The Kick-Ass Marketing Secret of the Most Successful Candidates and Attorneys

Description

In this webinar, Harrison unveils the Kick-Ass Marketing Secret of the Most Successful Candidates and Attorneys. This webinar is a game-changer if you've ever struggled to stand out in the competitive legal market. Harrison shares a unique perspective on the power of having a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) or, as he calls it, the Unique Cellular Proposition.

Harrison's excitement is palpable as he reveals the transformative potential of understanding and applying this marketing concept to your legal career. He discusses how a well-defined USP can elevate your resume, reshape your professional narrative, and position you as the top choice in job interviews.

Drawing from real-life examples, including a former massage therapist turned high-earning real estate agent, Harrison emphasizes the universal applicability of the USP.

This webinar isn't just about making money; it's about selling yourself effectively in a competitive legal landscape. Whether you're a law student, associate, or a seasoned professional, Harrison explains how embracing and embodying your USP can unlock unprecedented success.

Don't miss this opportunity to discover the key to making every interviewer talk about you enthusiastically and reshape the trajectory of your legal career.

Embrace the power of your Unique Cellular Proposition and watch your professional journey transform before your eyes.

Transcript

All right we're going to get started. The reason I'm so excited about this particular webinar is that this secret that I'm going to tell you about is incredibly important. And if you understand what I talk about today, I think you will honestly never have a problem getting a job.

It's going to drastically improve your resume. And it could change the course of your entire life. And so, this particular topic is something that I've actually given presentations on before and in public presentations, webinars, but and some people that have heard this have told me that this particular thing I'm going to talk about today has literally changed the direction of our life.

Incredibly important. And I think that once you understand this, you're really in for a treat because it's just going to make a huge difference for me and for you. And this is a live webinar, by the way. After I talk about this, I will take questions.

We'll take a quick break after we go through this and then come back and take questions and you can ask questions about this or. All right. Any other topics that you may be interested in. And for those of you that are new to these webinars this, the questions I think are one of the most important parts of what we do when we talk about this stuff.

And it was funny just before, a few minutes ago before I started this, I started thinking about a real estate agent that I know in Malibu, California, which is where I work and live. And this is no ordinary real estate agent. He actually. I don't know. He makes over a billion dollars in residential transactions a year which the commissions on something like that are the tens of millions of dollars.

And this is a guy that used to be a massage therapist and got into the business when I believe he was giving Richard Gere a massage. And Richard Geerst told him he wanted to sell his house and he told him he had a new, just got a real estate license. And one thing led from there. And this particular guy understands the secret and became honestly with no education and nothing just incredibly wealthy and so wealthy that he owns a.

Heavy jet, which a heavy jet is you see these business jets and things to fly around the world and a heavy jet is like almost like something like an airliner. You would take to between cities but outfitted with kitchens and couches and stuff. And this is someone that when I thought about it actually does his biggest skill.

Is what I'm going to talk to you about today. So, this is really powerful stuff and I think that certainly it's not all about making money, but it's about selling products It's about selling services and most importantly it's about selling yourself So I go to marketing conferences you know At least a couple times a year and I’ve always done that for the past several years I’ve spent a lot of money.

Attending these conferences. I certainly don't go to them as frequently as I used to when I was earlier in my career, but I've certainly been to them. And when I go to these conferences people tend to talk about this thing called a unique selling proposition, and it's. It's really something that people just keep talking about again and again.

And then I'm, what I'm going to tell you about today is something that were you to go to these marketing conferences and spend all your time you would learn about this and it would teach you quite a bit about marketing yourself. It'll teach you how to position yourself to be successful.

In your life in your job by doing the following different things and it'll tell you how I'm going to tell you how to get legal jobs that more people that are more qualified than you are unable to get. I'm going to tell you how to get legal jobs that you're not even qualified for. And then I'll show you how to appear like the most logical choice to be interviewed when you apply for any job.

