The Lawyer's Edge

Many lawyers dismiss conferences as a drain on time and money. And frankly, they're right—unless you know how to make the most of them. With the right approach, conferences can transform from missed opportunities into a cornerstone of your business development strategy.
In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman shares actionable insights on how to unlock the full potential of industry conferences. She provides a clear, step-by-step roadmap for maximizing every phase of the event, ensuring your efforts yield measurable results. Discover how to turn conference attendance into a powerful tool for rainmaking and client attraction.
WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT GETTING THE MOST ROI FROM CONFERENCES
2:29 - Two primary reasons why conferences are worth attending from a business development perspective
5:46 - Some of the potential downsides to attending industry conferences and why it's worth looking at this issue
7:53 - Intentional questions to ask yourself before going to your next conference so you can wring every bit of value possible out of attending
13:32 - How to create a timeline and take action before the conference (and how most approach this incorrectly)
18:28 - The importance of setting aside time to recharge (especially if you're an introvert)
20:38 - Timeline creation and actions to consider taking during your next conference (including how to exit uncomfortable conversations gracefully)
23:03 - How to handle the aftermath of a conference and why people lose a tremendous amount of opportunity at this stage
26:14 - A consideration once you determine a conference is a good fit for you and a brief word about raising your profile at conferences
MENTIONED IN HOW TO GET THE MOST ROI FROM YOUR NEXT CONFERENCE
3 Essential Pillars of Business Development for Lawyers
Managing Partner Forum
John Remsen | Essential Characteristics of Effective Law Firm Leaders
Legal Marketing Association
Get connected with the coaching team: hello@thelawyersedge.com
The Lawyer's Edge
SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE
This episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer's Edge, a training and coaching firm that has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. Each member of the team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach—and either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional.
Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress. To get connected with your coach, fill out our contact form.

Brenda A. Barnes, CPA, MBA, is the founder of Brenda Barnes Consulting, where she works with law firm leaders on compensation design, succession planning, and financial strategy. She brings more than 35 years of experience in law firm financial management to her role, including serving as a law firm administrator in Austin, Texas. Brenda previously founded B2 Legal Management, an outsourced accounting and billing firm serving solo to midsize law firms across the U.S., which she built and sold in 2021. She is a former president of the Austin Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators and co-author of RESPECT – An Insight to Attorney Compensation Plans, now in its second edition.
WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT LAW FIRM COMPENSATION AND RETENTION
Compensation touches almost every challenge law firms are facing right now, from recruiting and retention to leadership development and succession planning. Yet many firms are still relying on systems that evolved internally over time, with younger lawyers expected to understand how they advance, what the firm values, and what opportunities are available to them without anyone clearly defining it.
The firms being more intentional about compensation are putting structure around those decisions. They are writing down the criteria, defining what advancement looks like, creating more flexible career paths, and looking beyond billable hours when deciding what contributions should be rewarded. They are also treating compensation plans as systems that need to change as the firm's priorities change, rather than something to put in place once and leave alone.
In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman talks with Brenda Barnes of Brenda Barnes Consulting about why compensation has become such a critical issue for law firms, what younger lawyers are looking for when they ask for transparency, how associate and partner compensation systems are changing, and how compensation decisions shape retention and succession planning.
3:10 - Compensation as a strategic issue for law firms
5:30 - What transparency actually means to younger lawyers
7:40 - Clarity as a retention strategy
12:57 - The connection between compensation and respect
14:27 - Different approaches to associate and partner compensation
16:03 - Current compensation trends in small and midsize firms
17:23 - Flexible career paths for lawyers who do not want equity
20:06 - The compensation problems that bring law firms looking for help
24:16 - How level-based associate compensation systems work
29:06 - Customizing compensation to reward the behaviors a firm values
30:17 - Looking beyond billable hours to law firm economics and collections
32:58 - How origination credit affects succession planning
38:09 - Why firms eventually become what their compensation systems reward
Mentioned In How Law Firm Compensation Shapes Retention and Succession
Brenda Barnes Consulting
Brenda Barnes on LinkedIn
RESPECT – An Insight to Attorney Compensation Plans
Get connected with the coaching team: hello@thelawyersedge.com
The Lawyer's Edge
SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE
This episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer's Edge, a training and coaching firm that has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. Each member of the team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach—and either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional.
Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress. To get connected with your coach, fill out our contact form.

