linda tells the story of convincing the firm that if she could preside over the Georgia State Bar, she
would make a great managing partner, a role that she continues in today. In fact, Linda recently completed
her 2010 − 2012 term as Chair of the American Bar Association's House of Delegates, ranked as the second-
highest office in the world's largest voluntary professional association and is in line to become president of
the ABA. So much of this goes back to her initial decision to get involved and take a position that no one
else desired.
Being Active is Key to Networking
Becoming a better lawyer is certainly your primary goal in choosing and becoming involved in the
right organizations. The next step is trying to figure out how to utilize these organizations to develop
business. There are two ways to accomplish this goal. First, it goes back to being active. Show up at the
meetings so members know you well enough to refer you business. Just because I know another lawyer in
another state does not mean that I will refer a client to them. I am only going to refer business to someone
I know is competent and who is going to provide superior representation. It takes a great deal of work and
activity to reach this comfort level.
Second, determine how the organization can help you generate business through methods other
than lawyer referrals. My involvement in the ABA Law Practice Division has been my primary method of
delivery of new clients over the last five years. What made this process so easy were the tremendous
resources offered by the division. Because I had served in various management roles in our firm, I had
decided years ago that I needed to be active in the division. This decision placed at my fingertips fellow
lawyers and highly regarded marketing and technology consultants who regularly attend the division
meetings. These resources helped my firm and I to create a new website and become very active in the
social media world.
It used to be that business relationships were developed by in-person meetings or telephone
conversations. Now the majority of the time that I spend with current, former, and potential clients is
through my social media. With computers and mobile devices, these sources of business are at my
fingertips. I can “like” a picture that they just posted of their family on Facebook. I can comment on a
milestone anniversary or a child’s accomplishments that they are celebrating. It’s a very simple but
meaningful way to connect.
Business development through social media is a must in today’s legal landscape. The ABA Law Practice
Division and the Division’s Legal Technology Resource Center are tremendous resources to help you.
Remember, business development is about building relationships, and there is no better tool to
assist you than social media.
154
learning valuable information from monitoring the listserv and the ability to have a practice-related question
answered by hundreds of attorneys in a split second.
Leadership Positions in Bar Associations Can Help You Get Jobs
At a recent conference I heard a terrific presentation by Linda Klein, the current managing
shareholder at the Georgia office of Baker Donelson. Ms. Klein became the first woman to serve as
president of the State Bar of Georgia in June of 1997. In her speech Linda described how she agreed to
chair a committee for the Georgia Bar Association long before she became its president. This was a position
that had been avoided by most in the organization. Linda’s work in that position led to more prominent
roles within the Georgia State Bar, which after a great deal of dedication and hard work resulted in her
becoming the organization’s first woman president.
After completing her term as president, Baker Donelson was looking for a managing partner of its
Georgia office. The majority of Linda’s managerial experience came from her work with the Georgia State
Bar. Linda tells the story of convincing the firm that if she could preside over the Georgia State Bar, she
would make a great managing partner, a role that she continues in today. In fact, Linda recently completed
her 2010 − 2012 term as Chair of the American Bar Association's House of Delegates, ranked as the second-
highest office in the world's largest voluntary professional association and is in line to become president of
the ABA. So much of this goes back to her initial decision to get involved and take a position that no one
else desired.
Being Active is Key to Networking
Becoming a better lawyer is certainly your primary goal in choosing and becoming involved in the
right organizations. The next step is trying to figure out how to utilize these organizations to develop
business. There are two ways to accomplish this goal. First, it goes back to being active. Show up at the
meetings so members know you well enough to refer you business. Just because I know another lawyer in
another state does not mean that I will refer a client to them. I am only going to refer business to someone
I know is competent and who is going to provide superior representation. It takes a great deal of work and
activity to reach this comfort level.
Second, determine how the organization can help you generate business through methods other
than lawyer referrals. My involvement in the ABA Law Practice Division has been my primary method of
delivery of new clients over the last five years. What made this process so easy were the tremendous
resources offered by the division. Because I had served in various management roles in our firm, I had
decided years ago that I needed to be active in the division. This decision placed at my fingertips fellow
lawyers and highly regarded marketing and technology consultants who regularly attend the division
meetings. These resources helped my firm and I to create a new website and become very active in the
social media world.
It used to be that business relationships were developed by in-person meetings or telephone
conversations. Now the majority of the time that I spend with current, former, and potential clients is
through my social media. With computers and mobile devices, these sources of business are at my
fingertips. I can “like” a picture that they just posted of their family on Facebook. I can comment on a
milestone anniversary or a child’s accomplishments that they are celebrating. It’s a very simple but
meaningful way to connect.
Business development through social media is a must in today’s legal landscape. The ABA Law Practice
Division and the Division’s Legal Technology Resource Center are tremendous resources to help you.
Remember, business development is about building relationships, and there is no better tool to
assist you than social media.
154
