Welcome to The 26th, the official podcast of the Mecklenburg County Bar. Our focus is to provide exclusive insight and resources ranging from business development to member spotlights and everything in between. The Mecklenburg County Bar was founded in 1912 by Mecklenburg County attorneys and became a mandatory district bar in 1933. Today, the Mecklenburg County Bar counts over 5,400 attorneys as members in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. The bar offers members over 30 committees, subcommittees, sections, and boards in addition to providing over 100 CLEs and events a year. Listeners of The 26th can expect to hear episodes focusing on business development and practice management issues for attorneys, along with other topics suggested by members. Head to MeckBar.org to hear more from this podcast, suggest future topics, and review member resources.

Connect with us on our website at www.meckbar.org You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

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One of the most important things that a majority of law schools still don’t teach their students is the business of law. Acquiring clients and maintaining relationships with them are issues that new and even seasoned lawyers base. And while many have partners and mentors they can rely on, oftentimes, associates are clueless as to where to begin.

The 26th’s inaugural podcast episode features Attorney Chris Lam, president of the Mecklenburg County Bar and trial lawyer at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings. Attorney Lam discusses the many challenges and ways to build and manage your law practice better. One of the major keys in successful business relationships in the industry is to be responsive and communicative with your clients and associates. This helps build trust, reliability and confidence that you can be relied upon.

Connect with your peers in the industry, regardless of which firm they’re with or what field of law they’re practicing, by being intentional and sincere in building relationships with them. It’s not only great for general networking, but having a friend or two in the business helps as well.

 For newly inducted lawyers, it’s especially important to hone your legal capabilities first and learn how to practice the law. Show that you can do the work effectively and that you have the competency and expertise that they require.

Attorney Lam also shares some tips and best practices that can help grow your practice through relationship-building. He stresses that patience is essential as this process is a long-term strategy, just like sowing seeds and waiting for the harvest time to come.

Connect with us on our website at www.meckbar.org You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

Subscribe to When Accidents Happen on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, or your favorite Android podcast player.

Besides learning to practice law, it is important for attorneys to also focus on building relationships. It doesn’t matter whether you belong to a big firm, or a smaller one that’s just starting out. The relationships that you’ve cultivated can determine whether your practice will continue to thrive in the industry.

Attorney Eric Bass from Bass, Dunklin, McCullough and Smith talks about relationships as an important aspect of business development in law in this episode of The 26th. He emphasizes the importance of figuring out who your target clients are, particularly for new lawyers. And once you know who they are, find ways where you can interact, mingle and create connections with them, that can eventually turn into long-term business relationships.

He encourages joining groups and networking events, where you can not only expand your social circle, but get to know them and their needs too. Find out which ones you’ll be attending based on your target clients and potential referral sources too. Attorney Bass also stresses that besides enriching your personal relationships, it would be a great idea to also try and be a bridge between people who may need each other’s services. Be a hub that connects different people, and you will be remembered for it.

Additionally, it would be to your advantage to seek mentoring from more seasoned attorneys. If your firm doesn’t have a program in place, then you can ask for help! Most of the time, lawyers are willing to extend a helping hand.

For Attorney Bass, you should be concentrating on the right clients and you have the option of letting go of the wrong ones. Time is important especially in the industry, so make sure that you are being efficient with your time as a lawyer.

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