Overnight success usually doesn’t happen overnight

September 3, 2026 by
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It’s exciting. You start practicing, open an office, get a few clients, and then you get a few more. 

Some clients pay you well. Some have good cases. Some days are good. Some, not-so-much.

Your first year or two, it’s hit or miss and you wonder why you thought going out on your own was a good idea. But you hang in there (because you have no choice) and eventually, you gain some momentum and start making a living. 

In a few more years, you might take inventory and realize you’re on your way to being one of those rich lawyers people talk about. They think you were an overnight success, but you know it’s not true.

Unless it was, in which case kudos to you and/or your rich daddy who set you up. 

Most lawyers have to “put in their dues” before they make it. Five years of hard work, my law school torts professor told us it would take, but it will be worth it. 

It was for him. He earned enough in his practice to retire and teach law school for “fun”. 

Whatever your end game is, if you haven’t reached the level you want, if it’s been a lot longer than five years and you’re still not even close to your goal, there could be a lot of reasons but it might simply be this: there is no formula and everyone’s journey is different. 

So maybe you just need more time.

For most of us, it takes time to learn the business and get good enough to do the job clients demand and deserve. Even more, it takes time to figure out how to bring enough (good) business and income to cover expenses and begin to chew down some the debt taken on to get through school and open that office. 

So, don’t beat yourself up. Maybe you’re not failing, maybe you’re just expecting success too soon. 

Give it time.

It will happen when it happens. 

As a successful friend of mine puts it, “Stick and stay and you’ll get your pay”. He isn’t a lawyer but he is far more successful than most of the lawyers I know. 

My friend didn’t expect overnight success. In fact, I’m pretty sure he didn’t expect to be successful at all. He got his ego out of the way and went to work. 

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Filed Under: Marketing Plan, success

Everything is going to be okay

August 27, 2026 by
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You owe your clients a duty to give them your honest assessment about their case or situation. If it’s bad, don’t sugarcoat it, you need to tell what they’re up against. 

Don’t lie to your clients. 

On the other hand, when you have your own problem or unfulfilled desire, that’s exactly what you should do.

Lie to yourself. Tell yourself everything is going to be okay. Because that’s the mindset you need to prompt your brain to find a solution. 

When I have a problem, I remind myself that things usually work out for me. And they do. 

I find a solution. Problems go away. Things get better. Assuming the best outcome (see The Law of Assumption) makes it more likely that things will indeed be okay. 

You’re not sure about that? Okay, what’s the alternative? Expecting the worst? Worrying? Feeling bad for yourself? 

Logic tells you to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. That’s probably good legal advice but personally, I’d rather do what I usually do, I’d rather assume the best. 

Hoping for the best means you don’t believe it is the most likely outcome. Assuming the best means you do and this makes it more likely.

But what if bad things are happening, or are about to? Shouldn’t you be honest about it, and get to work? You can’t ignore reality and assume all your problems will go away by themself. 

Maybe you can. Maybe focusing on the bad makes things more likely to get worse.

Actually, there is scientific (and spiritual) evidence that supports this idea. Which is why so many philosophers and scholars talk about the value of staying positive. 

Don’t hope for the best, they tell you, assume it. It’s easier to find a solution when you assume there is one (and that you will find it).

Anyway, that’s what I do and if you don’t usually assume that things will work out for you, I suggest you give it a try. 

Consider the subject of marketing and building your practice. If things aren’t great right now, if you want more clients or better clients but can’t seem to get them, do yourself a favor and assume that you will. 

Probably a lot easier than you think.

You are one meeting away from signing up a big case or client. Your next coffee or conversation with a colleague can lead to a steady stream of referrals and introductions. The next article or blog post you write could get you invited to speak at the top event in your target market. 

One conversation, one business idea, one project–the success you want is that close. 

Know that. Believe it. Assume it will happen. And it will. 

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Filed Under: Personal development, success

I wish I had done this sooner

August 18, 2026 by
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If you’re like me, and you are, more than once in your life you’ve said to yourself, “I wish I had started this sooner.”

It might have been a diet, a productivity method, a new habit or approach, or anything else you hadn’t done before, have started recently and regret not starting sooner.

Because it’s providing you with some amazing benefits. And you’re excited.

Maybe you didn’t know about it before. Maybe you’d heard about it but stubbornly refused to try it. Or maybe you started and stopped and now wish you had continued.

