So you received your law school acceptance letter! Congratulations!

Now what?

It came in the mail and you are probably overjoyed, but it’s a little scary too, isn’t it?

There has been a lot of talk in the news lately about the student loan debt you are about to accrue. Current statistics show that it will likely be really high.

But you already know about that.

Statistics show that if you aren’t in the top of your class at a Top 10 law school, you will likely have trouble getting a job – especially one that will help you pay back those oppressive student loans.

But you already know that.

People who read the negative press might be causing you to question the desirability of a law degree, saying it’s just like any other degree now…it is not. It is a very impressive accomplishment.

But you already know that.

More than likely, you have other reasons to
want to go to law school.

Social impact

Some law students want to make a positive difference in an area close to their heart. Because they understand the law, attorneys have a natural “in” to politics and positions of power. They have an easier time navigating the system and making beneficial changes in areas that matter to them – like elder law, disability law, intellectual property law, environmental law and about anything else you can imagine.

By the numbers, over half of the presidents of the Unites States of America have been lawyers. Roughly 43% of the U.S. Congress and about 37% of the U.S. House of Representatives are made up of lawyers. And the Supreme Court, well…that’s a given.

Lawyers have a definite advantage in the “making a difference” department. Of course, it’s all up to the person.

Prestige

Some people are after the prestige of a law degree. A Juris Doctor is indeed an impressive degree. Regardless of whether a person commands the degree of authority available is up to them.

Downplay it at your leisure, but remember – there are no “easy” law schools. There are no “easy” bar exams. If you make it through law school and pass the bar exam, it is a major accomplishment.

Completing law school shows you have the ability to tough it out and tackle a very difficult curriculum. It shows that you are ambitious. It shows that you care, at least to some degree, about the structure of our society and the laws that reinforce and frame our way of life – and make freedom possible.

To “Get It”

Some people want a law degree so that they can better manage their lives. Consider how beneficial it is for someone growing a business or a brand to understand their own contracts, the laws concerning their business, and know how to use their lawyers effectively.

Think about how much more power it gives them as a negotiator.

Family Business

This is a fantastic reason to get a law degree. There is nothing like carrying on the established family business. The business is established and a decent living is virtually assured. Of course, that comes with another set of required navigational tools.

Family can be counted upon to present us with our most challenging negotiations. Your new law degree and entry into the family practice will stir up the status quo. It might cause some uneasiness with other, unrelated attorneys in the practice.

Knowing how to negotiate will help you navigate the pecking order, establish trust, and negotiate effectively for what you want – even if you are negotiating with a parent or sibling. Knowing how to think creatively can help you improve the practice and lead your family business into a more prosperous state.

The Money

It’s true. Some people go into law for the money. Truthfully, that reason is practically out of (immediate) reach to most new law graduates. But it’s not a bad reason…

Still, there has to be something more, or you might end up hating your job while you struggle to pay off student loans. That has been happening a lot – but you already know that.

The bottom line is affected by the bottom line. To be truly happy you have to have the money to support yourself and have a passion for your work. That’s the recipe for true success.

You Can Love Your Job And Make A Good Living!

Negotiation Ninja can show you the tools and teach you the skills to do both. Here you will find those essential elements it takes to get into your game, find your niche, fulfill your dream, make a difference and do it with some degree of financial security.

These are the tools that you need to help you navigate what are usually the toughest parts of becoming and being a lawyer AND ending up where you want to be – not in a job you dread going to every day but in a job you LOVE.

Get the tools and skills you need to kick ass in law school and have a life. These same tools will help you to spank the bar exam, land a job you love and manage your career (and life) so that you make headway toward your goals, fast.

Negotiation Ninja has a coaching class coming up soon that will help you manage information and tap into your creative genius!

Sign up right now for:

Class I – Genius Learning – Clarity & Super Learning Secrets. Starting June 1, 2011!

Hi All!

The Alabama Center For Dispute Resolution and Negotiation  Ninja are pairing up again for a *free* CLE class! Here is the registration page:

Keep Your Cool During Mediation: How To Deactivate Your “Hot Buttons”!

Even if you are out of state, you can probably get credit for this great little class.  This class is about emotional state control at the bargaining table and is perfect for people who engage in negotiation or mediation on a regular basis. It’s also great to the holidays – learn to keep your cool (sanity? ) no matter what is going on around you!

