I recently had the honor of being asked to participate in a post at Attorney at Work. Along with several other experts, I was asked to provide guidance regarding a theoretical situation in which a lawyer suddenly finds him- or herself with no work at all.  

I hope that such situations remain theoretical, but if that should happen to someone you know, or if the work agenda begins to look a bit threadbare, there are steps that can be taken.

My advice via Attorney at Work was this:

“Go visit some clients. Make a list of clients you have served and phone them to let them know you will be in their neighborhood (or city, yes, buy a plane ticket), and ask if you can stop by for coffee “to pay your respects on your dime.” Think about an article or preventative checklist you could leave behind that might be helpful to each client visited—customize and personalize … as if they were the only client in the world—like dating, remember? While there, ask questions about your client contacts personally (family, kids), their business and their industry. Your reason is simply to understand them better—and their needs—should they require your help in the future. Odds that you visit at least 10 clients and don’t get retained? Zero. Odds that you’ll get retained if you stay in your office and sulk? Also zero. You choose.”

You can read the entire article here.

Your comments are, as always, welcome.