Don’t beat yourself up. You’re doing it now, it’s working, and you can continue.

Yay you.

One thing I wish I had started sooner is doing more self-improvement activities. As one blogger put it, “Regularly look for opportunities to do something your future-self will thank you for.”

What might that be for you?

In the context of building your law practice, what could you do this year or this month that you might be glad you did next year or next month?

Hire someone new? Start a new practice area? Finally, use ai?

How about marketing?

Some lawyers do little (or no) marketing. Or do things that aren’t working, are too expensive, or take too much time.

Or force themselves to do things they hate doing and wish there was another way?

Ring any bells?

You might already have a few ideas in your planner or on a “Someday/Maybe” list. Maybe it’s time to look at them again and choose one.

If it doesn’t work, or you hate it, no worries. Try something else.

On the other hand, you might not have any ideas. You’ve been busy working or putting out fires.

You’re willing to try something, but you need ideas.

In which case, I suggest you make “ideation” a regular part of your workflow.

Schedule a recurring task on your calendar or in your task app, even just ten minutes per week, to brainstorm, search, read or watch videos. Let yourself discover, or rediscover, options for bringing in new clients, increasing your income, decreasing expenses, or finding more satisfaction in your work.

Take notes. Write down questions. Talk to someone who might be able to help.

At the very least, plant the idea in your brain; let it create more ideas for you, and remind you to look at them.

And then try one of those ideas.

Who knows, it might be the one thing you wish you had started sooner.

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Filed Under: Law office management, Marketing Plan, Personal development, success

If you’re not getting things done, this might be the reason. And a simple way to fix it.

June 30, 2026 by
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If you aren’t as productive as you would like to be, it might simply be because you’re bored. Work you once found interesting and challenging might now feel mundane and uninspiring. You’ve seen it and done it all and now you’re filling out the same forms you’ve filled out 100 times before. 

It’s hard to do your best work (and enjoy it) when you’re bored. 

Remember when you first started practicing? Everything was new, the work was difficult and exciting, and you never knew what to expect. The work was anything but boring. 

If you want to be more productive you have to find a way to recreate some of the excitement you once felt about the job. 

You have to change something. 

That doesn’t mean you need to start a new practice area, offer a new service, take on a new parter, or start a new marketing or advertising program, although those would likely do the job. You might simply change something about how you interview prospective clients, start doing exit surveys or asking clients for testimonials or reviews. 

Maybe it’s time to start outlining your book. Maybe it’s time to retire your Windows computer and get a Mac, or get a new writing program or task management app.

Anything will do. 

Maybe your library needs refreshing. Try handwriting your meeting notes instead of typing. Attend a different networking group, start exercising, or take acting lessons. 

My best advice? Do something that scares you. Something you’ve never done before. 

Because while it’s hard to be productive when you’re bored, it’s hard to be bored and unproductive when you do something new. And scary. 

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Filed Under: Productivity, success

Who has your ear?

June 23, 2026 by
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When was the last time you took inventory of the people you know and associate with the most? Partners, business associates, other lawyers in your market or group you regularly speak with, or experts you hire to advise you. 

Who influences you? 

Maybe you’ve known them for years and rely on them daily. Or maybe you don’t know them personally but follow them on social, watch their channel, or read their posts. 

Be careful. They could be your undoing.

They could be decent people. Well intentioned and mean you no harm. You might like and trust them without question. But if they have bad ideas and you listen to those ideas, they could lead you down the wrong path. 

We’ve all seen law partnerships or business partnerships break up for this reason. Marriages and families, too. Someone followed someone’s advice or example and it destroyed what was once a good business or relationship. 

It’s called “the law of association”. We become like the people we associate with most. Sometimes, that’s good. Sometimes it isn’t. 

The message? We all have other people in our life who influence us and we need to spend as much time with the right ones. People who inspire us and set a good example for us. People who influence us in positive ways. 

And avoid (or spend less time with) the ones who don’t. 

No doubt you know this and agree with it. But it’s easy to forget something. It’s easy to forget that people change. Things happen. The people we know and are influenced by are themselves influenced by others. 

Which is why we must regularly take inventory of the people in our life. We might like them and trust them, even love them, but people change and we can take nothing for granted. 

Pay attention. Ask questions and listen to the answers. Watch what they do. 

As someone famously said, “Trust, but verify.” 

