Lawyers afraid to talk? No, it is not the punchline to a joke but, rather, the reality for more than you may think. Social anxiety expert Jonathan Berent, who has worked with more than 10,000 individuals, calls this fear of speaking “selective mutism.” In lawyers, he says it often shows up at networking events, in the courtroom, and even in the most casual encounters during meetings or around the office.

Last week, Tom Mighell made the compelling argument for investigating whether the iPad can add value to the way you provide service to your clients. Today, in hopes of persuading those of you with lingering doubts, he discusses the best part about having an iPad: The apps!

If you’re like most people, learning that you have to speak to a big group is the closest you ever come to peeing your pants. Yes, there are a few who just seem to thrive on it. But they’re rare. And they aren’t us, right? So, since we know that public speaking is one of the critical elements in most lawyers' business development plans, we decided to give you a little help.

In her previous post Wireless: Hot Spot Safety Tips, Sheila Blackford explained how to connect safely from a café, airport or other public place. Here's her advice on the plugging the Wi-Fi holes at home as well.

It's important—vitally important—to understand the full capabilities of the software used in your practice, even if you don't actually use it yourself. That means you need to know the "what" even if you never learn the "how." Otherwise, you’ll never really know if the people assisting you are working efficiently. What’s to be done? Swallow that bitter pill and get some training!

It happens to every lawyer—although hopefully not too often. You propose or quote a fee to a client or prospective client and are greeted with a response such as “I can’t afford it” or “How can you have the nerve to charge that?” When that happens, don’t get angry, or defensive, or cry. It’s all part of a game. And here is how you play it.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock or stuck on a deserted island for the past month, you’ll have likely noticed the fanfare that accompanied Apple’s recent unveiling of its latest “must-have” toy, the iPad 2. The new tablet device sold out within hours the day it was released, and it appears the iPad 2 […]

We’ve always figured that when really smart people talk, it’s generally a good idea to stop talking and listen. This Friday Five is an opportunity to do just that. Let’s eavesdrop on what some of our Attorney at Work Advisors have been doing online during the month of March.

Nothing makes me happier than getting my head around complicated issues and feeling mastery over my chaotic, 21st-century life. And nothing helps me organize my scattered, Internet-addled brain cells better than mind mapping. Put simply, mind maps are a form of fluid, visual note-taking arranged around a core idea. Essentially, they allow you to dump […]

Fred sat at the end of the table, sweating and looking at the six of us as we waited expectantly for his decision. He hemmed, he hawed. And he asked to go over the options yet one more time. “It’s easy, Fred. Settle or sue. We’ve been here over an hour, now make the call.”