Shannon Lombardo is the Director of Business Development at Saul Ewing LLP, a national law firm with more than 400 attorneys. She leads strategic growth initiatives focused on attorney business development coaching, client relationship development, and revenue generation. With extensive experience in legal marketing and business development, Shannon partners with attorneys and law firms to build stronger relationships, identify growth opportunities, and achieve their business objectives.
WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT FOLLOW-THROUGH
Lawyers may understand that business development matters and genuinely intend to make it a priority, but that intention often gets pushed aside by client work, billable-hour demands, and the discomfort of doing something that does not feel as familiar as practicing law. Even lawyers who want to build business can struggle with where to start, how to stay consistent, and how to keep going when the results take time.
That means firms have to look beyond simply teaching lawyers what to do. More training will not solve a problem rooted in discomfort, lack of confidence, competing priorities, or a lawyer who is not ready to engage. The real opportunity is understanding what is actually getting in the way, then creating the right level of support and accountability to help lawyers take action in a way that fits them.
In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman talks with Shannon Lombardo of Saul Ewing LLP about why lawyers struggle to follow through on business development, what makes business development training more effective, how accountability supports consistency, and where responsibility lies between the firm and the individual lawyer.
2:12 - Why lawyers struggle to prioritize business development
5:34 - How unrealistic rainmaker examples can discourage lawyers
8:35 - How to assess whether a lawyer is ready for business development support
11:01 - Building a business development plan around the individual lawyer
14:58 - Why Saul Ewing moved away from one-off training programs
18:14 - Why one-time business development training rarely changes behavior
22:21 - Matching business development support to the individual lawyer
24:51 - The psychology behind business development resistance
27:28 - What internal business development teams can and cannot own
29:32 - Using accountability to help lawyers stay consistent
31:48 - Why small, consistent business development actions matter
32:56 - What disengagement from coaching may actually signal
Mentioned In The Gap Between Wanting to Do Business Development and Actually Doing It
Saul Ewing LLP | LinkedIn
Shannon Lombardo on LinkedIn
Get connected with the coaching team: hello@thelawyersedge.com
The Lawyer's Edge
SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE
This episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer's Edge, a training and coaching firm that has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. Each member of the team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach—and either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional.
Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress. To get connected with your coach, fill out our contact form.

