21st Century Solicitor

Steve Weiner originally qualified as a solicitor in the City of London before practising as a commercial litigator. Since leaving private practice, Steve has worked as a Learning and Development professional, a skills trainer and a business coach in a number of leading City of London law firms. Steve is also an award-winning stand-up comic, has performed in comedy clubs all around the UK and is a TV actor, radio presenter and an accomplished comedy writer.

Introduction
· Who is this book for?
· What will it aim to do – a guide not a handbook, suggestions rather than answers
· Getting the best out of this book
· Impact is about communication
· The 'Lightbulb' moment – the core message...
Chapter 1 – Why Do People Become Lawyers?
Chapter 2 – The Hygiene Factors: Technical Acumen and Competency
· What are the basics?
· Achieving the basics
Chapter 3 - Personal Brand and Lawyers
· What is personal brand?
· What is the brand of a lawyer?
· What makes a successful modern lawyer brand?
· What makes a successful modern junior commercial lawyer brand?
· Destroying your brand as a junior lawyer
· Increasing self-awareness – feedback and input from others (neurosis versus proactivity)?
The core elements:
- Technical acumen and competency
- Billing...enough
- Communication
- Commerciality
- Likeability
- Visibility
- Networking
- Developmental awareness and training
Chapter 4 – Communication Skills for the 21st Century Solicitor
· What are communication skills?
· How do communication skills impact on personal brand?
· What do you need to do?
· What kind of communicators will you come across?
· A new take on the Merrill & Read Social Styles Model
· Top tips for the junior lawyer
Chapter 5 – Creative Writing in a Law Firm? Surely not...
· Clarity – a basic understanding of the nuts and bolts of sentence construction ,
· Coherence – a sense of the aim and purpose of your written document
· Creativity – the seasoning that lifts it from the workmanlike to the exceptional – a strong dash of imagination
Chapter 6 – Be Visible – It's a Short-Cut to Success: Presentation Skills for the 21st Century Solicitor
· Planning a legal presentation – making sure they remember you and not just your topic!
· Structuring a legal presentation
· Delivering a legal presentation
· Presentation aids – PowerPoint, Flipcharts and Handouts
Chapter 7 – Commerciality for the 21st Century Solicitor – It's Not Rocket Science
· It's all about how you communicate your 'passion' for all things commercial
· Macro-versus micro knowledge – remember, you're a lawyer not an economist
· Don't try to be too clever
· Common sense in a business context
· It's all about massaging egos...
· Top tricks to show others you care
Chapter 8 – Being the Kind of Likeable Lawyer you Look Up To...
· Doing as senior say, not what they do
· Common courtesy in a law firm
· Push back, be assertive but play a canny game
Chapter 9 – Networking for the Junior Lawyer (internal and external)
· Networking is easy – our five-step plan to networking success
Chapter 10 – Developing yourself – Learning and Development as a Likeable Lawyer
· Search for new ideas
· Show interest in developing
· Get feedback, not just at appraisal time!
· Get involved with your Training/L&D Team as early as possible – be a 'go-to' person
Conclusion – Understanding How to Push the Right Buttons
· Our action plan for success
· Don't overthink things
· Be a good person – treat others as you want to be treated and be the person who doesn't scare others