Career Coaching for Lawyers

I work with lawyers who are seeking greater fulfillment in their careers. Client projects may include achieving better work-life balance, identifying inspiring career goals, promotion to partnership, thriving as a lateral in a new firm, creating a better working relationship with colleagues, finding new job, among other career goals. 

Most attorneys can benefit from working with a coach with in-depth knowledge of the legal profession who can provide structure, guidance and a sounding board to help them to systematically think through options, navigate key conversations and support them in making the best decisions for their unique circumstances.

Identify inspiring career goals

Design a personalized path to success

Build and enhance strategic relationships

Make Partner

Overcome distractions

Bring in more clients

 Keep your clients happy AND get home on time

Achieving Satisfaction
& Success as a Lawyer

Even when a lawyer is on the right path, there are numerous challenges that can interfere with true satisfaction and success. We help clients address common concerns such as time management, demanding clients, difficult colleagues and other factors that can reduce an attorney’s satisfaction and career success.

Coaching for Current or Future Partners

Navigating the politics of partnership can be tricky for many lawyers, especially those in big law firms. We provide a sounding board and strategic support to lawyers who are poised for promotion to partnership or who have recently joined a new firm. We address office politics, business development and leadership, among other topics.

Job or Career Change for Lawyers

At some point, most lawyers will ask themselves “Is this really want I want to do?” or “What other jobs would I like better?” Career coaching helps lawyers systematically evaluate their current situations, identify the best career path, and define a strategy for achieving that goal. Coaching also helps you to stay focussed and resilient throughout a job search.

The legal industry can be incredibly demanding and has more than its share of difficult people.  Even attorneys who are very talented and enjoy the legal work can get worn down by the grueling hours and challenging personalities. Coaching helps you to manage the realities of the legal workplace in a way that helps you to be authentic and self-expressed while still advancing your career.  

I work with:

• Lawyers who enjoy their practice areas but who often feel exhausted and overwhelmed by the volume of work

• Lawyers who are struggling to work effectively with difficult personalities

• New in-house lawyers who are navigating the transition to a very different work culture

• In-house or law firm lawyers who have been promoted to a new level of leadership

• Lateral partners or counsel who are trying to navigate new systems and new personalities

• Attorneys who want to create stronger relationships with colleagues or clients

• Associates who want to change their area of specialty or move to a different office within the same firm

• Lawyers whose personalities are less assertive but who want to be perceived as leaders

• Lawyers who are looking for ways to make their associates more efficient or turn out better work product

• Partners who have been designated as the successor to a retiring partner but the partner is reluctant to turn over responsibility

• Lawyers who get positive feedback from others but continue to seek out the next level of satisfaction or excellence

• Lawyers who seek better work-life balance

Please check out our other career coaching tracks if you are more focused on any of the following:

Making a Career Change
Getting Promoted to Partner
Business Development or
Leadership

Common Coaching Topics for Lawyers Seeking Greater Success & Satisfaction

Each coaching engagement is customized to the individual client. Nevertheless, in the “Success and Satisfaction” coaching track, we typically focus on the three elements (1) Workload management; (2) Getting what you need from partners, colleagues and direct reports, and (3) Overcoming internal obstacles.

Lawyers are often exhausted juggling numerous client matters and working long hours under intense pressure.  It is helpful to talk with a coach who will help you to step back and examine your default assumptions and habits and help you to craft new systems that enable you stay on top of your work in a way that feels more comfortable and manageable.

• Improve time management

• Create systems for prioritizing the items that are most important

• Revise processes so as to eliminate duplication of effort

• Identify when to push back or say no

• Increase energy and focus by getting in touch with your core values

• Address the issues that are draining your energy

• Develop new strategies to optimize decision-making

Most lawyers face a wide array of interpersonal challenges in the workplace. Between the high stakes, the billable hours, and inherent challenges of the law firm business model, law firms have more than their share of stressed and cranky people. Consequently, it can be extra difficult to get what you need from partners, associates and clients. Or course, in-house legal departments, despite their reputation as less intense than law firms, still have their share of management, communication and interpersonal challenges.

• Optimize your approach to delegation

• Learn new techniques for dealing with difficult people

• Clarify what you want, so that you can ask for it more effectively

• Enhance your persuasiveness

• Know when to assert yourself and when to hold back

• Learn to describe a problem in a way that inspires other people to contribute to the solution

• Define a personal brand so that others will see you in the best light

There are two basic types of challenges that lawyers face in their careers. There are the concrete, practical challenges, such as hiring the right people or finding the right opportunities, and there are the more abstract issues such as when someone feels like they don’t belong or they have trouble asking for what they want. Almost everyone has some kind of internal obstacles that makes the concrete challenges even more difficult to address. By addressing these internal concerns, clients are able to address the practical concerns much more quickly and easily.