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Filed Under: Personal development, success

A simple way to get people to trust you

May 26, 2026 by
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Prospective clients hire lawyers they trust. If they hired you in the past, or been referred to you by someone who knows and trusts you, they’re more likely to choose you to represent them because of that trust. 

What if they don’t know you? Or been referred to you? What can you do to gain their trust?

Yes, show them testimonials, describe your successes in the courtroom, list your publishing and speaking credits–the usual indicia of authority go a long way towards building trust. But what if you don’t have those tools in your toolbox, or what if they aren’t enough? 

The answer? Leadership. Show them you’re not like other lawyers, you are a leader. 

A simple way to do that is through your marketing messages (ads, articles, social posts, website, etc.). When they convey confidence, when you sound successful and have a positive outlook, people are more likely to trust you. 

Because you appear to be a leader and people are attracted to leaders.

Nobody wants to hire a lawyer who sounds unsure of their abilities or their future. They want to be represented (protected) by someone who is very good at what they do, and knows it, and is optimistic about the future, because they playing a role in creating it. 

Clients are attracted to lawyers who are confident, enthusiastic, and forward-looking. Lawyer who talk about ideas and opportunities, growth and positivity, a better world for himself and his clients. 

They aren’t attracted to lawyers who dwell on doom and gloom. That kind of drama may get some attention on social media, but long term, nobody wants to follow someone with that kind of message.

People want to work with a lawyer who knows where they are going and is excited about going there. 

Show people your optimism and belief in a better future.

In your posts, your messages, your articles and interviews, talk about the future you are building.

Talk about projects you’re working on, other leaders you are aligned with, great causes you support and are helping to gain traction. 

Show them your belief in a better future and they will want to join you.

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Filed Under: Communication, success Tagged With:

It’s simple

May 12, 2026 by
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Building a successful practice isn’t easy. There are no shortcuts or hacks. Even if you have a lot of money and experience, even if you’re very good at what you do and have a great reputation, it takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (and years) to build the career and lifestyle I’m sure you want. 

Stop looking for the secret sauce. Success is complicated. 

But it’s also simple. 

Yes, you have to get a lot of things right, but most of those things are small and obvious. You probably do most of them already.

Treating clients like you would like to be treated if you were in their shoes, for example. Being nice. Patiently explaining things. Going the extra mile. 

Simple things like that. 

But there’s a catch. You can’t be complacent. You have to keep doing the little things and you have to continuously improve them. 

Professional services, after all. 

So, here’s your plan: 

Take inventory of every element in your marketing, client relations, and practice management. Brainstorm, talk to your employees and partners, and write down everything you do to get and keep clients and perform your services. Everything you do to attract them, get them to hire you, get them to return, and tell others about you. 

It might be things you already do well but it could also be things that need fixing, or things you don’t do at all. 

It should be a long list. Because success is complicated. 

Next, the part that’s simple. 

Choose something on your list you believe can be improved. Even a little. Because in any business, but especially in professional services, small, incremental improvements can make a very big difference. Attorneys work closely and directly with clients and those who can refer them, and little improvements get noticed. 

All those little improvements compound and help you grow.

So, pick something and work on it. Make it better. Do it faster. Help clients and prospects feel a little better about you and your office. 

Pick something you can improve and improve it. Then, look for something else and do that. 

That’s the plan. And you can start on it immediately. 

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Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Law office management, success

How long has it been for you?

May 5, 2026 by
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When was the last time you asked a client why they chose you instead of another lawyer or firm? When was the last time you tried a new marketing strategy, billing method, or productivity tool? 

How long has it been since you did something new or different in your practice? If it’s been a long time, maybe it’s time to do something about that. 

Contact an old client to say hello and ask how they’re doing. Write some content on a subject you usually don’t write about. Interview a new ad agency to see what they think about your existing campaigns. 

Any change could make a huge difference in the success of your practice. 

Anything. 

It might be small compared to what you currently do or have done in the past. It might be only slightly different from what other attorneys in your market do. It could be as seemingly small as adding a new success story or testimonial to the “About” page on your website, or sending hand-written thank you notes instead of doing everything digitally. 

It might be as small as updating your forms or editing your form letters. It also might be big as starting a new practice area or opening another office in another part of town. 

You might write your first article or blog post or record your first YouTube video. You might talk to other attorneys about a possible partnership or marketing alliance, or interview a new office manager or business coach. 

Maybe you’ll do something with ai. Or commit to writing short, daily posts instead of your current once-a-month schedule. 

