On March 17, I will be doing a presentation for the Southwest Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association. The title of my presentation is Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers. When I get to the part on how to make the coaching program a great success, I plan to tell the marketing professionals that selecting the right lawyers to participate is the first and most important element. I will say:

The lawyers who need coaching the least, get the most out of it, because they put the most into it.

Dave Walton, a Cozen O’Connor litigation partner is a prime example. I wrote about Dave in a post in 2009: Take Small Steps for Success. I believe every lawyer in Dave’s coaching group saw the level of his commitment and that served to motivate other members.

Hayes Hunt is another Cozen O’Connor litigation partner who was highly motivated when I coached him. Hayes teaches trial advocacy and at my suggestion he started a litigation blog From the Sidebar. If you are a litigator or interested in litigation, I urge you to subscribe to the blog.

Yesterday Hayes sent me a link to a guest post Dave Walton had written: The King’s Speech, a Trial Lawyer’s Stutter. When you read it, you will better understand why Dave is so motivated to be successful. He has stuttered since he was a young child. In his first mock appellate argument in law school he was exhausted and stuttered more than usual. The lawyer playing the role of the appellate judge cried. Being a trial lawyer and having to deal with stuttering has made Dave tough and driven him to become the best he can be at anything he tries, including client development coaching. 

My friend Betsy Munnell said it well after reading Dave’s post:

Inspiring words from Dave Walton, a skilled trial lawyer with a King’s challenge, a King’s gift. 

I will share with the legal marketing professionals in Phoenix that the success of their coaching program will hinge on them finding lawyers like Dave Walton. I don’t mean finding lawyers who stutter. I mean finding lawyers who have that something special that drives them to learn and succeed.