Three Tips to Support Trial Lawyers + Litigators

BD skeptic? Nah. Just a born litigator.

I love to help trial lawyers and litigators in business development training, coaching, and strategy. Yet litigation teams can be tough to please. Here are three suggestions to help law firm marketing and BD pros succeed with the litigation crowd.

1. HARNESS THE ACTION BIAS: Trial lawyers and litigators are oriented toward action. They love a worthy fight. Once they see the benefit of an approach, they are all in. All those characteristics make for a rewarding client.

➡️ Harness this action bias by making recommendations, taking feedback, and revising together.

2. TAKE CALCULATED RISKS: Trial lawyers and litigators are trained skeptics. They spot weak points quickly and render eviscerating critiques, often without trying. (Pro tip: Many litigators are like 80-pound puppies. They mean well, but someone's gonna get hurt every now and again.)

➡️ Exuberant puppies are fun! Just know you may get nipped once in a while. That puppy isn't trying to hurt you; it just doesn't realize how easy it is to leave a mark. When you go in expecting a little bit of contact, it's much easier to roll with with the critique when a lawyer reacts to your ideas. Channel that reaction into improving on ideas together.

3. WORK THE RISK PARADOX: In many cases, trial lawyers and litigators are risk averse. They succeed by demonstrating past precedent. Yes, they also relish novelty, yet novelty wins based on tradition, not despite it. Gifted trial lawyers and litigators show how a novel application of the law is merely the next logical step.

➡️ You can do that, too. When you want to lead a trial lawyer or litigator into new ideas, show them how those ideas flow from and build on past successes, rather than attempting to convince lawyers to embrace something completely new.

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Want help supporting trial lawyers and litigators? Email me and let's chat. matt@axismarketingstrategies.com

Are you a talented trial lawyer or litigator? Are you unsure where to turn next for business development training, coaching, or strategy? Let's talk. I'll listen to what you want next in your practice and ask questions to help you quickly see if it makes sense to work together.

Even if you don't hire me, I bet you'll walk away with a couple new tricks to try immediately, on the house. What do you have to lose?