And then I'll also show you how to make every interviewer talk about you enthusiastically after interviewing you. And I realize this stuff sounds impossible, but It really isn't. It's not impossible. But it requires that you know something about marketing and that you understand this marketing concept and then you apply it to yourself.

And that concept is called the USP or whatever you want to call it. It is basically. something if you were to go out and read a lot of marketing books and study marketing. This is the primary message that they would give you. Now, if you already know this concept, I'm going to tell you how it applies to you and how you can make this apply to yourself.

And it's called USP and Unique Cellular Proposition or whatever you want to call it. So, this is the power of how we use that. And then I'll tell you. A lot, a little bit about that. So, leaving conferences and when the people that are talking about these USPs, they typically they don't know a lot of times know what they're talking about.

So, if you ever listened to Self-improvement people, sometimes you'll go to different things, the people that can't do things often teach and but, a lot of times at these conferences, what happens is people learn ideas and create courses and then try to get people to pay for, different online things or, in, in person things.

And but most people are fairly clueless about a lot of this marketing stuff. And but the reason of the people starts to keep showing up is that when a marketing concept works, it can be very effective. So, you might go to 10 marketing conferences and not learn anything that works, but then you might go to one and you might find one thing that can really work.

I know. One guy, I just, I meet all these people that are very successful all the time and you can be very successful in the world doing things that you wouldn't even expect. Like I know one guy that created a a tequila brand and he created in his twenties, a few years later using this marketing concept.

I was able to create some buzz about it and sold it to a giant liquor company for several hundred millions of dollars. Now this kind of money, people actually make this using these concepts and another guy I know the same did the same thing. When he was practicing, when I was practicing law he made, several hundred million dollars doing the same thing.

He wasn't an attorney, by the way, he was someone in business. So, this marketing stuff if you understand it and you apply it in the business world, not just to yourself. People that are very good at applying this and I've given you some examples from a real estate a massage therapist turned real estate agent to a, to someone selling lit coming up with a liquor brand by spending a few 1000 driving down to Mexico and learning.

This is just really powerful stuff. So, if people can make this kind of money, Okay. Doing these things and applying this concept, you have to think about what can you manage, what can you do with your career? Because at your level you may be a partner in business, trying to, with a business, trying to increase the amount of business that you have.

Get clients. You may be an associate trying to get clients. You may be an associate trying to get another job. You may be a law student trying to get your first job. Whatever you are, you can use this concept to market yourself and become very effective because this is the most effective marketing way thing there is.

And if you apply the USP to you to your candidacy, wherever you go, if you apply it to you. How you search for jobs, if you apply it to how you get business, if you apply it to how you get new jobs this is going to help you. This term, by the way, when I talk about this term, every single thing that I say in almost every webinar, telling you to have your resume focused on one thing telling you to remove things that don't have anything to do, With the practice area that you're applying to not confusing people with different types of jobs that aren't in the same practice area or that are in different practice settings.

This is all I talk about. And this concept, if you understand it. is essential to getting any job you want that you're reasonably qualified for. It's essential to how you do your resume. It's essential to your cover letters. It's essential to the type of firms you apply to. All this stuff. What this USP is it's the unique aspects of yourself that sets you apart from every employee and every job seeker in the market.

And this is the biggest mistake that people make. They actually have no. A USP. They have no selling proposition because they look all over the place. No one can possibly want to hire someone that doesn't stand for something. No one wants to hire someone that doesn't know what they want to do. You have to know exactly what you want to do and you have to have a USP because if you don't have a USP, you're going to get beat by people that do.

Every successful partner that has a big book of business knows they have something that they stand for. Every successful partner, every successful business has something like this. And this is what you need to have too. And this is by the way, what you're probably doing wrong. So, if you understand what I'm talking about today, you can do it right.

Your entire legal career can be built on this. You can develop a huge book of business. You can become anything you want to be, if you can understand this. And the keyword of USP, by the way, Is unique. So, your USP is what differentiate you from anybody you're competing with. It makes you a must have hire an attorney in the job market.

