Today, we’re talking about managing clients without losing your time, energy, or focus — and how doing this well can improve your lifestyle, benefit your clients, and support a more sustainable practice.

For lawyers and other professionals, client relationships can become stressful when boundaries are unclear, expectations are misaligned, or communication becomes too reactive. In this episode, Sandra Bekhor speaks with estate litigator and mediator Felice C. Kirsh about practical ways to manage difficult client dynamics with more clarity, confidence, and professionalism.

This conversation explores:

• setting boundaries around time and availability
  
  
• managing client expectations proactively rather than reactively
  
  
• communicating clearly in emotional situations
  
  
• handling micromanagement and preserving trust
  
  
• discussing fees transparently
  
  
• choosing the right communication channel for the issue at hand
  
  

Although Felice’s examples come from estate litigation, the ideas in this episode are relevant across legal practice areas and other professional services.

Felice C. Kirsh is a partner with Schnurr Kirsh Oelbaum Tator LLP, a Certified Specialist in Estates and Trusts Law, and an experienced estate litigator and mediator.

Learn more about Felice: https://estatelitigation.net/felice-c-kirsh/

You're listening to Get in the Driver’s Seat! We’re telling stories about leadership moments in small to mid-sized professional practices. I’m your host, Sandra Bekhor, Practice Management Coach for lawyers, architects, consultants and other professionals at Bekhor Management.

Today, we’re talking about how to - and I know you don’t like this word - sell without being salesy as a lawyer or other type of professional. What do we mean by that? Profile building, initial consults, referrals and introductions.

This conversation explores various stages of the sales process in legal and other professional services, including:

• How professionals can self-promote with ease, without coming across as bragging.
• How to get comfortable asking for business from a prospective client.
• How to ask for introductions and referrals from your network, without detracting from nurturing the relationship.
• How to set initial consultations up for success, for yourself and your team.
• How to close a sale.

In this episode, we share stories and ideas from our own experiences of supporting lawyers and other professionals through this process and how that has evolved over the years.

Some aspect of selling is going to be part of your job for the remainder of your professional career. Getting comfortable with this can be a game-changer!

Mark Hunter is an award-winning marketing, brand, and communications executive. Mark has designed internal and external programs that drive adoption and deliver exceptional client experiences. His expertise spans B2B and B2C environments, with particular strength in helping legal professionals translate complex services into compelling messages that resonate with their audiences.

If you are interested in learning more about Mark Hunter, please go to: glenmaplegroup.ca.

You're listening to Get in the Driver’s Seat! We’re telling stories about leadership moments in small to mid-sized professional practices. I’m your host, Sandra Bekhor, Practice Management Coach for lawyers, architects, consultants and other professionals at Bekhor Management.

Today, we’re talking about a sense of urgency in professional services firms. There are (considerable!) benefits to knowing when to speed up and when to slow down. Having the skill to do that can be a game-changer in terms of keeping your team productive and motivated, reducing turnover, maximizing the value of your business development efforts and retaining client loyalty.

This conversation explores the full range of situations where sometimes a sense of urgency is:
- Completely lacking and, as a result, leaders experience the frustration of lost opportunities
- Non-stop go-go-go because leaders have lost their ability to distinguish true from false urgency

In this episode, we share stories and ideas from our own experiences of ramping up our response rate to slowing down and making space for planning, coordinating and collaborating. We even suggest some specific ideas to try if you are running into typical inner obstacles like perfectionism, hypervigilance and people pleasing.

The tools we share (including leadership presence, communication strategies, priority management systems and ways to balance teams) have worked for us. So, we encourage our listeners to draw on these hard-won insights!

To learn more about Fran Jakubowicz, please go to SunHouseMarketing.com.

You're listening to Get in the Driver’s Seat! We’re telling stories about leadership moments in small to mid-sized professional practices. I’m your host, Sandra Bekhor, Practice Management Coach for lawyers, architects, consultants and other professionals at Bekhor Management.