Many conversations are being held by law firms’ management committees, which ask should we require our attorneys to come back to the office? Should we allow them to continue to work remotely? Should we institute hybrid schedules?
In my humble opinion, any law firm that requires attorneys to return to the office will soon find themselves with many lawyers leaving for more flexible firms. There will be some people who are chomping at the bit to return to the office full time because that is where they are most productive, and they like the interaction, while there will be other attorneys who will want to be able to create their own flexible schedules.
Regardless, the question asked in the title of this recommendation is does it matter for Rainmaking purposes? And the answer is a resounding NO.
It doesn’t matter whether you go into the office or not; virtual networking will not be going away. Social media (while it may evolve into new platforms) is not going away. Blogs are not going away. Podcasts are not going away. Videos are not going away. Many of the techniques and tactics that I have been teaching my clients since I began will not go away.
The fact is that the pandemic just proved to many lawyers that they could become the Rainmakers they would like to be from the comfort of their own homes. At least, it did for those lawyers who couldn’t go to networking events, play golf, take clients out to events, etc., and who took advantage of the myriad of ways online that you could use to meet potential clients and referral sources. And, introverts who dreaded going to in-person events found that they could become Rainmakers, too.
As the world reopens, it will be time for lawyers to find a hybrid model for their Rainmaking Tactics. At the beginning of the pandemic, I wrote a blog telling you that any business development activity you are doing can be done virtually:
“Until we can gather in an auditorium, webinars will replace seminars and conferences. Until we can go to networking events in real life, virtual networking can be done on social media sites. And, until we can take people out to coffee again, or go to sporting events with potential clients, or play golf with referral sources, creating, deepening, and maintaining relationships will have to be done via telephone, Skype, Zoom, or any other virtual meeting site you can use (and by the way, not every meeting has to be conducted by video).”
Use those tactics you learned and utilized during the pandemic and reintroduce those you may have used before we went into lockdown. It will increase your Rainmaking activities and increase your chances to obtain new clients and/or referral sources.
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