It does the same thing if you're trying to get clients. So, you should be able to explain in a single phrase. Why someone should hire you and want to work with you and not someone else. That's all they need to know. Or why they shouldn't hire you at all. They should be able to explain. You should be able to have something that you stand for that will actually drive away certain employers but drive certain employers to you.

You need that. This is the most important thing you need to have. It's The thing you should think about before even putting together your resume. It's something you need to understand. People all the time think, hey, isn't an employer going to appreciate that? I got all this different, all these different types of experiences and therefore I can help them with this.

Isn't a per, someone that I'm trying to get business going to appreciate that I've done trademark law and commercial litigation and real estate. Isn't that going to make them very enthusiastic about me and think that I'm just a great person, or, great potential employee? No. So your USP is what you offer.

It's what you stick out, what you stick out to, and then what's memorable about your candidacy. It's very important. Just what's interesting too, this real estate agent that became very effective. People always try to be real estate agents. There's in Malibu, by the way there's more real estate agents than there are homes sold each year.

Everybody wants to be part of this club and this particular real estate agent does what I'm going to talk to you about. And I'll tell you how he does it later, but this is extremely important. And that possibilities for this there are unlimited, like you can frame any business any candidacy, anything you do you can focus around your USP.

And it's going to give legal employers something it's going to tell them something different about you and you need to be careful and you need to be able to fulfill whatever it is that you're promising in USP, but you definitely need every candidate. Every attorney needs a USP.

Every attorney that has a lot of business has a USP, every attorney that continually succeeds working in large law firms. or even smaller law firms has a USP. Every law firm that generally has something that's a USP. So let me first describe something that characterizes most people looking for jobs.

And when I say most people, it's pretty much definitely the majority. When I ask attorneys, I'm interviewing why I should hire them and not someone else. They don't have a very good response. Most people don't. They don't have something that's different about them that makes someone want to hire them.

They don't have anything particular they stand for. Sometimes people go to great law schools and they're like, oh yeah, my USP is I graduated from this law school. And most people that get into Places like, Harvard is undergraduates often have very strong USPs. They stand for something.

This is what a lot of college counselors will teach people. They'll say, oh, you need to be interested in something. I remember when I was interested in going to Harvard when I was a high school student my guidance counselor said you have to stand for something. You have to have something special.

He said the person in the class here that, graduated before, just graduated was a very interested in bugs. And it was an avid bug collector. Didn't have the best grades, but they got in because they stood for something. He said that. Another person that got in with someone that wrote plays.

And that's all they did, and they were very interested in that. So, colleges that select people that it would very competitive things want USPs. People that have USPs do much better than people that don't. And most people don't have one. Instead. They have this kind of, what I call a rudderless, nondescript candidacy.

That depends on the momentum of the market. So, if you want to get a position in a good firm during a good economy, sure you can, you'll, you, their firms need bodies and they will hire you because they need people. They're not as interested in a USP other than you tend to practice in one practice area.

And they will hire you because they need people with your background and your, the prestige of your qualification. If the legal market is doing well, and there are lots of positions they'll get hired but when you get out of law school you have a lot more to compete with other than your grades and where you go to law school.

That's no longer important. What's important is if you pick something and you stick to it and you know what you want. When the market slows down and these attorneys need another job, they'll often have to wait for the market to pick up again. I was on a call yesterday. with this person that graduated from Harvard Law School and was at the give me one second here.

Yeah, it was at the top of their class. And then that person decided that they really wanted to do patent law and took the patent bar. And then they decided that because they didn't get any patent law jobs when they were in law school, they would do corporate law and then they didn't like corporate law.

So, they quit their job or the market slowed down. And then they went and started a business. And then they decided they would start applying to firms and with patent bar on their resume. And there's just no focus. You can go to any law school you want. And if you're not focused, and this person said they've been applying to jobs in they applied to every am law 100 law firm and hadn't got a single interview.