• Identify the underlying patterns or circumstances that trigger procrastination, and create structures to get yourself back on track

• Identify and address areas where perfectionism is slowing you down, while still retaining your perfectionistic habits in the areas where they serve you.

• Overcome career trauma, which if left unresolved, cause unnecessary anxiety or unhappiness

• Access the most courageous version of yourself to help you take your career to the next level

• Enhance resilience so as to bounce back from adverse events at work

Career Coaching
Articles

Career Coaching
Presentations

Career Coaching
Testimonials

Making Powerful Requests: A Key Leadership Skill, Latina Leadership Academy, June 1, 2019, Sole Presenter

WBA Business Hour: Become an Expert Networker (Webinar), Women's Bar Association of DC, February 10, 2017 (Webinar) Presenter.

Become an Expert Networker, Capital Area Muslim Bar Association (CAMBA), October (Washington, DC), Sole Presenter.  

Personal Branding and Image — What’s Trending Now Should be You, Women in Construction Conference, October 15, 2015 (Washington, DC), Panelist

Moving Forward in Your Career: Four Tips to Accelerate Your Forward Movement, ABA Section of Environment Energy and Resources, March 9, 2016 (Webinar), Panelist

Taking Charge of Your Leadership Development and Your Career, Women, Influence and Power in the Law Conference, October 28, 2015 (Washington, DC), Panelist

How to Sell Yourself in 60 Seconds or Less While Respecting Ethical Boundaries (CLE), American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division Fall Conference, October 17, 2015 (Little Rock, AR), Sole Presenter

Personal Branding: Amplify Your Success and Career Opportunities, Legal Marketing Association, Capitol Chapter, Future Leaders Group, September 15, 2015 (Washington, DC), Sole Presenter

Ten Point Leadership Inspection for Legal Marketing Professionals, Legal Marketing Association, Capital Chapter, February 4, 2015 (Baltimore, MD), Sole Presenter

Anna has been a terrific catalyst for my shaping the life and work I want. From advancing my career to starting an organization and creating the relationship and family I envisioned, Anna has been instrumental. I sampled several coaches before selecting Anna for her smart coaching systems, thoughtful accountability, insightful listening and empowering direction. Over 8 years and four engagements, I've returned to Anna and Excelleration Coaching.

 R. Holm
Washington, DC

Anna is a great coach for lawyers. As a former lawyer herself, she understands the internal dynamics of law firms and yet brings an objective outside perspective. I think any lawyer would benefit from working with Anna because, regardless of your level of experience or expertise, she helps you to achieve the next level of insight and skill.

A. Arshad
Virginia
 

Anna is a marvelous coach. I completely opened up with her and was able to work through some sensitive issues. I always felt completely safe. Her encouragement, purposeful yet gentle probing, along with her valuable ADR connections, tools and technique helped me find my direction at a major crossroads. I highly recommend!

S. Alexander
Texas

Anna is collaborative and thoughtful, and she works with you to figure out what your needs are and how to address them. She is also reasonably priced (much more so than some other coaches), so working with her during your job search is feasible.

N. Kourosh,
Washington, DC

Anna helped me make the transition to a new career. She helped me sort out my thoughts and prioritize my goals for my new professional life. With Anna’s support and guidance, I was able to craft a life that works for me and provides the balance I was sorely lacking.

E. Garbeil
Michigan

I was no longer feeling motivated after my first few successful years of business and felt down about myself and my lack of drive. Anna helped me see that I'd grown beyond the goals that had initially inspired me. Together, we found that I still wanted to do what I was doing, but for new inspiring reasons! My passion was reignited and my inner-critic quieted. Anna also helped me to design and implement a structure that kept me focused on the big picture (rather than get lost in daily details) both in my work and personal life. The entire process helped me realize what gives me joy and gave me the space to experience that joy.

K. Bassing
Washington, DC

Anna is a terrific resource for attorneys interested in advancing their careers. She is extremely knowledgeable, thoughtful, and practical. If you are ready to explore your true potential, Anna should be your first call.

B. Dutrow
Virginia

Anna is a great coach!  She gave me a fresh perspective and helped me dig deeper to think differently and recognize new possibilities. She provides accountability, encouragement and momentum. I have now changed to a new job and am delighted!

A. Andersson
Virginia

I really enjoyed working with Anna. She asks useful questions that helped me to see situations in a new light. I'm pleased with the decisions that I made as a result of our conversations and I think that anyone would benefit from working with her.

S. Zuvin,
Istanbul, Turkey

Talking with Anna really helped me clarify my career goals and determine next steps for working towards them.

Y. Neisser
Maryland

 I have worked with Anna Rappaport of Excelleration Coaching at a couple different points in my career. She has helped me grow into leadership positions, manage staff and strategize regarding my career as a whole. I highly recommend her services.

B. Aidoo
Maryland