Page 27 - Minnesota Vol 8 No 3
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Maybe You’ve Already Done Both.
 e key to “lawyering di erently” is to  rst “see di erently.” If you don’t want to burn out or top out, then you must get out. What I mean by “get out” probably isn’t what you’re thinking—though many of your successful predecessors have done just that.
You don’t have to leave the practice of law to become more successful. But, you do have to abandon the path you’ve been on for so long.  is will be very di cult for most. To some, this advice will sound like someone telling you that it’s actually easier to ride a bike up- side down.
Is anyone at your  rm doing it the way you hope to do it? If so, is there a clear path, and room for another lawyer, to have the same lifestyle?
If the answer is, “yes,” then I have to ask you why everyone hasn’t taken it already.
If the answer is, “no,” then you have to con- sider a di erent path to the level of success you want to achieve. You have to look at what people who have less education, training, and experience have done—and have made much more money than you have.  ey abandon the wide path and take chances.
Case Study: A (Hair) Cut Above
My friend, Gordon Logan, was in my Vistage CEO Group. Every month, he was the happiest member there. One day, he told me he wasn’t always so cheerful. Many years before, Gordon wanted to leave his fantastic job at a Big Eight accounting  rm. He had an impressive education with degrees from MIT and Wharton, as well as a highly-desired po- sition at the  rm. But, he wanted something else.
Gordon wanted to create a hair cutting sys- tem for men and boys. People around him said, “Um, Gordon, that’s completely crazy.  e concept already exists: it’s called a barber- shop.  ere’s a hundred thousand of them.”
But what Gordan knew, and proved, was that millions of men wanted a di erent hair- cutting experience.
Today, the family-owned SportClips fran- chise has 2000 stores nationwide.  ey adver- tise on ESPN and other national media.  ey even sponsor a Nascar Team car with a Sports Clips logo.
Does Price Waterhouse have a Nascar team? Does your  rm? If you keep working hard and billing higher rates to more clients, will you ever own a Nascar Team, be able to advertise on ESPN, leave an amazing business to your
family, or have an impressive classic car col- lection (like Gordon does)?
The Worst Kind of Millionaire
I tell my attorney clients, “Working harder and longer will take you to the top ten percent, and it might get you to the top one percent, But it will almost certainly keep you from the 0.01%.”
You must see di erently and lawyer di er- ently.
In the legal world, the attorneys who make the most money take chances. Sure, person- al injury attorneys might get a bad rap, and some deservedly so. Consider what your ambulance-chasing colleagues actually do to make so much money.  ey are willing to give up tracking their lives in 6-minute increments (which clients absolutely hate) in lieu of a per- centage of their client’s success (which clients love).
Are You Ready to take a Risk to get more out of your Career- and your Life?
You Want More Out of Law. Now What?
If you are ready, do yourself a favor. Don’t run these ideas by your colleagues at the law  rm. Talk to entrepreneurs. Talk with me. Start with your business-owner clients who take risks every day.  ey will be much better resources as you plan your new path.
Consider surveying your clients, or tak- ing them out for lunch or co ee (your treat and o  the clock, of course) and asking these questions:
1. Why did you hire me? (or) Why did you  re me?
2. What do you love about working with me? 3. What do you wish was di erent?
4. What do you like about our  rm?
5. What do you dislike about our  rm? 6.What do you like (and dislike) about
working with lawyers?
7. In a client-focused law  rm, how would
things be di erent?
 at last question is the most important.
If you focus on what clients dislike most
about working with your profession, you will  nd the change that could be very innovative, disruptive, and pro table!
Chris Jarvis is an author and entrepreneurial strat- egist. He has worked with over 1,000 professional  rms in his 25-year career. You’ll  nd valuable re- sources at www.TheChrisJarvis.com and in his bestselling book, 6 Secrets to Leveraging Success— A Guide for Entrepreneurs, Family Of ces, and their Trusted Advisors. Email Chris for a free chapter at [email protected]
“Why
do the very top earners
in this country have the least formal education?”
“I looked at people who made it to the top 0.1 percent and earned a minimum of $800,000 a year.”
AttorneyAtLawMagazine.com
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