I was looking at some of my old coaching files. In 2010, I coached 125 lawyers located in Canada, and from New York to California in the United States. In 2017, I’m coaching far fewer.
I was wondering, have firms developed their next generation of rainmakers? With more baby boomers retiring each year, business succession has never been more important.
I have always thought that business succession for law firms starts with making good hiring decisions.
A few years ago I posted what turned out to be a controversial post: Are You Hiring Law Students Who Will Succeed? I was trying to make the point that it takes more than good grades to be a successful lawyer. I received several comments from readers.
More recently I read an ABA Journal on-line article Why Law Firm Interviewers Are Asking ‘Tell Me About a Time’ Questions. As I said above, the answer is really simple: It takes more than good grades to be a successful lawyer.
According to the article law firms are looking at these four behavioral patterns:
- Decision-making and problem-solving skills
- Motivation
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- Planning and organization
I like questions looking at those behavioral patterns, but I would add two more:
- Integrity
- Cooperation, collaboration and teamwork
I would love to hear from you. Tell me about a time you….