are you a meaningful specific or a wandering generality?
No. I’m not taking a continuing ed philosophy class (although that might be fun) and this isn’t an original question.
It’s inspired by a pretty well-known quote from author/motivational speaker Zig Ziglar that first came to my awareness while I was watching a great interview with marketing expert Seth Godin. More recently, it popped into my head as I read Be THAT Lawyer, Carolyn Elefant’s thoughts on creating a niche law practice, and a post from SPU’s Susan Cartier Libel titled: The Big Question: “Should You Create A Niche Practice?” (and Part II). Carolyn and Susan add a lot to a virtual conversation that’s been going on for quite some time.
I’ve participated in the dialogue on niche lawyering through posts like these:
The thinking behind lawyer brand identity
Self-expression and business relationships
Here’s what some other lawyers have to say about niche practice and marketing:
Overcoming The Niche Bitch (Chuck Newton)
Niche thyself: Key to legal blog success (Kevin O’Keefe)
Don’t Dilute Your Niche In a Down Economy (Tom Kane)
Do You Have a Niche and What Are You Doing About It? (Tom Kane, again)
Don’t Be Tempted to Abandon Your Niche (Sara Holtz)
Developing a Niche Practice (Rudy Rivera for the ABA’s GP|Solo)
Got an Itch to Create a Niche? (N. Andrew Rotenstreich for the ABA’s Young Lawyer Division)
And here’s some sage input from a couple of non-lawyers:
How to Dominate Your Niche (Brian Clark)
Make the world smaller (Seth Godin)
I think that many new and seasoned lawyers want to be meaningful specifics instead of wandering generalities. Niche practices can certainly help you meet that goal. If you’re wandering in indecision, you might consider taking this quiz asking Does Your Work Matter to You?