This is what happens. It doesn't matter where you went to law school. It doesn't matter. This, the strength of your background, if you don't have this you're going to get eaten alive in the long run regardless. And there's nothing. the benefit that benefits a law firm. If there's nothing unique about you, that if you don't want to, if you're not always trying to work in a law firm, that if there's no focus to you, there's not going to, if you don't know what you want to do, who wants to hire someone that doesn't know what they want to do?

One of the most difficult people in a place and for them to get a job is an attorney that decides. after one or two years of practice that they want to do another practice area. Does that make any sense? The person, maybe they know what they want to do, but it's, but their resume doesn't position them to do something different.

So that becomes difficult. No, I'm not saying you can't switch practice areas. But it's very difficult. I was working with someone once that was one of the number one student in their class at a top 12 law school and decided that they wanted to go from doing litigation to corporate law. And before I talked to them, they'd been sending out resumes to every single school.

large law firm that they could find in the United States and got no interviews. Why do you think that is? It's because they didn't know what they want to do. Now that's not to say that I actually got the person interviews because I knew people to talk to, but at the same time, like this is not you have to look like you're unique.

You have to be able to promise something that instead of just saying people should hire me, people shouldn't hire you. People are not going to hire you unless you know what you want to do, because if you don't know what you want to do, you're probably not going to stick working with them. You have to know exactly what you want to do.

It's no surprise that most careers are just average and not exceptional. Most people never go as far as they could in their legal career because they never decide what they want to do. They never commit to anything. They, you only, most people only accomplish a very small share of what they could accomplish in their job searches without identifying this.

They just don't. They their careers flounder and they basically it's, they're out of luck and that happens. Okay, so just a few more points. You know that you're really if you unless you do this, you're really not going to accomplish anywhere near what you could in your career.

It's just not going to happen. You're not going to get business. You're not going to have satisfaction and you're in your career. You're not going to get. as many jobs as you possibly could. You're just going to go along with the tides and waves of the market and get and make less money than you should and have less success than you should, because you'll be one of the only people that doesn’t, you'll be, like most people that don't understand this.

I've actually seen, just so you understand, I've spoken to two or three attorneys that have told me what when I taught this to them, it totally changed the direction of their career and they became very successful partners in law firms. And in 1 case someone that in the Midwest that got a huge book of business and more than 20Million dollars that was a.

In Chicago, that was, very good book of business. So, this is very important stuff that I'm talking about today. Very important. And if you were hiring someone, why would you want to hire someone? Who was just average with no benefit that didn't know what they wanted to do.

Would you want to hire? a doctor that did 15 different things and didn't know what they wanted to do. Would you want to hire a doctor that worked in a in a hospital, then had their own clinic, then then decided to take some time off and no, you have to understand how you focus and how you do things and be the absolute best you can be.

Most careers, as I said, are very merely average and not exceptional because people do not understand this. And almost all people, almost all attorneys, are accomplishing only a small share of what they could in their careers because they don't do this. And you just have to understand this. You have to understand the point of view of an employer, the point of view of clients and everybody.

And so, I'm going to tell you a couple of stories right now. Unrelated to practicing law but related to how this is done. And the first one is someone that was a Hollywood assistant with a unique selling proposition. So, some time ago, several years ago I don't know when it was probably over 10 years ago.

I hired an assistant whose former job, had been to be an assistant of uneducated, meaning, not very smart and financially sophisticated movie and rock stars. That's just the role she found herself in and others who were on tight budgets and needed to keep their secrets in the, out of line, meaning they were getting a certain amount of money or living off that.

And they had to be very careful about what they spent. And when I reviewed her resume, I saw. I think she'd been getting these jobs through an agency or something. But I saw a lot of very successful people there that she had worked for during her career. And she'd never actually been hired by these people.

She'd been hired by their business managers and other people to work for them. And the type of job the type of job that business managers do for stars and others is. And especially when clients get late in their careers is they make sure that they don't run out of money and then they try to make sure that they don't do things that are going to get them portrayed in the wrong way and the press and so forth.

