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Coaching is a field that has exploded since I graduated from law school in the late 1980s.  There are now life coaches, business coaches, executive coaches, marketing coaches, career coaches, and coaches like me who borrow a little from each.  Coaching is about achieving your goals and moving past roadblocks that are getting in the way of your success. A good coach is a sounding board and holds you accountable to your stated goals.  But not every coach uses the same tools or focuses on the same things. My own focus is helping lawyers to stop thinking like a lawyer when they are not giving legal advice. In this episode, I speak with a career leadership coach who takes a different approach from my own.  She talks about her approach to attorney coaching, why attorneys make good clients, and how she helps lawyers manage their energy to move towards their goals. Emily Hirsekorn is a certified career leadership coach who works with attorneys. She speaks regularly on authentic leadership, work-life balance, career fulfillment, confidence, and energy management. After earning her JD, she represented educational institutions in employment law and special education matters. She then left the practice to conduct anti-bias education, and soon after, moved into law school career development at the University of San Diego where she worked for six years.  In 2020 Emily launched her coaching business and now lives in her hometown of Kansas City with her husband, two children, and two rescue pups She is passionate about disrupting outdated legal industry norms, advancing women in male-dominated industries, anti-bias education, and animal rescue. Additional Resources Energy Leadership Assessment (mentioned in the episode) Emily Hirsekorn's Career Accelerator for Lawyers Who Lead

In this episode, I'm very pleased to welcome back Kevin Agnew.  I spoke with Kevin just about a year ago about his career path.  We talked about the career services program he runs at one of the largest firms in the world, and he shared many pearls of wisdom for lawyers who are navigating their careers in private practice. If you haven’t heard it, you may want to go back and listen to Episode 83 first. Kevin Agnew is Director of Attorney Career Services at Latham and Watkins, an international law firm with almost 3000 lawyers. He runs the firm's career design program and oversees the global Alumni Program. In a confidential coaching environment. He works with attorneys on the full range of career issues.  Kevin created the program and now offers services to attorneys at the firm, firm alumni, and friends of the firm. In this episode, we continue the conversation we started and focus more on what success looks like in private practice. Additional Resources Episode 83-Career Services at Latham & Watkins-How One Law Firm is Creating New Models for Success Episode 91-Transitioning Your Legal Career to In-house and Beyond With Amy Katz Take Steve Seckler's career assessment and sign up for a complimentary discovery session Career Paths: Mapping Out Your Future (Program Notes from a Boston Bar Association Panel Discussion)    

I really enjoy stories about lawyers who have taken their careers on a less traditional path. I especially enjoy speaking with lawyers who have done some very unlawyerly and more entrepreneurial things. At the same time, I’m always looking for guests who can speak to my audience about alternative ways to practice, particularly when it involves better work life balance. My guest in this episode, Erin Giglia,  has deep knowledge about both subjects.   Erin practiced at several major firms in Southern California until she co-founded Montage Legal Group in 2009. Montage Legal Group is a nationwide network of experienced contract/freelance attorneys with impressive credentials from top law schools and training in prestigious law firms. Montage’s attorneys assist law firms with temporary and substantive legal projects on an hourly basis, providing a cost-effective way to manage case overflow. Erin talks about building her business. She also discusses how lawyers, particularly women, can get back into the work force after an extended break.

In this episode, I speak with Ben Sachs of the Landing Group.    Ben is the author of a terrific new book entitled: All Rise-Practical Tools for Building High-performance Legal Teams. In the conclusion of the book Ben writes:  For many attorneys, the legal work is their comfort zone.  They would rather be consumed by case law, deal papers, policy memos, or other traditional billable tasks then have to navigate a tricky issue of team dynamics or dysfunction. In this episode, Ben addresses those issues head on and why good leaders need to change these attitudes.  He also talks about his own alternative legal career. Ben Sachs is President of The Landing Group.  He is an expert in management, strategy, negotiation, and communication. He serves on the teaching faculty of the University of Virginia School of Law, offering courses on negotiation, public speaking, and legal ethics. Ben also provides consulting and training services for government and private sector organizations in the United States and internationally. His past clients cover a wide range of industries, from law firms to telecommunications providers to retail and more. Additional Resources 15 Tips For Leadership Success Episode 80-Leadership for Lawyers-Moving Up in Your Law Firm or Corporate Law Department Episode 89-Carol Marzouk-The Executive Lion Tamer

