Legal Trends Network

What exactly is a coach for lawyers? Coaches are used for nearly every aspect of professional and personal life, so much so that the terms "counselor" and "coach" are nearly interchangeable. Unlike psychologist, however, coaches focus their energies on the means for achieving future goals instead of delving into past circumstances. In fact, many psychologist list coaching as one of the services offered within their professional practice.

In the broadest since, legal coaches help lawyers reach goals they've created for their professional and personal lives. Coaches specialize in everything from building and marketing your law practice, finding and transitioning to new employment, to creating balance between professional and personal lives. Legal coaches can assist in fostering renewed energies toward growing law practices in an already demanding environment, toward achieving financial success and to improve balance and well-being in the stressful atmosphere that is the practice of law. Coaches who are also lawyers can assist their peers in learning new modalities of conflict resolution and peacemaking skills. Debra Bruce, of Executive Coaching and founder of Renaissance Lawyer Society describes the process as:

Co-Active Coaching is client driven. The client sets the pace and determines the outcome. The coach provides support, structure, focus and accountability. You and the coach together create an alliance for the purpose of identifying what you want in your life and your practice. While you are responsible for the action, your coach helps you create a plan and supports you as you move forward to reach your goals. With better focus and goals chosen in alignment with your true values and desires, you can see results more quickly. While the coach may have some knowledge or experience to share with you if you desire it, the coach will not tell you what to do. You are in charge.

Divorce coaches assist lawyers by working with clients in the process of conflict and help them create an atmosphere ripe for resolution. Philip J. Daunt of California has termed the phase "Coach Approach to Lawyering" and he says on his website:

When a lawyer applies a coach approach to the practice of law, the lawyer works collaboratively with the lawyer’s clients to assist them in transforming their legal problems into opportunities for positive change and spiritual growth. The coach-approach lawyer achieves these goals by engaging the client in profound conversations about choice and the freedom to choose the client’s own interpretations of events and the significance to the client of those events and by inviting the lawyer’s clients to place their legal problems into the context of their lives and of their goals, aspirations and dreams.

Links to Ms. Bruce's and Mr. Daunt's Coaching websites, as well as many others, can be found in our Links section on this page.