This is what they look for in her when they hired her. This is something that she developed and did throughout her career. And this is just what people wanted her to be. And had her job to be, to been, to be an assistant more than this. And her job, was obviously to babysit people and make sure that they didn't spend money or get into trouble.

And in addition to this, she was an assistant, but her real skill was running people's lives and keeping their costs down. Cause you can imagine that once you retire from a position like that as a rock star, or you have a limited amount of income to live on many times, especially if you spend it a lot earlier in your career.

Along in her resume when I reviewed it, and I wasn't an expert in reviewing resumes for assistance and stuff at that time, but her resume said something along the lines of this was it really effective and controlling confidential client spending. And keeping them out of the media that was pretty much and being keeping them out of immediate negative life.

That was her resume. That's all it said. And I thought it was very strange. She was very, personable and interviewed very well. And so well that I hired her, I was interviewing lots of people and I hired her right in the interview. It wasn't like, I'm going to get back to you or anything.

I just hired her. And once she started work. What she did is she started shaping, shaping up everyone around her. She met demanded that people not gossip and recommended in the harshest possible manner that I fired different people working for me that were gossiping. She literally would put herself into situations were.

She would hear gossip intentionally and then find out who was working for me that might have been gossiping, meaning gossiping about me or whatever. I'm just gossiping. And so then she would look around the office and determine that everyone who came into water, the plants, the cleaning one should be fired and replaced with employees doing this work instead of paying others to do it.

And then when I would travel instead of renting me like a decent car, she would get me these little Asian cars that I could hardly fit into. And then I would be checking into very cheap hotels, which was embarrassing because at some of these conferences I was speaking and, and other conferences that, I might've been like 10 miles outside of a city where there was a big hotel and she was just trying to save money.

And at that point in my career, I wasn't really that worried about saving money. And then when I protested, she would talk to me like a child. She'd say, it costs an additional, I'd say to constantly cost additional 3 a day for a regular car. And then she'd say, what did I tell you about behaving?

And she was very good at this type of thing, meaning saving money and watching expenses and then preventing gossip. And if I'd been a spent, spend thrift out of work actor on a fixed income, this would have been exactly what I needed. This is having those two characteristics are perfect for someone that's an out of work spend thrift actor.

That could get themselves in trouble. And obviously, if I was that position, I would have people certainly wouldn't have gossip about me to the press. I would have got rid of those people and I wouldn't have run out of money. So, think about people like Britney Spears getting in trouble because of the things they're doing.

Without supervision and agents and things around them an assistant that does this kind of stuff. I think she had to get take, anyway, she would have a conservatory before. But this is what people were doing and her USP was very simple. I will make this person save money and I will keep this person out of the press.

That was it. This is all she stood for is that. So, for that type of job working for celebrities and things, that's exactly. What the people that were hiring her needed. So sure enough, those were the type of job she got and she literally had a business manager at some point, I don't know, business managers that made sure that she did nothing but that she did it instinctively.

And this is probably why she would actually never be unemployed in Los Angeles for a few days, if ever, because there are very few people that are assistants and things that stand for one thing like that, in that case, two things that some people need very important if you stand for something, and this is very strange.

I've hardly ever seen someone. In a position like those sticks stands for something like that. It's very focused. It's it attracts a certain type of person. It makes a certain type of it makes her unique. It makes if you think about who she could work for. There's probably hundreds of former actors and things in Los Angeles that have business managers that could use something like that.

But there's very few people. that would ever stand for something like that. So, this is an incredible USP. It's perfectly made for the Los Angeles market. It's perfectly made for a certain type of person. It's actually something that's needed. And it's something that probably hardly anybody stands for on their resume.

And if that was the job that was needed, she is absolutely perfect. And it's the absolute perfect USP. It makes her, it made her very much in demand and able to get any type of jobs that she wanted with that particular characteristic. So just imagine yourself you're managing a former movie star.

