As someone who has operated extensively on both the buyer and seller sides of the legal profession, I'm naturally prone to preaching the 'understanding your client' doctrine as a key best practice for all marketing and business development efforts. While I've taken some pains, in this publication and elsewhere, to define what 'understanding your client' actually means, it's important to remind ourselves that the process of getting to know your client requires really in-depth listening ' and that it often presents a few genuine surprises and problems along the way.

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One of the major mistakes the authors see attorneys and law firms make when they pitch business is that they spend too much time outlining their experience and what they can do for their client (the pitch), and they don't spend enough time asking their potential client what is important to them when hiring an attorney.

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So the question arises, how do attorneys when giving speeches and business presentations connect with their audience without losing themselves in legal-speak? Here are the answers.

Analysis of recent rulings.

When Baker & McKenzie LLP, Chicago, decided to create a new position to elevate professional development to a new level within the firm's largest U.S. office, Jennifer Bluestein answered the call. Since then, the firm's PD program has built a vibrant and fast-paced momentum that captures the attention of internal and external audiences, from the firm's lawyers to its clients and recruits.

Commentary on a recent case.

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A recent important case.

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Statements like, 'We pride ourselves on delivering outstanding levels of client service' sound great. They are the Pavlovian pablum we whip out when we meet new clients, promote ourselves on our Web sites, write the openings of our RFPs, and attract laterals. The problem is, they're just not true.