In this episode, I'm coming off of a string of marketing successes. Therefore, instead of interviewing someone else, I've decided to share my experiences. The Reader's Digest version is that most lawyers who achieve marketing success do so through a variety of channels. The important thing is to choose the channels where you'll find your clients and referral sources. But it is equally important to choose activities that you like. In the end, you won't be able to predict which ones will work and which ones won't.  And that is to be expected. Related Episodes Episode 100-Word of Mouth Marketing with Michael Katz Episode 79-Digital Marketing for Your Law Firm: Getting the Right Mix Episode 74-Turning Business Conversations into Business Episode 63-LinkedIn in 30 Minutes (with Kristyn Brophy) Episode 44-Getting the Most from Networking Meetings and Troikas

When I work with lawyers who are doing career exploration, I always encourage them to have informational interviews with attorneys who can give them some perspective.  The lawyers who have the best career perspective are attorneys who have varied work experience.  My guest, Linda Ricci, is an attorney who has A LOT of that perspective. Linda Ricci is a partner with the law firm Greenberg Traurig which she joined in the Spring of 2021.  Prior to that, she spent 15 years as an Assistant United States Attorney in Boston. Linda began her legal career with two federal court clerkships, worked for two other major law firms, and spent two years as in-house counsel prior to joining the US Attorney’s office. Today, she focuses her practice on white collar criminal defense, including matters related to corporate compliance, internal investigations, and government investigations. I invited Linda to talk about the career lessons she has learned working in several public sector jobs, three different law firms, and a stint in-house. Additional Resources Episode 78-Transitioning to General Counsel-Career Lessons from a Litigator Episode 50-A Late Career Shift to Public Service Episode 38-Breaking the Glass Ceiling on a Part-time Schedule

In this episode, Michael Katz, returns to Counsel to Counsel after a 3 year hiatus. In 2019, Michael and I spoke about how to use newsletters as an effective marketing tool. Check out Episode 29 of this podcast. Newsletters have only grown in value, especially during the pandemic when in-person marketing went away. As many of us have resumed in-person activities, however, live relationship building is moving back to center stage. Of course it never truly went away and Zoom made sure of that. But more than ever, we now have the chance to build strong referral relationships by participating in activities that we enjoy. One of the challenges of relationship building is how to stay top of mind so that our prospective clients and referral sources will think of us when they hear about an opportunity that is right for us. If you are like me, it is easy to deliver a lengthy discourse when someone asks what you do. In all likelihood, you do a lot of things. And some of those things are actually hard to explain. While a lengthy discourse may be effective when you are making a closing argument in a $200 million dollar theft of trade secrets case, it’s probably not effective for generating referrals. So how do you make a lasting impression on someone so they will tell someone else to call you? Michael Katz has some great tips on that very subject. Michael Katz is an award-winning humorist and former corporate marketer. His company is Blue Penguin Development and he is founder and Chief Penguin. Michael specializes in coaching professional service firms and solos in improving their marketing. Since launching Blue Penguin in 2000, Michael has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Business Week Online, Bloomberg TV, Forbes.com, Inc.com, USA Today, and other national and local media. He is the author of four books and over the past 20+ years has published more than 500 issues of “The Likeable Expert Gazette,” a twice-monthly email newsletter and podcast with 6,000 passionate subscribers in over 40 countries around the world. And he is someone I have learned a lot from through our business networking group ProVisors. Additional Resources Episode 29-How Newsletters Can Set You Apart From the Competition Episode 74-Turning Business Conversations into Business Episode 44-Getting the Most From Networking Meetings and Troikas Making Introductions that Generate Referrals      

The pandemic was a mixed bag for me. As some of my listeners know, both of my parents died of COVID in April 2020. While that was very sad, it wasn’t tragic. My dad was 95, my mom was 94, neither suffered, and neither knew the other one was gone. At the same time, the lockdown created some great new opportunities to expand my network both here in New England and throughout the country. Zoom existed long before COVID. But going on-line in March of 2020 dramatically expanded my professional connections. Through my ProVisors business network, I met hundreds of great professionals in every corner of the United States. I now coach clients in New England, New York, Texas, South Carolina, Chicago, California, and Seattle. Beyond that, I’ve also met some other great people thanks to virtual platforms including today’s guest Rudy Rivera. Rudy is Chief International Counsel at Fidelity National Financial. He has extensive international litigation and business experience in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. I reached out to Rudy after listening in on one of his live streaming presentations. The subject was leadership and Rudy and his guest did a great job of offering some very practical advice. I reached out to Rudy afterwards to thank him, and he responded right away. He suggested that we speak and soon after we did. Since that time, I have listened in on a number of Rudy’s shows, Conversations With Rudy Rivera, and we have spoken about his career, his humble beginnings, and what it is like to manage counsel around the globe. I thought his story would be of great interest to my audience. In this episode, Rudy tells his story and offers up some great career advice for younger lawyers.