And your goal is to make sure that person doesn't get into trouble and do something stupid and also make sure they don't spend too much money and run out of money. If that's your goal, this would be the absolute only person I would hire out of potentially hundreds, if not thousands of people that would want to work for that person because they're well known or whatever, or just applying for jobs.

That would be who you would hire and because the person stands for something. They follow through on it, and that's pretty much what she, what they need. And I don't think this woman will ever have a hard time finding a job, no matter what the economy is like, as long as she stands for something.

This is the value of this. And, you can, like, how this works in terms of Making sure you have a certain image for a potential employer, someone's going to remember that they will say I like her because she will keep so and so out of trouble. I like her because we really need someone that's going to control and watch their spending.

So, it's ludicrous not to be able to have something like this. If you don't do this, your whole candidacy is going to change. You're not going to be the same. As needed, you're not going to have people looking out looking out for you and you're not going to have you're not going to have people able to say something special about you.

That's unique. And again, I'm going to tell you what this real estate agent does in a few minutes, but here's a story of a very detail-oriented person. So, when I was growing up there was a guy down the street for me that was incredibly wild, meaning. He got in a lot of trouble.

He was once suspended in elementary school for picking up a desk. Remember those desks that used to sit in that had the tops that opened up and you could put your stuff in there and they were big and heavy. He picked one of those up once and threw it towards the front of the class at a teacher.

And as he progressed through high school and then college, he continued to get more and more wild. One time he came over to my friend's house. And you do so many drugs that he sat in a chair for what I understand was 36 hours staring at the wall. And I don't drug and make you do that. But this is what happened.

He's a white. He was a wild guy and he still is. He's still a pretty wild guy, at least on the last I heard, but it's tried all this, despite all this wildness. He's actually very uptight. His mind kind of works when he's not on drugs like a vice grip. He's very detailed and when you're around him and he's not spaced out on drugs it makes you uncomfortable.

He's that way. He sees every detail and everything. And these details. Make him very agitated if everything is out of place. It's like an OCD thing too. Sometimes I've seen him start sweating. If anything seems off too much, his face turns red. He's very wound up and he's always been that way.

And he almost flunked out of college because he was using drugs and you can imagine but he still ended up incredibly getting lots of good jobs, lots of jobs. And employers would meet him and they would realize that nothing is probably going to slip by him, like he's constantly going to be on top of you.

He has consistently remained employed throughout his career, as indicated in his straightforward resume. It highlights his work experience, emphasizing his exceptional attention to detail, a quality that defines him. When engaging with him, you instantly perceive his detail-oriented nature, a characteristic mirrored in his resume's meticulous presentation.

The fonts used in his resume convey a sense of precision, reinforcing the impression of his attention to detail. It's evident that this individual excels in focusing on intricate elements, and the resume reflects this quality vividly.

In terms of earnings, he has achieved remarkable financial success. By the age of 24 or 25, he was earning a substantial income, estimated to be equivalent to $300,000 to $400,000 annually, supplemented by stock options. Presently residing in an opulent residence, he specializes in quality control, likely in fields like computer chip production.

This individual's success is attributed to his remarkable ability to notice details that escape others. His identity revolves around this skill, earning him a reputation for perceiving aspects others miss. Colleagues and associates consistently acknowledge and discuss his distinctive trait, emphasizing his uniqueness.

The key takeaway is the importance of focusing on a specific niche in the market. Success is associated with honing in on one particular skill or segment that addresses a market need. This focused approach is exemplified by successful professionals who distinctly stand for something in their respective fields. Effective marketing involves articulating a Unique Selling Proposition (USP), a concept essential for standing out in the job market. Successful professionals are known for one defining aspect, shaping their careers around this distinctive quality. For instance, being a specialized consultant helping mid-sized pharmaceutical companies raise funds through bonds.

Creating a meaningful USP requires introspection and refinement. It should be clear, unique, and relevant to the market's needs. This applies to various industries, including legal recruiting. Specialization is key; for instance, focusing solely on permanent placements in law firms, not diverting attention to other areas.

