It’s not showing off. It’s showing confidence.

No-one likes a know-it-all.  Except your client, who likes it very much. 

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

Nelson Mandela (attributed).

Be the barrister you’d want to instruct for your family

Some time ago I referred a former barrister to one of my contacts. The barrister’s response to my email introduction was…unexpected.

“Lovely to meet you, but I’m afraid on the admin, I’m pretty hopeless. I’ll have to get my assistant to sort us out a meeting, because diary management is quite beyond me”.

Would you trust him with anything complicated?

Know your superpower

When I first talk to barristers about working together, they are assessing whether I’m competent to help them. Just like your clients assess you, to see whether you can deliver their result.

Were I to spend the first five minutes creating an impression of ineptitude, hoping to communicate I-know-that-you-know I’m-not, we’d have a polite half-hour chat and I’d never hear from them again. 

You’ve made it to The Bar. You must be good at your job. There’s no need to feign incompetence.

Make the first impression count

When you meet a potential client for the first time, have in mind that they are asking themselves whether you have what it takes to stand up to the rottweiler-in-a-wig on the other side of the courtroom. 

If you proffer a prepared excuse for your brilliance, and shuffle about awkwardly, you’ll convey that you are perfect for a Jane Austen screenplay.

Polite self-deprecation can come later. Oh, thank you, but it wasn’t down to me. A great team effort.

At the beginning, it’s better to convey that you are confident, mean business and have the right skills and experience for the job.

A nod to Daniel Craig

Before a concert in Middle Temple Hall, my friend and I were approached by someone who had been enjoying the pre-concert refreshments.

“So, whaddyoodooo” he said.

 “I’m a lawyer” said my friend.

“You any good?”  he asked.

I held my breath.

“Yes, very” said my friend, a bazillionaire commercial QC.

Well done.

Learn the skills to convey confidence

In The Business of Barristering programme, we design a practice marketing system which communicates just how good you are at your job.

Schedule a call and start working with clients who need your confident expertise.

By Heidi Smith
Creator of Jurilogical.com