Andrew Elowitt – A Lawyer’s Guide to Using Professional Coaches

Lawyers are increasingly turning to professional coaches to help them improve their practice and management skills. Being informed and prepared about the coaching process can help you get the most out of your investment in coaching.

Lawyers must know more than the law. Their ethical obligation to provide competent representation continues to expand. (See Comment 8 to Rule 1.1 of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct.) From both ethical and business perspectives, lawyers must maintain the requisite knowledge and skill to manage their practices. (Ignorance, for example, of lawyer trust accounting principles isn’t a viable defense to disciplinary charges of misappropriation of clients’ funds.) 

As a result, lawyers are increasingly relying on outsiders to help them run their practices. As legal practice has become more complex, multifaceted and demanding, lawyers now routinely call vendors, consultants, coaches, trainers and mental health professionals for help. Knowing whom to call can be confusing. This confusion is even greater when it comes to coaches and coaching.  It doesn’t have to be.

Attendees will also learn how to avoid the 10 most common mistakes lawyers make when selecting and working with a coach.