Individuals should aim to articulate their USP concisely, with clarity about what makes them special. This unique aspect must be apparent in resumes, interviews, and overall work style. It's not about being everything to everyone but standing out distinctly in one area.

Successful entities often focus on one defining trait. Law firms, for instance, may concentrate on specific types of transactions or industries. This clarity allows them to build a strong reputation and attract business consistently.

A compelling USP can transform an individual into an irresistible candidate. In the legal recruitment field, the ability to differentiate attorneys sets them apart. Each attorney's unique selling proposition should be highlighted to distinguish them in a crowded market.

Meaningless USPs, such as being well-educated or hardworking, don't differentiate individuals effectively. True uniqueness lies in specific, memorable qualities, like a teacher inspiring extra reading or an employee organizing morale-boosting activities. These distinctive traits make individuals stand out.

Powerful USPs resonate with employers and clients. It's about going beyond generic qualities and presenting a vivid, unique aspect. Employers should buy into the concept of the individual, not just their skills. The focus is on being memorable, like successful brands that stand for one clear thing.

When seeking employment, having a USP is essential. It makes individuals look like the right choice in a competitive job market. Creating a strong USP involves identifying a unique trait, something that sets one apart. It's about being the standout candidate that employers remember.

A successful USP is like a brand identity. Companies like Apple, Volvo, or Tesla are known for one defining characteristic. This principle applies to individuals seeking jobs. Having one standout quality makes them the preferred choice in a sea of generic applications.

In conclusion, having a clear and powerful Unique Selling Proposition is crucial for professional success. It's about standing out in a crowded market, being memorable, and creating a distinct identity. Employers and clients are drawn to individuals who represent something unique and valuable.

QUESTIONS:

Yeah, just one thing I wanted to say, the concept of a USP, it's crucial. Understanding it changes everything you do. People might wonder, how do I frame my USP? How do I stand for something? The USP is about what you do, what you'd do if you could do anything, what interests you most. That guy who died early, he was a hard biller, but he wanted to deal with clients and generate business. The firm wouldn't let him, so his USP became just billing hours. He probably died from it. Successful lawyers have a USP, a practice area or personality trait.

I had a USP early in my career—attention to detail. Worked for a judge who was very detail-oriented. Got known for it and got more writing assignments. You can find your USP early, based on a practice area or a certain type of client. Successful lawyers focus solely on that. Take this attorney doing bond issues for working-class towns. That was all he did, and he excelled at it.

Patent attorneys, too, specialize. Some might focus on lasers and glass lenses. Very niche, but highly sought after. Having something specialized or memorable on your resume is crucial. It builds your identity and makes you stand out. It's incredibly important, but not many think it through.

To develop a USP, think about your interests, what you'd do if you had absolute freedom, and what you're best at. It's pivotal for a successful career. Now, questions? Anything about your career, I'm here to help confidentially. Often, what seems trivial ends up being really important. For instance, new attorneys losing jobs—it's common. Even questions about bad behavior-related job loss are valid. Understanding USP and framing it early in your career is key. Ask away, I'm here to help with as many questions as you've got.

Let's tackle a case together. Say, you lost a position after a political mistake. Here's the thing, most attorneys lose jobs, usually when they start acting like a general. Early in your career, you're a soldier. You take orders, no complaints. Later, you might become a general, but until then, act like a soldier. That's a big reason people lose jobs—questioning those above you. Generals don't like being questioned.

Another example, someone with a corporate law background, but also engineering science and a patent bar. I advised framing their story as a transition to patent law. Emphasize the interest in it, the passion. It makes you memorable and unique.

For someone in VC and private M&A, the MBA and finance are strong. To create a USP, specialize within your specialization. Find a subspecialty within M&A or VC work—like a certain type of company or deal. That makes you stand out and defines your success.