Michael Mellor is the President and Founder of 742 Advisors, a boutique consultancy focused on law firm revenue generation, pitch operations, and go-to-market strategy. He designs revenue operating models that help firms win more work with less friction, covering pitch infrastructure, business development operations, experience management systems, and governance frameworks. Before founding 742 Advisors, Mike served as Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at Pryor Cashman, where he rebuilt the firm's marketing department and transformed the function from a cost center into a revenue-generating operation. He previously held senior roles at Paul Weiss and Katten and served on KPMG's "Big Deal" team, leading pursuit strategy for some of the firm's largest opportunities. Mike has been recognized by Lawdragon as a Top 100 Global Leader in Legal Strategy & Consulting and received the Legal Marketing Association New York Chapter's Member of the Year Award.
WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT USING BETTER DATA FOR LAW FIRM BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Law firms can have exactly the sort of experience a prospective client is looking for and still have trouble finding it or remembering it when they need it. The information may be sitting in an old pitch, missing from an attorney bio, coded incorrectly in a firm system, or known only to the lawyer who handled the work. That creates a very practical business development problem when it is time to show a prospect what the firm has actually done.
Michael Mellor has spent his career inside law firms looking at why those gaps exist and how firms can close them. His approach starts with getting a clearer picture of the work lawyers have already done, then organizing that information in a way people can actually use. That can make business development easier without requiring another major technology investment and give firm leaders a more accurate view of where the firm has depth and where there may be room to grow.
In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge Podcast, Elise Holtzman talks with Michael Mellor of 742 Advisors about the information gaps that make business development harder, how law firm culture and incentives affect whether systems actually get used, why better data matters beyond individual pitches, and practical ways firms can start organizing what they already know without making another major technology investment.
3:27 - What the scramble for law firm experience looks like during a pitch
5:28 - Why centralized information matters beyond individual pitches
6:44 - How poor data hygiene affects law firm strategy
8:44 - Auditing lawyers' work to uncover business development opportunities
12:09 - Why business development plans often become a box-checking exercise
14:46 - Why law firm CRMs fail to solve the information problem
18:51 - How origination credit and compensation affect information sharing
22:39 - Starting small with attorney bios and existing matter information
24:27 - Building a useful database before investing in more technology
26:46 - Why lawyers need to document the work they have already done
MENTIONED IN HOW BETTER DATA CAN HELP LAW FIRMS WIN MORE WORK
742 Advisors | LinkedIn
Michael Mellor on LinkedIn
Get connected with the coaching team: hello@thelawyersedge.com
The Lawyer's Edge
SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE
This episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer's Edge, a training and coaching firm that has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. Each member of the team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach—and either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional.
Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress. To get connected with your coach, fill out our contact form.

Michelle Citrin is the owner of Michelle Citrin Studios, a personal branding and photography practice focused exclusively on women in law. She has more than 17 years of experience in photography and earned her degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Michelle also brings a background in fashion styling and design to her work, which she uses to help attorneys show up with the same authority they have earned in the courtroom or boardroom. She operates studios in Fort Lauderdale, Charlotte, and Asheville and works with clients around the world. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Ocean Drive Magazine, and NBC6, and she teaches continuing legal education programs across Florida on marketing, executive presence, and personal branding.
WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT HEADSHOTS AS A BUSINESS STRATEGY
For many lawyers, professional photography is something to check off the list when it is time to update a website bio or LinkedIn profile. That approach misses how much your imagery shapes the perception people form when they look you up. If your headshot no longer reflects your current level of experience, authority, and success, there can be a disconnect between the reputation you have earned and the way you are showing up online.
This is why Michelle Citrin approaches professional photography as an important part of a lawyer's larger marketing and visibility strategy. Your face is often the most recognizable part of your brand, and the images you use can help you stay memorable and top of mind while giving you more control over the narrative people encounter online. As AI changes how professionals market themselves, being human, using real imagery, and showing up as yourself become even more important to building trust.
In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge Podcast, Elise Holtzman talks with Michelle Citrin of Michelle Citrin Studios about using professional photography as a marketing strategy, matching your imagery to the authority you have earned, building visibility and trust online, and being human in a world of AI.
3:19 - What strong personal brands have in common
4:41 - Showing up consistently without being "loud"
6:31 - Treating professional photography as a marketing strategy
8:19 - Why your face is the most recognizable part of your brand
9:20 - Matching your imagery to your current level of authority
12:21 - Making your expertise more visible and staying top of mind
15:32 - Why accomplished lawyers can still feel uncomfortable in front of the camera
20:11 - Choosing a photographer who understands your audience and marketing goals
21:16 - Planning imagery around your target market and message
24:05 - Being human in a world of AI
26:36 - Building trust when clients are finding and vetting lawyers online
28:45 - Updating your photography regularly and continuing to show up
Mentioned In Why Your Headshot Is a Business Strategy, Not a Vanity Project
Michelle Citrin Studios
Michelle Citrin on LinkedIn
Get connected with the coaching team: hello@thelawyersedge.com
The Lawyer's Edge
SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE
This episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer's Edge, a training and coaching firm that has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. Each member of the team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach—and either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional.
Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress. To get connected with your coach, fill out our contact form.