IMHO, the two most important words in the English language are "Thank You". As lawyers, we can be stingy in offering thanks to our colleagues and the people who support our work.  In addition, as we enter the holiday season and are thinking about showing more gratitude, now is a great time to start thinking about the changes we'd like to make in the coming year. In this special addition of Counsel to Counsel, I share my thoughts for Thanksgiving in the run up to 2023.

The subject of attorney well-being is a topic of conversation at most major law firms today.  Several years ago, the Report of the Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being was issued by the American Bar Association, Conference of Chief Judges, and other legal organizations.  It called well-being an essential element of a lawyer’s duty of competence. More recently, Law.com and ALM Intelligence  conducted a survey of lawyers and staff members, mostly from large firms, has found that anxiety, depression, and isolation remain at concerning levels.  And about 74% of the respondents thought that their work environment  contributed to their mental health issues. When asked about the factors  that had a negative impact on mental health, top concerns were always  being on call, billable hour pressure, client demands, lack of sleep, and lean staffing. In January of 2020, The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts created a Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being.  And there are similar initiatives in jurisdictions all over the United States. But what are the core issues that these committees are addressing?  Why are businesses paying attention to the subject? How are these issues playing out in a corporate environment and what can the legal community learn from corporate America. Mari Ryan has thought a lot about well-being in the workplace and while her focus is not the legal community per se, she has worked with companies in many industries to address these issues. Mari Ryan is a workplace well-being strategist, speaker, and award-winning author. Mari works with organizations to create workplaces where both the people and the business thrive. Mari is the author of award-winning book The Thriving Hive: How People-Centric Workplaces Ignite Engagement and Fuel Results. Additional Resources Episode 70-Shailini George on Doing Well and Being Well in the Law Episode 64-Building Your Practice and Your Management Skills with Mindful Communication Episode 33-Mindfulness, Biofeedback and the Practice of Law Massachusetts SJC Standing Committee on Lawyer Well Being (there are a lot of other resources on this site)

Is it possible to practice in the public interest at a major law firm?  How can you build a legal career working on complex commercial real estate deals while serving a higher purpose?  David Abromowitz has been doing that for almost 40 years. David Abromowitz is a real estate attorney who is nationally known for his work on complex development and finance deals.  A major focus of his practice has been on affordable housing and economic development.  He also has significant experience in workforce development issues supporting youth opportunities. David is a longtime partner in the law firm Goulston & Storrs, where he headed up the firm's real estate group and its pro bono committee. For the past dozen years he has been moving more into the non-profit and political realm. Most recently, David launched the New Power Project, a national effort supporting people who’ve grown up in underserved communities run for local and district elective office. Before that he served six years as Chief Public Policy Officer at YouthBuild USA. He is a past chair and founding member of both the Lawyers’ Clearinghouse on Affordable Housing and Homelessness and of the American Bar Association’s Forum Committee on Affordable Housing and Community Development.  He also served six years on the board of Mass Development, the Commonwealth’s economic development agency. And he recently wrote his first novel! Additional Resources Episode 21-Creating a Mission Driven Law Practice  Episode 41-Using Pro Bono to Build Your Skills and Enhance Your Career Satisfaction in a Time of Crisis

