Cordell Parvin Blog

Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers

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By: Cordell Parvin LLC

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Cordell Parvin

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Before I get to the point of this post I want to share a couple of things with you. First, I had two surgeries in November. The first was an eye muscle surgery, to correct my left eye seeing below the right eye. I now realize why fly balls in the outfield kept bouncing up and down when I played baseball. The eye surgery was a walk in the park compared to the second surgery.…
Recently I posted a blog that made available for the first time my Client Development Video Coaching Program with the Participant’s Guide. Want to get the most out of the experience? I hope this helps. I am only rarely coaching lawyers in person these days. But, in the hopes you will get the most out of the free video program, I wanted to share with you a summary of an email I received years…
young-lawyers
I am under the impression that law firms are not developing the next generation of law firm leaders. I am also under the impression that leadership isn’t something that most lawyers have in their DNA, meaning it needs to be developed. I recently read a Forbes Magazine article: Why Leadership Training Doesn’t Work. I found the article interesting, in part because it supports my contention that one shot workshops are insufficient to develop the…
It was 2003, and I was having a record year. Near the end of the year, two large international law firms with Dallas offices offered me far greater compensation than I was making at my firm. The difference was significant enough that many lawyers would have jumped to one of the firms just based on the increased compensation. I didn’t. I stayed with my firm one more year and then left to coach lawyers full-time.…
I was sitting in the barber chair and looked over and Tina Turner was on the cover of People Magazine. In the magazine was an excerpt from her autobiography that was recently published. Being a huge fan, I had to read the excerpt which was a bit challenging while my hair was being cut. Reading reminded me of how Tina Turner influenced my presentations when I practiced law. After I made a presentation at an…
When I was busy practicing law, there came a time when I had an Ah Ha Moment. It was the day I discovered that some of the lawyers who were working for me were pessimists who were not very motivated to succeed. It seems obvious now, but at the time I was surprised. If you have read my recent posts, you know that when I coached lawyers, I frequently told firm leaders I could not…
In my new recruiting work I don’t place a lot of law firm associates because the associates I coached are now partners in their law firms. Some now have leadership positions in their law firms and others have become top rainmakers. But, when I was coaching, I loved working with law firm associates. Why?  The associates with whom I worked were eager to learn and open to new ideas. Some of my Lateral Link colleagues focus…
Yesterday, I posted a Pele (The Brazilian super-star soccer player) quote that I particularly like on social media sites. After posting, I received a comment: Very true, but we may add that luck also is one factor. Luck is indeed a factor, but I have always believed Successful people make their own luck. I also like: Luck is when opportunity meets preparation. You might enjoy reading: 5 Things People Who Make Their Own Luck Always …
A friend of mine reminded me of a riddle: When was the last time a lawyer could be successful in a law firm without having clients? His response was: When Houston had a football team called the Houston Oilers. Having watched the Dallas Cowboys lose to the Houston team that moved to Tennessee, I could have said: The last time the Cowboys won the Super Bowl. That was actually the year before the Oilers moved…
A friend of mine recently asked me what has been my biggest surprise since starting my legal recruiting efforts in January. I thought about it for a very short time. Then I said: My biggest surprise is how much more money I would have made at some well known regional or mid-sized firms. Why? I guess there are two reasons. Lower overhead Fewer senior lawyers on cruise control making lots of money, but not really…