It’s open to non-attorneys too!!  It’s going to be a lot of fun and I hope you’ll join us!

Please feel free to post questions here – in the comments area – and we will try to answer them on the call.

Cheers!

Nancy

New!  CLE in Alabama! September 28, 2010!

7.3 CLE credits in Alabama – including ethics!  Eligible for both ethics and Professionalism in Louisiana.

This is the first of the “Seal The Deal” series of CLE courses in Alabama – the second one is scheduled for October 26, 2010.

Here is more information…

Are your negotiation skills behind the curve?

There are over 1,100,000 lawyers out there competing for clients, deals, verdicts, settlements, etc…Only a very small percent of them are actually good negotiators and the ones who are earn a disproportionate percentage of the money pie.  They are enjoying the toys – the perks of success.  Negotiation skills can put you in the dream…

These skills are even more important that ever!

Mass communication and the small world phenomenon means less face-to-face communication and more likelihood of confusion and mottled messages – you have to be able to negotiate and communicate despite all of the new technology.  Attention spans are shorter so you have less time to work with – unless you know how to hold their attention!

We have the key!

Thanks to groundbreaking advances in the study of communication and behavioral psychology, we now have priceless insight into how people negotiate and make decisions.  Understanding these new advances will allow you to tailor your negotiation and communication approach to get the results you want – fast.

In fact, the medical community is already beginning to use this information to train medical staff because it saves lives by reducing error, increasing doctor/patient understanding, expediting healing and by reducing the time necessary to get vital information. It also drastically lowers malpractice rates and increases patient satisfaction.

Learn to use this powerful information in your law or mediation practice!

In this class you will enjoy a thorough review of tried and true negotiation techniques and learn leading-edge negotiation techniques that will catapult you to the “right side” of the negotiation curve and give you an immediate economic advantage.

Join us for Seal The Deal and learn to negotiate with purpose.  You will negotiate faster, make better deals, create lasting relationships, and develop a reputation as someone people look forward to doing business with.

This is a workshop class that includes multiple, supervised, hands-on exercises.  All participants will leave this class having performed each method.

Looking forward to seeing YOU there!

Nancy

This topic has been on my “to write about” list since I read an article in the Wall Street Journal almost a year ago.  “Why Gen-Y Johnny Can’t Read Nonverbal Cues”, By Mark Bauerlein.  It got lost in the shuffle somehow and I looked at it again today to send to a friend.  Here is the article:

Mr. Bauerlein writes about how people who are growing up with cell phones, iPods, email, etc…are losing their ability to read subtle, culturally based, non-verbal communication.  He calls it the “silent language”.  This is an unnerving thought!  It means that as technology becomes more and more the “rule”, people using the technology are losing their ability to notice emotions in other people.

It’s a big deal on any day but becomes a serious problem in situations in which verbal or written communication is not an option – like during a business meeting or when the person you are discussing has just entered the room unseen…

In fact, nonverbal communication represents 50%-80% of our overall communication.  Losing even half of that cuts off a substantial amount of valuable information about the people around you.

One of the comments to this article was by Brian Brown:

“A young man’s career might suffer because he can’t recognize humor without a smiley face, or because his unconscious shifting and sighing irritates his boss, or because he communicates disinterest by constantly turning back to his iPhone. Or as Bauerlein suggests, diplomat who knows Japanese words but not Japanese linguistic or nonverbal customs is likely to make some major blunders.”

I agree.

“Disadvantaged” – the Digital People

Unless the “Digital People” or “Digitals” recognize their disadvantage and learn to recognize emotional cues, the wool really is over their eyes.  In addition, a large part of this population probably won’t be able to control their own outward show of emotion very well.  That puts them at a serious disadvantage in communications or negotiations with trained communicators.

Basically, their inability to accurately read people’s emotions sets them up to be taken advantage of “six ways to Sunday”.  In other words, they are an easy mark for unethical negotiators…they won’t stand a chance!

When the chips are on the table, they won’t be able to “read” the other players and they’ll lose their chips!  It’s like emotional blindness.

So what?  Why should you care?

3 Ways This Can Make Or Break Your Practice:

Your Network,

Big Deals,

Exposure to Liability

Your Network

When you hire someone, they represent YOU, your reputation, and your business. When you hire a new associate, paralegal, assistant, etc…you are inviting them into your network.  From inside your network they can either build bridges or tear them down.  Protect your network by making sure that you have good communicators on your team!

