I recently visited my doctor for my regular check-up. After studying my labs, she told me to eat fewer carbs, exercise more and lose some weight. I have heard that advice before and sometimes I even start to implement the advice.

But, by the time I visit again I am back where I started.

I know what I need to do, and back fifteen or so years ago I did it. I lost weight down to 150 pounds. How? I broke down my eating and my exercise into smaller components and kept track of how I was doing on each.

Okay, I am confessing this to you because I promise to write a blog in 2021 saying how I am doing. I’m determined to break it down again.

I often wonder if law firms are teaching client development to young lawyers in 2020? Is your firm?

If your firm is teaching client development to young lawyers, how are you doing it?

If your firm is just having a speaker do an on-line presentation to your young lawyers I doubt many will change and follow through. They will look at client development as if they were climbing Mount Everest and will not take the first step.

I gave many presentations on client development at law firm retreats, new partner orientation and for bar associations. My goal was always to motivate and inspire young lawyers and give them practical tips they can implement to bring clients into the firm.

But, as lofty as my goal and as interested the lawyers were in learning, I realized that no matter how well I presented ideas and tips, very few lawyers  retained the information and even fewer actually made the changes necessary to apply what they had learned.

To get your young lawyers more involved in client development, break down your training into smaller components and let them implement those components a piece at a time. Then, follow up to see if they got it and see if they are making changes. The follow up is as important as the initial efforts.

After all, you are not teaching them how to do a client development crash diet. Instead you are teaching them how to make a life style change.