Comments on: Never Would have Made it Without You… http://thoughtfullaw.com/2008/02/07/50/ Empowering lawyers to anticipate the changes, realize the opportunities, face the challenges and embrace the expanding possibilities of the application of practice management concepts to the practice of law in innovative ways that provide service excellence. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 02:48:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 By: admin http://thoughtfullaw.com/2008/02/07/50/#comment-2134 admin Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:37:32 +0000 http://thoughtfullaw.com/2008/02/07/50/#comment-2134 Barb: Good question! I haven't seen the formal adoption of 'sales attorney' in Canada. However, that doesn't mean that Canadian law firms are any <i>less</i> interested in attracting new business than our American or other counterparts. What I have seen is a real emphasis in law firms to make younger lawyers realize the importance of business development. Law Firm Marketing Directors have been tasked with the role of developing this aspect of the young lawyer crowd..and the point that this is one of the criteria for partnership is certainly not lost on these young associates. The rainmakers of tomorrow have to be groomed from the young associates of today. The use of the title 'sales attorney' may not ever be adopted in Canada (I much prefer the term 'rainmaker') but the function - whether spread out among the partners or held by one or two principal rainmakers in the firm - is an essential one. Cheers and thanks Barb! Dave Barb:

Good question! I haven’t seen the formal adoption of ’sales attorney’ in Canada. However, that doesn’t mean that Canadian law firms are any less interested in attracting new business than our American or other counterparts.

What I have seen is a real emphasis in law firms to make younger lawyers realize the importance of business development. Law Firm Marketing Directors have been tasked with the role of developing this aspect of the young lawyer crowd..and the point that this is one of the criteria for partnership is certainly not lost on these young associates.

The rainmakers of tomorrow have to be groomed from the young associates of today. The use of the title ’sales attorney’ may not ever be adopted in Canada (I much prefer the term ‘rainmaker’) but the function - whether spread out among the partners or held by one or two principal rainmakers in the firm - is an essential one.

Cheers and thanks Barb!

Dave

]]> By: Barb Cotton http://thoughtfullaw.com/2008/02/07/50/#comment-2133 Barb Cotton Wed, 02 Apr 2008 08:09:57 +0000 http://thoughtfullaw.com/2008/02/07/50/#comment-2133 Hi Dave-I'll take you up on your offer. Ed Poll has a recent entry on his blog about "sales attorneys" -lawyers whose sole or primary job is to bring in the work, rather than perform it-perhaps another word for the old fashioned "rainmaker"? Have you noticed a formal adoption of the sales attorney in Canadian firms, or a more institutionalization of the role of the rainmaker? Thanks Dave- Barb Cotton Hi Dave-I’ll take you up on your offer. Ed Poll has a recent entry on his blog about “sales attorneys” -lawyers whose sole or primary job is to bring in the work, rather than perform it-perhaps another word for the old fashioned “rainmaker”? Have you noticed a formal adoption of the sales attorney in Canadian firms, or a more institutionalization of the role of the rainmaker?

Thanks Dave-

Barb Cotton

]]>