What is a network anyway?

It’s your support system.  It’s your trusted circle and then some.  They are friends, college roommates, colleagues, and professional acquaintances.  They know you.  You know them.  The relationship is built on familiarity and mutual respect.  You usually like one another and share common interests.

The people in your network likely have at least one thing in common: they have either met you in person or were referred by a friend.

Real networks are built to last.  The best and strongest networks are forged around dinner tables, on the golf course, and at other social events.  They are created not as a tool, but upon genuine common interest.  The good ones are like live oak trees – perennials that get stronger and better with time.

No matter what size your practice is, strong networks are necessary to grow your business.  If you want your practice to succeed, you and your associates must actively network – in person.  In order to be an effective communicator, you must know how to do it well.

The “Official Preppy Handbook” has a funny and brilliantly accurate flow chart that shows how the “old boy networks” work.  Having seen the old boys in action, I can tell you it’s spot on.

For example, one of my written recommendations for law school came via a friend of my mother.  He secured a recommendation for me from his old friend Jimmy Fitzmorris, who is a prominent businessman in Louisiana.   There was one condition: Jimmy wanted to meet me in person.

I was nervous on the day I drove to New Orleans to meet him.  His office was massive and intimidating – he called it his “war room”.  His desk was massive.  The walls were totally covered with framed awards, letters of thanks, keys to cities, and lots and lots of photos of Jimmy… shaking hands with the president, tarpon fishing with the governor, having a drink with Wayne Newton at a Mardi Gras ball.  THAT’S how you network!!

We had a brief meeting.  He was a truly gracious and wonderful communicator.  He easily to put me at ease and we had a good conversation.  He wrote me a glowing recommendation that helped me get into a highly competitive law school.

Ideally, new associates will bring their own network with them and will continue to expand their sphere of influence while working for you – helping you grow your practice to the benefit of all involved.  Look for new hires that can demonstrate that they already have a solid (even if small) network.

Big Deals and Big Cases

This is obvious – the bigger the deal or case, the less room for error and the more important it becomes to have accurate communication.

Big deals always involve face-to-face communication and extensive negotiation.  Unless you plan on doing it all by yourself, you will a least need competent sidekick to help you bring the deal to fruition.  Big cases can involve a multitude of complex interactions that must be not only handled well, but must also be accurately communicated to the principal attorneys.

In 1998 I witnessed an extreme lesson in communication.  My father was a maritime personal injury plaintiff’s attorney trying a Jones Act case in federal court.   The judge prohibited the inclusion of a specific photograph as evidence of an injury because he thought it was too gruesome to show to the jury.  One of the Dad’s paralegals misunderstood the instructions and included the photograph with the materials submitted as evidence.

Dad’s client was awarded 3.3 million dollars for his injury.  There was much rejoicing…until the defense counsel discovered that the photo had been submitted in error…  While Dad managed to get a retrial, he had to try the whole case over again – from the top.  It was an expensive and arduous price to pay for a mis-communication.  To his credit, he managed to win an even larger award without the inflammatory photo.

Great communication skills are an asset BUT poor communication skills expose you to liability!

The bottom line is your bottom line.  Your success rests largely on your reputation.  When you hire people you effectively entrust them with your reputation and your business success.  It’s hard to tell how people will act under pressure until you see it firsthand, so take care to screen new hires very carefully.

If you are hiring someone who is exceptionally tech savvy, triple check their social aptitude because they will eventually be dealing with clients and they will certainly be dealing with your support staff.  Can they detect “stuffed” anger?  Can they tell when someone is in “fight or flight”?  Can they think on their feet and get rapport, even in extreme circumstances – like dealing with an irate judge?

Be aware that your new associate is probably not very good at communication and is probably secretly terrified of public speaking.  After all, it is widely understood that 90% of the population would rather die than speak in public…

Poor communication and inability to focus can wreak havoc on trial preparation.  A rude secretary can ruin your practice.  A hotheaded associate, experiencing real stress for the first time, might lose his cool in court and blow it for you (or create an embarrassing mess that you have to clean up)!