In the 25 years that I’ve been coaching attorneys, one of the common themes I hear is the desire to go in-house. We have spoken a number of times on this podcast about that. Conventional wisdom says that going in-house means becoming more of a generalist and many of the in-house counsel I have interviewed have found that their work broadened a lot once they left private practice. My guest in this episode, Misty Leon, took a different path. She has parlayed a niche practice into a great in-house role.  In this interview, we talk about her path into a corporate law department, what it is like to be in a compliance role in a rapidly changing legal environment, and how her life has changed since leaving private practice. What I love about having the chance to talk to Misty is that we have only met virtually. But since the pandemic, our paths have crossed many times on LinkedIn, on webinars, and in ways that would never have happened since Zoom took over the world. Misty Leon is legal counsel to Texas Instruments in Dallas.  She is a benefits attorney with 20 years of experience working with employer-sponsored retirement plans, health plans, and executive compensation plans. In 2021, she transitioned from being a partner at an employee benefits boutique firm to an in-house role. She also worked for several large law firms early in my career, and has represented both public and private employers, including governmental entities. Additional Resources Episode 91-Transitioning Your Legal Career to In-house and Beyond With Amy Katz Episode 78-Transitioning to General Counsel-Career Lessons from a Litigator Episode 66-Going In-house with David Sclar What I've Learned as In-House Counsel Frequently Asked Questions About Going In-House Episode 49-Adapting to Change, Pivoting to In-house and DEI in the Legal Profession Episode 39-An In-house Career in the Life Sciences

One of the things I love most about doing this podcast is that I get to meet really interesting people and interview them. My guest in this episode takes the meaning of “interesting” to a whole new level. Susan Ibitz is a face reading profiler who  describes herself as a Human Behavior Hacker.  Through her company, Human Behavior Lab, Susan has trained, consulted, and worked with lawyers, politicians, law enforcement, managers, sales teams, and literally anyone who wants to be more effective in reading body language. She was trained in profiling by the CIA, FBI, U.S Military, and international militaries.  She is certified as a Level III Hostage Negotiator and has many other certifications to her name.  Susan’s mission is to reach, teach, and train others to unlock the science behind human behavior.  She has worked with police departments, trial lawyers, sales teams, governments, and corporations as well as many other institutions.  She helps her clients utilize profiling skills to increase sales, team productivity, employee engagement, team building, strategy, effective communication, marketing, and growth.  She is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, English, and most importantly, body language, micro-expressions,  linguistic forensic analysis, and face reading with a mask or without. She has worked in the U.S., South America, Mexico, Europe, and the Caribbean.  In this episode, Susan talks about her work and offers us some practical tips that we can use to be more effective in and out of the courtroom as well as in leadership roles and in marketing our legal services.

Retirement today is very different than it was 50 years ago. People are living longer, and lawyers, like many other knowledge workers, have the ability to work well into their 60s, 70s and beyond. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was productive well into her late 80s. But for many lawyers, continuing to work is a default option rather than something that has been carefully planned out. Part of the reason is that lawyers have very strong professional identities. Part of the reason is finances.     As high-income earners, many lawyers fear that they won’t have enough money to last them throughout retirement. That fear needs to be addressed before decisions can be made.  From my perspective as a career coach, I see lawyers creating meaningful and productive “third chapters” of their lives. A crucial part of this is to look at finances.  Given how long many Americans are now living, taking the time to prepare to finance your possibly lengthy retirement is essential in making a successful career transition. Finances should really be the first step in any transition planning.  If you are healthy, it can be an exciting time of life.  Figuring out how you will make it all work financially is an important first step. My guest,  has written a new book on that very subject.  In this episode, we discuss her book and the financial considerations for lawyers who are planning for their next stage of life. Julie Jason is the author of The Discerning Investor: Personal Portfolio Management In Retirement For Lawyers (and Their Clients). Julie is an investment manager who started out on Wall Street as a lawyer. Thirty years ago, she founded her own Investment Counsel firm—Jackson, Grant, Investment Advisers, Inc. of Stamford, CT, a fiduciary boutique—where her team manages personal portfolios for high-net-worth families. She writes and speaks frequently on financial literacy and related topics .  I met Julie while serving on a panel put together by the  Senior Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association.  Other Resources Succession Planning for Your Career: What Comes Next? Episode 67-Retirement By Design (for Lawyers)

The pandemic put a damper on international travel.  It also reduced the opportunities for American lawyers to practice law overseas.  But as travel has returned, the demand for legal talent trained in the United States has never been stronger in the Far East. One country where the need is particularly strong is Japan. So what does it mean to practice in Japan? How do you find opportunities? What are some of the cultural differences and what do lawyers who are thinking about an international adventure need to know? My guest, Catherine O'Connell, has practiced law in Japan for over 20 years and has a lot of the answers. Catherine O’Connell is originally from New Zealand, and has worked for major firms in New Zealand, Tokyo and London. She has held several in-house positions for well know Japanese companies. Today, she has her own boutique law firm in Tokyo where she serves as a fractional lawyer providing on demand legal services to big and small companies. She also serves as an outside general counsel on retainer. She is the first foreign female lawyer to launch a firm in Tokyo. Catherine has won numerous awards and as host of the award winning Lawyer On Air Podcast. In the episode, Catherine discusses her experience in assimilating into the Japanese legal community.  We also be talk about lessons she has learned from producing her own podcast.

