Recently I read Why Intelligent People Fail. It was a list of reasons why people who would seem to have what it takes to be outstanding, don’t become outstanding. It made me think of some really smart lawyers I have known who never make rain. Here is my list of reasons why they don’t. They are:

  1. If a young lawyer, just focused on getting their hours;
  2. Not motivated;
  3. Not curious;
  4. Not interested in learning about their client’s business;
  5. Content working for someone else’s clients;
  6. Unable to take the first step on client development;
  7. Not planning and using non-billable time wisely;
  8. Not willing to go the extra mile;
  9. Not good at dealing with people;
  10. Not interested in getting help and feedback from a senior lawyer;
  11. Eating lunch at their desk or with lawyers in their own firm;
  12. Not going to networking events, or going and only hanging out with lawyers in their firm;
  13. Not writing articles or blogging;
  14. Not giving presentations to groups of potential clients;
  15. Not doing other activities to build their visibility and credibility;and/or
  16. Thinking pessimistically and seeing the problem in every opportunity.

After I wrote this post, I came across a post titled: Why Winners Win and Losers Lose. Take a look at the list. I believe it captures most, if not all, the differences.

Finally, I want to thank Lindsay Griffiths for her outstanding recap summary of the LexBlog Webinar Client Development 101 for 2011 and Beyond. If you are a young lawyer and want practical ideas to get started or if you are more experienced and want reminders, please click and read Lindsay’s recap.