People assume that attorneys know how to communicate well.  While some do, it is usually because of life experience.  Attorneys generally don’t learn communication in law school, they learn how to research and argue.  Most law schools do NOT teach students how to calm a panicked client in the middle of the night (I had to do that once!) or deal with an opposing counsel who is using bully tactics…

For best results, everyone in your firm should be able to communicate fluently in all modalities – face-to-face, verbal, nonverbal, text, email, phone, real “snail mail” letters, and whatever else comes into use.  With all of the new technology, the potential for mis-communication has actually gone up.  That means liability risk and the potential for legal malpractice claims has gone up too.

Eliminate The Unknown – Get Trained!

The most efficient way to eliminate the possibility of potentially catastrophic communication mishaps is to be trained and to train your associates and support staff.  Your result will be less office drama, better client relations, fewer mistakes, more business (referrals! A stronger network!), and better deals.

Negotiation Ninja offers a variety of New Associate trainings and will customize any training to best suit your firm’s needs.  Don’t just wait for the bomb to go off, diffuse it!

Call today and build your Negotiation Ninja team!

Cheers,

Nancy T. Hand, JD

334.524.8437

Nancy@NegotiationNinja.com

6.4.10

Lately I’ve been thinking about the power of having done something once – even better if you did it well.  Doing something once creates familiarity with the act.  It is a rehearsal.  The next time you do it, you feel confident and trust your abilities more.

I’ve been a negotiator my whole life (with family, friends, bosses, professors…).  It comes naturally to me.  It comes naturally to most people – it just gets “taught out” by parents, school, and culture.  We don’t really need to learn to be negotiators; we need to unlearn how “not to be a negotiator”!

Nothing is as exciting as negotiating for something with purpose and succeeding beyond your own expectations.

This is an account of one of my earliest and most textbook negotiations… I consciously negotiated and unconsciously used the “walk away” tactic.

Having done “the walk-away” once, successfully albeit clumsily and “by accident”, gave me the confidence to try the tactic again and to enjoy it as research.  I learned how to use it as a useful tool.

The Carved Box

When I was living in New Orleans some friends came to visit and we discovered this little store near the French Market.  It looked small from the outside but it was very deep and long – it seemed to go on and on.  It was filled with trinkets from yesteryear, like a New Orleans keepsake time capsule.

We had a great few minutes in there – laughing about this and that, like the old flash bars for Polaroid cameras that had been out of production for over a decade and kitschy souvenirs from the 1970s…this store was packed with that sort of stuff.  The further back you went, the more random it got.

It was funny, so funny that I went back with a friend about a month later.

That’s when I saw the carved box…

In the very dark back of the store, there were a few big shelves packed with broken or unwrapped merchandise crammed together and even more stuff crammed underneath them on the floor.

On the floor I saw the corner of a carved box poking out from the rubble and thought that it looked pretty good.  I figured since it was being treated like trash, it should be pretty cheap.  I was in law school and not exactly ‘rollin in dough’ so I estimated $25 or so would be fair.

When the manager (the store was run by 3 Middle Eastern men) moved it out into the aisle, I saw that it was a truly beautiful chest.

It was heavy, rough-hewn and deeply carved with giant flowers on the top and on each side.  He said that it was Brazilian and carved from some exotic wood – I can’t remember what…I didn’t care – I was smitten!

I asked him how much it was and he said $90!  Taken aback, I said that I was thinking maybe $25.  He was visibly surprised and said “No way.”  I looked at the box again and said (and it was true) that I only had $40 to spend.  He said “No way.”

There wasn’t really anything left to do at that point.  I shook his hand, thanked him for his time, and we left (I now know that there are good reasons not to linger at the scene of an “impasse” purchase negotiation of this kind).

It was a long walk to the door, so he must have had enough time to think about it.  As I opened the door, he yelled to me “Ok, ok, $40.”  I was thrilled but tried to play it cool…

He got the box and it started to rain – hard, white, monsoony New Orleans rain. We were parked far away, and I asked if we could leave the box (it was heavy) and bring the car around.  He said that it was fine, and we reached the payment phase…

His face fell when he saw my credit card.  Then he got mad! “You are paying with credit card?!”  I said yes.  He said that he thought I had cash.  Unfamiliar with the process etiquette, I said, “You didn’t ask me how I was paying.”  He grudgingly (flanked by the other two who were giving me some pretty mean looks) rang me up.