Over the last 25 years, I’ve spoken to many lawyers who have expressed interest in going in-house.  When I graduated from law school in the late 1980s, opportunities to work in a corporate environment were more limited.  Today, there are many more lawyers working in-house. So what has changed?  And more importantly, what does it mean to leave behind a law firm job.  Since most in-house jobs are no guarantee of lifetime employment, how should lawyers position themselves for future career success after they shift their careers in-house? My guest, Amy Katz,  is someone whose career I’ve been following for over 20 years.  She began her career in a large firm, but has experience working for a major biotech company, going back into private practice, and more recently, has been working in non-practicing roles as a recruiter. Today, Amy is the Chief Talent Officer for Outside GC. Prior to rejoining Outside GC she did in-house recruiting for Major, Lindsey & Africa where she focused on recruiting general counsel and other in-house attorneys in a wide range of industries, most notably life sciences and technology. Amy’s career experience also includes over 25 years as a practicing employment attorney. Prior to joining MLA, Amy was a Member at Outside GC, advising employers on a wide range of employment law matters, conducting workplace and academic investigations, and designing and delivering compliance training. Before that, she served as senior employment counsel for Genzyme Corporation. Amy began her legal career in the employment law department of the Boston law firm Foley Hoag LLP.  Most importantly, she is someone who I consider a friend. In this episode, Amy shares her insights about moving from private practice to in-house to a virtual law firm and finally into legal recruiting. Additional Resources Episode 86-Career and Life Lessons from Jim Durham-A Pioneer in Legal Marketing Episode 78-Transitioning to General Counsel-Career Lessons from a Litigator Episode 66-Going In-house with David Sclar (see show notes for additional resources)

In the legal profession, AmLaw100 law firms get most of the attention.  With eye popping salaries now being given to first year associates, it is easy to conclude that getting one of these jobs means you are at the pinnacle of the legal profession. While starting your career at a major firm has a lot advantages salary, and otherwise, the open secret is that many lawyers who work at these firms will end up leaving by the time they are midlevel associates. Some will go in-house, some will go to the public sector, and others will go to smaller firms. I’ve spoken to many lawyers who have stayed and continue to have fulfilling careers. But in my experience, many of these lawyers are much happier after they leave.  And the happiest lawyers are attorneys who have gone in-house or who have launched their own practice. In this episode, we talk about the latter. The decision to open your own practice is a daunting one. Lawyers as a group are somewhat risk averse. But it has never been easier to operate on your own or in a small partnership. Technology has made that so much easier. And I can say as a solo entrepreneur myself, that the rewards are many. Setting up your own shop requires a new mindset. Launching the practice is the first hurdle. But at some point, most lawyers want to grow or at least make their firms more profitable. Part of that is finding ways to generate more revenue. But another big part of that is finding ways to operate with greater efficiency.  Setting up better systems is important as companies grow and law firms are no different. In a great conversation, Mark Rockwell,talks about how to do that. Coach Rockwell, works with lawyers who are frustrated by their inability to scale up and become more profitable. He helps them create their vision, and implement an operating platform that builds healthy, thriving law firms. He is a graduate of Willamette University College of Law, and Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management. Mark is both an attorney and entrepreneur. He has started and grown several companies during his career, and he has struggled with the same frustrations and setbacks all lawyers and business owners experience.

