The young lawyers I coached over the years were in big firms and smaller firms, different parts of the United States and Canada, different practice areas, different personality types and a variety of other unique characteristics. The lawyers I am helping find new law firms also differ in many ways.

Yet, to the person, the most successful young lawyers I coached shared these attributes, and I look for these attributes in lawyers seeking my help now.

1. They were patient, persistent and persevered
2. They knew their strengths and focused their client development efforts on things that suited those strengths
3. They developed a plan for their non-billable time and written goals
4. They worked regularly and consistently on client development
5. They were seeking to become more visible and credible to their target market
6. They were getting feedback on their ideas and how they are doing
7. They found ways to hold themselves accountable
8. They found meaningful ways to stay in touch with their contacts
9. They all wished they had started their efforts earlier in their career
10. They were willing to get outside their comfort zone

Law firms look for lawyers with those attributes. I know, I looked for those lawyers when I was practicing law.