No one really likes conducting performance reviews. For some reason, lawyers seem particularly averse to providing feedback. Perhaps this is because much of the work lawyers do is based on individual performance, or because few lawyers are trained in the art of staff or attorney supervision. Giving reviews is also a formal way of delivering feedback and, despite their alleged penchant for dealing well with conflict, I found that lawyers do not like delivering any kind of bad news.

When I began consulting, it was my plan to focus on working with corporations. But one of the first calls I received was from the managing partner of one of the international accounting firms. When I said I wasn’t an accountant, he replied, “You don’t need to know accounting. You just need to understand a partnership.” That firm became a client and I began to learn how partnerships should work. Over time, I came across a short piece that beautifully and succinctly defined a successful partnership. It was exactly the message I had been trying to deliver to law firms and accounting firms. Since then, I have used this piece as the opening section in all my reports and I have seen it change the attitude and culture of many. It's pretty simple. Here it is ...

I learned everything I ever need to know about client service the first time I closed a deal on my own. I was a young client, anxiously micro-managing a negotiation that my outside counsel (whom I’ll call Steve) could have mastered in his sleep. One night, after we had reviewed the negotiation strategy with the team (yet again!), Steve called me directly and said ...

One of the fastest ways to improve your typing on the iPad's on-screen keyboard is to take advantage of the shortcuts feature introduced in iOS 5. The shortcuts feature works like Autocorrect’s non-evil twin, turning your abbreviations into perfectly-typed chunks of frequently-used text anywhere you use iPad's on-screen keyboard. With a little planning and practice, you can use shortcuts to help save time, frustration and embarrassment when you type on your iPad's keyboard. ...

I confess that writing a post about ways to measure social media performance took some thinking, mainly because I don’t put much stock in the typical metrics, like follower count. Getting people to follow you is easy. Getting people to engage requires effort. And with the proliferation of social networks, keeping track of who you are engaging, and where, is quite the challenge. Factor in blog comments and we’re off to the races. So how to keep track of it all? Simple answer: Tools. Duh. But what tools? Here are some Friday Five options ...

In their best-selling book Time Management for Attorneys: A Lawyer’s Guide to Decreasing Stress, Eliminating Interruptions & Getting Home on Time, Shawn McNalis and Mark Powers offer strategies to manage your most scarce resource. Here, Shawn explains how to use one of the "Key Time Template Blocks" described in the book. Using it helps you beat back constant interruptions and get more out of your day. ...

I’ll admit it—networking is one of my least favorite parts of my job. I wish everyone just knew who I was, thought I was fabulous and that my phone was ringing off the hook with more business than I can handle. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. So every week I attend two to four networking meals and happy hours. Casual chit-chat with strangers over mini appetizers is not my idea of a fun evening. As a business owner, however, it’s important to make connections within my community. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned that help me navigate networking events ...

There’s a scene in "Men in Black II" where Agent J (Will Smith) tells Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones), “Don’t push the red button.” Of course, he does. The car he’s driving suddenly transforms into one that flies, and the steering wheel is replaced by an unfamiliar object that looks like a Playstation controller. When K asks what it is, J responds, “Didn’t your mom ever buy you a Playstation?” To which K replies, “A what?” For some reason, I identify strongly with K in that scene.

Every business has to generate cash to survive, whether you run a Fortune 500 company or a shaved ice stand—or a law practice. Most businesses pay expenses well in advance of delivering services and then invoicing the client. Accounting for the time lag between cash going out and cash coming in requires careful planning and […]

When it gets right down to it, what lawyers do is all about clients. Those wonderful, awful, charming, annoying, challenging and gratifying people who actually pay you to do your work. So we are declaring it "This Business of Clients" week here at Attorney at Work. You will receive some new and some of our best encore posts this week, designed to give you and your desk-side manner a quick refocus. Good for you. Good for them. First up? Roy Ginsburg and the guy who cuts his hair. ...