April 22, 2009

I recently got together with one of my oldest attorney-clients over some fried oysters and seafood gumbo. Now I’m not talking about his age, but about how long we’ve worked together. He was my first attorney-client when I started my legal nurse consulting business.

I’m crazy busy – but I always make time for important relationships and fried oysters. Especially relationships with well-respected attorney-clients who helped me pay my mortgage! Our relationship goes beyond business. Over 27 years we’ve developed a deep friendship and a relationship built on mutual trust and respect. He’s always been the best at what he does and, lucky for me – he feels that I’m the best at what I do, too.

As a tribute to Certified Legal Nurse Consultants, every time we get together he tells me that I must be doing a good job of training you. He shares that he sees reports and work product prepared by other legal nurse consultants and can always tell which ones are certified through Vickie Milazzo Institute and which ones aren’t. I thought you might enjoy hearing that, yes, attorneys can tell the difference and they hire accordingly.

Congratulations to all of you when I relate his comment that, “None of those others even come close to matching your CLNC^® graduates!” I’ve heard these beautiful comments from him more times than I can count, and when I heard them again the other night, I was all in for the tab and even ordered a second glass of wine (plus dessert).

When was the last time you retied a connection with an attorney-client over a lunch or dinner? If someone’s important in your business or your life, you owe them more than a funny birthday card. Get out and get them out. Even if he or she doesn’t have a case for you (or bring one to dinner) it’s a great opportunity to strengthen the relationship, to learn who else is litigating what, catch up on latest news and maybe meet the new partners and associates if you stop by the office. A personal recommendation to an associate attorney will go far when it’s made face-to-face.

Just remember to pick up the tab (but if they offer, hey why not!) and make sure you pick a place that’s not too time-consuming (you’re both crazy busy) or too cheap (no Denny’s unless it’s his favorite). You can even offer to drop by with lunch and just eat some great deli in the conference room. The connection is what’s important – not the meal, although I’ll take fried oysters over Denny’s any day.

Success Is Inside!