The question isn’t how big or small it is, or even what it is. The question is when was the last time you did something different?

Change is uncomfortable for most people but especially for attorneys. What if it fails and I look bad? What if it costs too much and returns too little? What if it takes up too much time or distracts me from my billeable hours?

I know. I think those things too. 

Instead of thinking what if it doesn’t work, we should think about what if it does.

What if ian idea leads to bringing in twice as many new cases this year? What if it allows you to increase revenue by thirty or forty percent? What if it gives you more free time you can use to do something else?

What if it makes you happy?

By definition, most changes won’t work, or won’t work well enough to be worth the effort. But the fact that most ideas flop doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try new things, it means we should try more of them. 

Because one good idea could be worth a fortune to you. 

I know, you’re skeptical. Don’t have time to think about what you might do, let alone try it. Need to stop reading this and get back to work.

Okay, but I have one more question for you. 

When was the last time you thought like a business owner and not like a lawyer? 

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Personal development, success

A proven way to build a new law practice or niche

April 23, 2026 by
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I didn’t learn how to build my practice in law school (or college). Or by reading books or taking courses. I learned it by observing what other lawyers were doing successfully and doing what they were doing.

I copied them, and you should do the same . Find successful lawyers and firms in your niche or market and do what they’re doing, or did.

Forget originality. You can experiment later. For now, be a copycat.

Target the same market or niche. Use the same keywords. Advertise in the same publications.

If they have a newsletter, you should, too. If they network at a certain organization or meeting, that’s where you should be. If they create videos or podcasts, you should consider doing that, too.

At least for now.

Do what they do not necessarily to compete with them but to learn from them. They’ve made some good decisions, met some of the right people, created content that brings in leads, and conducted themselves in ways that helped them attract clients and referrals.

It worked for them. There’s a good chance it will work for you.

Their success is proof that there is a viable market for the types of services you offer, and the ways you have available for offering them. So, learn from them. Study their websites. What’s on the home page? What other pages do they feature? What forms do they use? What offers do they make?

Read every page and take notes. How do they describe their services? Do they display testimonials or success stories? How many and what do they say? Do they have a slogan or catchphrase? Do they do something that makes them stand out?

Study their content. Read their articles and blog posts. Watch their videos. What topics do they write about? How often do they publish? How long is their average article or audio?

Do they use social media? Which platforms? How often do they post? What do they say, what do they offer? How do they engage with followers?

Watch what they do. Subscribe to their content, go to their seminars, read everything they write or that is written about them.

If you meet one of their former clients or employees, talk to them. See what they can tell you about what that lawyer did well and/or any mistakes they might have made.

Talk to other professionals in the market and see what they think about what that firm does or how they market their services.

You don’t need to do this for every lawyer in your niche. Just a few who are successful and consistent, a few of your so-called competitors.

So-called because you’re not going to go head-to-head against them; you’re going to do what they do, or have done, but better.

A better version of their website, ads, or articles. Make yours simpler or, if the market demands it, more comprehensive. Do the same things but more often. Add more social channels, or concentrate on one or two. Use the keywords they use but increase your bids. Run the same kinds of seminars but promote them to different lists.

What they do has worked for them and will work for you. Especially if you do them better.

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Filed Under: Marketing legal services, success

We become what we think about

April 9, 2026 by
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In the 1950s, motivational speaker Earl Nightingale created The Strangest Secret audio program, which told the world, “We become what we think about.” It said our beliefs and internal dialogue, what we regularly think about and focus on, directly influence our decisions and behaviors, our attitudes and expectations, and in this way, literally shape our reality. 

I’ve seen evidence of this being true throughout my life. Haven’t you? 

So, a question for you. What do you think about your law practice and career? What do you see for your future?

Do you see your practice as a way to use your skills and knowledge to pay your bills, or do you see it as a way to earn a fortune? Do you see yourself continuing to do what you do now, or do you think about a different future? 

One lawyer enjoys being a sole practitioner and doesn’t want or expect that to change. Another lawyer sees a future as the senior partner in a big firm. One lawyer thinks about opening a bigger office and growing his or her income to multiple-six figures. Another lawyer sees opening many offices and earning tens of millions.  

Your practice could be a great way to earn a living or it could be a way to change the world.

What do you believe about your future? What do you think about? What do you want?

There is no right or wrong answer, of course. But what you think about is likely to be what you become, so choose wisely.

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Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Increase your income, success
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