Rainmakers: Born or Bred

Patricia K. Gillette is one of the country’s leading experts and most sought-after speakers on gender diversity and equality. She was a top-rated employment lawyer and litigator for 40 years as well as a major rainmaker in her firms. In 2015 she resigned as a law firm partner to pursue her passion for changing the legal profession as an author and keynote speaker. Patricia was also invited to join JAMS and now spends some of her time mediating employment-related cases. In her writings and presentations, Patricia focuses on how to succeed in the high-powered, fast-paced business environment of today. Relying on research studies she commissioned, as well as her own experiences and charismatic style, Patricia is able to inspire audiences to think positively and practically about how they can realize their personal and business goals. She also brings thought-provoking ideas on how to bring meaningful change to law firm and corporate structures to increase diversity and inclusion. In recognition of her work to advance women in the profession, she has received several awards, including the ABA Golden Hammer Award, the California Women Lawyers Association’s Fay Stender Award, the Transformational Leadership Award as one of the Top Women Rainmakers, and the Barristers Association of San Francisco Award of Merit. Patricia is the co-founder of the 2006 Opt-In Project, the first nationwide initiative to refocus the discussion from work-life balance to the structural issues that impact the retention and advancement of women in the workplace. She has been a commissioner on the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, the ABA’s Gender Equity Task Force, co-chair of the BASF No Glass Ceiling Initiative, and she serves on non-profit boards, including Direct Women, which is dedicated to placing women attorneys on boards of public companies. Patricia is the proud mother of two successful and enlightened sons and lives in Kensington, California with her husband of 42 years. She is an elected official of her town and active in community organizations and activities. For more information visit Patricia’s website at www.patriciagillette.com.

Executive summary

Introduction

Chapter 1: Business development? Who needs it?

Chapter 2: Getting comfortable with the `S’ word

Chapter 3: The first `R’ of business development
•Building a reputation in your first few years
•Building your reputation as you advance in your career

Chapter 4: Once potential clients know who you are, what comes next?

Chapter 5: Engagement – The art of active listening
•Active listening for a formal pitch
•Active listening in casual interactions
•Making the connection
•Doing things that you like to do as `client development’

Chapter 6: Dominance
•Know the business of your client
•Think like a lawyer, but don’t talk like one

Chapter 7: Motivation

Chapter 8: Risk taking
•Become fearless
•The hard part
•The easier part

Chapter 9: Having the skills is one thing; finding the business is another
•The low hanging fruit: Existing clients
•Friends who can give out business
•Taking the never out of networking
•Cold calls can work, sometimes

Chapter 10: And if you don’t believe me…