Lawyer Marketing Book Gets Top Reviews -- Rattles Conservative Views

Since its publication this summer, Henry Dahuts book, Marketing the Legal Mind (LMG PRESS) has been raising more than a few eyebrows by challenging the traditional and sacred role of rainmakers in most firms. Dahut also explores the problem of toxic law partners and describes how they stifle firm growth and destroy even the most brilliant marketing plans. The book has also been noted for its frank and unsettling spotlight on the business of law, while debunking many of the enduring traditions and customs of firm cultures.

(PRWEB) August 27, 2004 -- Since its publication this summer, Henry Dahuts book Marketing the Legal Mind (LMG PRESS) has been raising more than a few eyebrows by challenging the traditional and sacred role of rainmakers in most firms. Dahut also explores the problem of toxic law partners and describes how they stifle firm growth and destroy even the most brilliant marketing plans.

The book has also been noted for its frank and unsettling spotlight on the business of law, while debunking many of the enduring traditions and customs of firm cultures. Kenneth Drake, a managing partner of Rushfeldt, Shelley & Drake LLP, summed up his reaction to Dahuts book by saying, Its an exciting and fresh approach to practice development. The challenges partners face in marketing and managing their practice are so vividly described and realistic, it's hard not to get heartburn reading it."

And, leading law firm consultant Steve Barrett (former Director of Business Development for Paul, Hastings, Janofsky LLP) recently compared Marketing the Legal Mind to another modern tour de force of marketing literature. This is a great book... I'd put this book right up there with the classics of law firm management, such as those by David Maister, and services marketing, such as Harry Beckwith's Selling the Invisible." (www.PMForumNA.org)

Mr. Barrett continued by saying, It's a quick-but totally compelling-read, one that rings scarily true in many firms, but which deals with why firms need to de-emphasize promotional marketing (ads, brochures, newsletters, seminars, etc.) and-instead-find out and focus unremittingly on just what clients want. Clients care less about bar reviews, coifs and magnas, and more about being listened to and having their business understood."

In fact, the response to Marketing the Legal Mind from attorneys has been consistently upbeat. Todd Rash, an attorney from the west coast, says, Its a thoughtful and daring piece of work from one of our own -- whether you're a managing partner or a first-year associate, you will benefit from what this book offers."

None of this is meant to say that the book prescribes a simplistic panacea to cure a law firms marketing woes, as Mr. Dahut clarifies. The rules of marketing have changed. A successful marketing program really requires a deep rethinking of everything that may have worked in the past. You must set aside all of the preconceptions, and even the most popular myths, about what lawyers think clients really want from them. Profitable results in todays marketplace require that lawyers start thinking differently -- or risk losing clients and valuable market share to those that do."

He went on to say, A successful marketing program starts from the very core of an organization, from how it operates, and it becomes a self-defining process in which the totality of a firm's character and purpose is defined not only by its leadership, but also by the needs and desires of its clients."

Steve Barrett pointed to this in his review. Dahut's analysis of the typical lawyer's training and mind-set is on-point, and can help marketing professionals deal with lawyers, as much as help lawyers understand how such left-brained, linear, logical, Socratic (his terms) backgrounds limit their own effectiveness in the competitive marketplace."

Thats exactly it. Everything a firm does or communicates impacts the clients' experience of the firm," according to Dahut. He added, It's not what you think you're offering that counts, but rather what the clients are experiencing that matters most."

Linda Hazelton, MBA and Chair of the Education Committee with the esteemed nonprofit Legal Marketing Association, thinks Mr. Dahut is leading the vanguard. He persuasively explains why marketing cannot be an afterthought; and counsels against falling into the trap of thinking that so long as revenue is good, all is well in our world."

She goes on by quoting directly from Marketing the Legal Mind. 'Somewhere along the line, lawyers have come to believe that as long as there is sufficient revenue flow, fixing exterior problems will be sufficient to keep declining service in check. In the meantime, partners keep partnering and hope that no one notices that they don't have a clue about where the firm is going.' His book is an antidote to such thinking and serves as a just-in-time wake-up call."

Henry, a lawyer for nearly twenty years, speaks with a clear understanding of the obstacles lawyers face in marketing their business. While most lawyers like to think of themselves as open-minded and objective people, more often than not it is precisely the type of thinking that makes lawyers highly effective at practicing law that can make them ineffective at marketing and managing their firms."

He goes on to explain that this is the basis for his recent decision to expand his own business objectives by providing his insights as a legal management and marketing advisor, and he now consults with senior leaders of law firms across the country. Working primarily as a facilitator, his provocative methods are designed to support the formulation of value-driven action plans aimed at concretely aligning firms with their strategic business objectives.

He describes it this way: I believe we are now entering an era of unprecedented growth. When aligned with the goal of streamlining business process efficiencies, there are marketing opportunities that most law firms have never before imagined."

Henry pauses for a brief moment of emphasis, then continues. While the success of the book has been phenomenal -- and I will admit its been nice to see it climbing the charts -- it is really only a starting point. The true reward is meeting with lawyers, face-to-face, listening to them and sharing their challenges, then offering them a whole new way of seeing and operating within a marketing process that actually inspires them."

For More Information, Please Contact:
Ken Goodpaster
323-462-4227
http://www.HenryDahut.com
Book Artwork Available Upon Request.
LMG Press
ATLAS BOOKS (www.atlasbooks.com)