Just recently, met a partner earning a $7 million base at a firm. That's the kind of success having a solid USP can bring.

I've cleaned up the transcript by removing repeated words, adjusting some sentence structures, and ensuring it's more coherent while retaining the length and word count:

This person brings in 30 plus million dollars a year into their law firm. What's their story? He does M&A for mid-cap companies in a certain general type of space. Not going to disclose the specifics. He works at half the cost of major firms and achieves specific results. If you're a huge company, he'll refer you elsewhere. Too small or not in the space? He won't work with you.

Why is this successful? It's because if you do something like this, you know how to approach, how to work, and have industry connections for business, accountants, lawyers, and services. Efficiently repeating similar transactions. Others in similar businesses talk about you.

So, positioning matters. Define your story. For instance, one person aimed to be a patent attorney, got into the wrong practice, but reoriented. Use your unique traits. For example, someone with connections to French clients focused solely on that.

To succeed in M&A, establish your expertise, write, speak, and create your niche. Many don't do this; they generalize. Being distinctive is key. About working long hours on a resume? It might imply dedication, but it can backfire.

A VC attorney looking to enter capital markets? Work in a firm offering both fields or explore smaller markets without specific specializations. Large firms might not easily allow shifts between specialties.

For a recruiting firm, my USP evolved over time. It began with educational articles, later specializing in law firm placements, and providing detailed candidate information.

A patent attorney covering various areas needs focus. Specialize within patents or trademarks. Additionally, if certified in anti-money laundering, specialize in that aspect to stand out.

A fifth-year litigation attorney contemplating a shift? Consider other practice areas in a big firm or roles that focus more on strategy rather than confrontation. Your expertise should align with your transition.

Ultimately, successful transitions involve a targeted approach, focusing on specialized areas, and leveraging your unique skills and interests.

So, I believe you have various options. If I were a litigator, here's what I'd suggest: explore federal opportunities. John, etc., delve into different options like going in-house, handling appellate work, or becoming a judge. Consider working for the government. There are numerous possibilities. This discussion applies to many, maybe around 50 percent of the people on this call or webinar are litigators.

Now, what if you're unhappy as a litigator? Should you continue or pursue something else for financial satisfaction? There are several recommendations for litigators looking for change. Explore different types of litigation, such as ERISA, ADA compliance, appellate, class actions, banking, finance, construction, e-discovery, international arbitration, mass torts, public interest, real estate, personal injury defense, and more.

People often overlook the vast array of litigation options available. You can also change your firm or even start your own. Many attorneys have transitioned from large firms to start their personal injury, trust and estates, immigration, or other types of firms, sometimes making more money in the process.

For those interested in writing and research, working for federal judges as a career clerk can be a rewarding option. Teaching in law schools is another avenue, offering a different environment and the opportunity to share knowledge.

Going in-house is also an option for litigators, mainly involving strategy and working with outside counsel. Appellate work, becoming a judge, or working for various government entities are other paths available for litigators.

So, if you're passionate about litigation and want to continue, there are abundant options to explore, each offering a unique and potentially fulfilling career path.

Now, let's address another question. An attorney with a prior marketing degree feels unemployable after losing their job in 2022 and is contemplating retirement. Creating a unique selling proposition (USP) and leveraging the story of overcoming cancer is suggested. However, it's advised to avoid emphasizing personal tragedies or health issues in professional branding.

Becoming self-employed in law and business is certainly feasible. Many attorneys have successfully started their own firms by developing a specialty, such as education law or personal injury, and making their resumes reflect that specialization.

Finally, a question about marketing oneself for a strategy and counseling type litigation position. To achieve this, the key is to tailor your resume to highlight relevant experiences and skills. Emphasize your counseling and strategy-related tasks in previous roles, consider writing papers or law review articles on the subject, and take relevant classes to enhance your profile.

Remember, framing yourself as the type of attorney you want to be is crucial in attracting the right opportunities. Thanks to everyone for participating in this webinar, and I look forward to our next session.