In law school, we learn how to think like a lawyer.  We develop the analytical skills we need to analyze a case, draft documents, research legal issues and provide sound legal advice to our clients.  But like many  professionals,  we don't spend a lot of time studying the human  component of the practice of law. While some of us come to the practice with strong interpersonal skills,  many of us  have not been in a position to lead prior to entering the profession.  As lawyers move up the ranks  this can create problems. Lawyers who are individual contributors  may provide outstanding legal services to their clients.  But as they move into leadership roles in their firms,  they need a different set of skills.  And if they don’t have those skills, that can create a bad culture. Moreover, a bad work environment  can cause numerous problems for a law firm.  For starters, it can cause turnover which can be costly. As someone who spent many years earning a living in the recruiting business,  I know how much it can cost to replace a good lawyer. So what can law firms do?  To address some of the behaviors which are impeding the success  of their firm,  my guest,  Carol Marzouk, has some answers Carol is CEO and Chief Executive Lion Tamer for Leadership ‘N Soul. Her business is all about transforming behavior, relationships, and culture in the workplace. She founded it on the principle that nobody has to endure a toxic boss, toxic employees, or a toxic workplace. In this episode, Carol shares some tips for how to improve the culture, your firm and how to lead more effectively. I met Carol through my ProVisors business network, and I can say with certainty that she is someone who was very insightful and very generous with her time.  She is also a pleasure to speak to. Listen in for a great conversation about how to deal with toxicity in the workplace.  Whether you work with toxic people or recognize some of those behaviors in yourself, Carol has some great advice.

If you listen to this podcast or spend any time around me, you know that I am an enthusiastic member of ProVisors, a nationwide business networking group that is home to some great lawyers, accountants, financial planners, bankers, and many other trusted advisors. The thing I love most about the group is that I get to meet great professionals from all over the country.  One of those individuals who I met early on was Frank Rudewicz.  If you meet Frank, it won’t take you long to like him. He is the consummate professional who truly enjoys what he does. He is clearly invested in the success of those around him. And from his days at the FBI, he has great stories. I invited Frank on the show because Frank has deep experience doing investigations.  Since some of my audience are lawyers looking for alternatives to the traditional practice of law, I thought it would be great to have Frank on as a guest. In this episode, Frank and I talk about how he got to where he is today. He shares some thoughts about why lawyers make great investigators and offers some tips for anyone thinking about making a transition. Frank Rudewicz specializes in forensics and litigation support at the accounting firm CliftonLarsonAllen.  He has more than 30 years of experience conducting domestic and international investigations for fraud, forensic accounting, asset tracing and other litigation-related matters. He has appeared on NBC Dateline and Forensic Files for his investigative work. Frank is experienced in expert witness testimony and is the co-author of a book on Forensic Accounting and Fraud Investigation for Non-Experts.  Prior to joining CLA, , Frank served as Principal, Counsel and Partner-in-Charge of Forensic, Litigation and Valuation Services for several national accounting firms and Senior Managing Director and Counsel for an international risk consulting and investigative firm, as well as Vice President of a Super Regional Financial Institution. Earlier in his career, Frank spent 14 years in law enforcement with the Hartford Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Additional Resources Episode 77-Going Solo with Employment Law and Workplace Investigations Episode 19-Canoeing vs. Whitewater Rafting-A Career Conversation With Jose Sierra

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a big consumer of podcasts.  For me, podcasts are a significant part of my own ongoing professional development.  As someone who is not a big reader, I have also found podcasting an entertaining way to keep up on law, politics, marketing, and a host of other subjects that interest me including behavioral economics, psychology, mindfulness, true crime, health, and pop culture. And so I was very excited to stumble upon The Lawyer's Edge Podcast a few years ago.  My guest, Elise Holtzman, is the host of that podcast and I’ve now become a regular listener. I was even fortunate enough to be one of Elise’s guests last year. More importantly, I have been learning a LOT from Elise and her guests about a broad range of career and marketing topics. Lately, Elise has been focusing a lot of her conversations on the advancement of women in the law and given the depth of Elise’s own knowledge on the subject, I thought it would be great to invite her on to talk about some of the challenges that women face when trying to advance their careers. We talk about how the pandemic has impacted women, how her coaching helps women and non-women alike to develop the non-practice specific skills they need to be successful. Elise Holtzman is a former practicing attorney, certified executive coach, and the founder of The Lawyer’s Edge, where she and her coaching team help lawyers become better business developers and leaders. Elise began her career as a commercial real estate attorney at two AmLaw 100 firms.  She brings a deep understanding of the practice of law (and the demands of operating a firm) to her work. Elise frequently speaks  and writes on the subject of business development and career acceleration and as I already mentioned, she is host of a GREAT podcast. Additional Resources Episode 68-Are there Gender Differences in Legal Marketing?—What Men and Women Can Learn From Each Other About Building a Law Practice