On a hunch, I decided that leaving the box there was a bad idea since it probably wouldn’t be there when we returned.

I carried the box through the pouring rain and was absolutely soaked (but happy) when we got to the car.   It must be special wood because the rain didn’t phase it!

The Carved Box

It became my “hurricane box” in New Orleans (full of important things like my passport, birth certificate, data backups etc…).  Today it is in front of the fireplace in our living room.  I still love it and appreciate it every day.

It was the first time I really negotiated for something – on purpose but using tactics “accidentally”.  I didn’t know what I was doing, and it still worked!  The tactic worked because it came naturally.

Sure, there are many things you can learn to become a better negotiator, but almost as important and maybe even more important is unlearning the habits, beliefs, and mindset that keep you from being the best negotiator you can be.

The first thing Negotiation Ninja training participants and coaching clients learn is how to change the limiting beliefs and erroneous information they have about negotiation.  We clean the slate right away so that clients and training participants can learn – and put to immediate, effective use – new knowledge and skills that yield predictable, repeatable negotiation results (wins!).

Call or email Negotiation Ninja today to discover and uncover your natural negotiation abilities and turbo-charge them!

Alabama lawyers – look for upcoming CLE classes on “Introduction To Negotiation” and “The Key: Negotiation Preparation” through the Alabama Center For Dispute resolution!

Details will be posted soon!

Cheers!

Nancy T. Hand, JD

I am so excited about this weekend! My friend Linda and I have been talking about doing a tele-seminar for a while now and it’s finally happened!

Here is the class description – hope you can join us!

http://www.worldchangingwisdom.com/optins/hand.html

How To Win The Holiday Game:

Power Tools To Get The Outcome You Want.

It’s your holiday – own it!

Are you overwhelmed by the holidays?  Already expecting a rough ride?  Learn how to steer your own cheer and coast through your holidays in a good mood.

This class is about how to stay calm, in a good mood, centered, and objective – no matter who is egging you on, blaming you, resenting your good fortune, trying to drag you down or baiting you into negative conversation. This call is about staying emotionally balanced and happy on the inside, no matter what is going on around you.  After all, it’s your holiday too!  Learn how to:

• Get the most out of your holidays
• Manage conflicting holiday expectations
• Establish power over your own internal state of mind
• Carry within you a calm center of power – your TATER
• Think clearly under stress
• Maintain your grace and graciousness during the stressful holidays
• Less stress = healthier holiday!
• Stay in a good mood despite:
  • Negativity
  • Button pushing troublemakers
  • No routine
  • Overwhelm
  • Stress – your and other people’s
  • Too many cooks in the kitchen…
  • Feeling responsible for making everybody happy
  • And much much more!

In this class, Nancy T. Hand will teach you how to build and maintain your TATER – your center of mental balance, stability, and good mood – through the holidays and beyond.

Steer your own cheer.

Learn how to stay unfazed and unruffled regardless of what is going on or who is trying to “push your buttons”.  In this call you will learn powerful tools and techniques that you can use in the field, on the spot, when you need them.  It’s a set of holiday “power tools” that you will be able to use forever.  You will learn:

• How to use Energy Meridian Tapping with a “twist” of NLP
• How to build a well-formed outcome  (your own win-win)
• How to manage conflicting holiday expectations
• How to maintain your TATER – a powerful resource state of emotional balance – despite negativity, raw emotions, and economic panic
• How to let loose and have fun!

Even if you are doing fine and are looking forward to the holidays, you will likely encounter people who are not. You may hear stories of woe, worry, disappointment and hardship – maybe even in your own family.  Maybe even you!   How will you handle those conversations?

You might encounter Scrooges, Grinches, aggressors, martyrs, victims, whiners, disapprovers, braggarts and energy drainers.  How will you handle them?

The holidays can be an emotionally tough time – being out of your element, around strangers and family you never see.  You might be around people who only remember who you were “way back when”, who bring up old news and trigger old emotions in you.  You might end up having the same conversation over and over again with each person you “catch up” with…and that’s on a good year!

Learn to manage your mood for the greater good this holiday season – things will go smoother for everyone – especially you!

Joins us for this wonderful opportunity to make YOUR holidays rock!

Sign up now!

http://www.worldchangingwisdom.com/optins/hand.html

Cheers!

Nancy