Professional coaching for lawyers work on the same principles as coaching in sport fields. Have you ever appointed a personal trainer for a race or health goal? Coaching for lawyers works similar to appointing a personal trainer in a gym, only coaching will be on issues which help your mental state and budget goals forward!
“Coaching” is a process in which at least two persons contract with one another to engage in confidential focused discussions relating to present and/or future issues. A coach is an empathetic and non-judgmental listener and brainstorm partner who mostly asks the client questions to enable the client to reach insights and maximise the client’s potential. Coaching may contain aspects of mentoring, management and training. Coaching is not therapy, consulting or a fixed training course.
“Lawyer coaching” is coaching offered by an experienced legal practitioner who are also a professional qualified coach with the view to assist other lawyers with personal, professional and practice development issues. Clients’ professional and personal needs for development varies and the coach will facilitate the sessions.
Although it is generally agreed in the coaching profession that a professional coach is not required to be a lawyer to coach a lawyer on legal practice matters, it may, in some instances, assist a lawyer client to talk to a coach who is an experienced fellow non-competing lawyer who can relate based on personal experiences in the legal practice field. LawyerFirst® therefore offers coaching for lawyers by lawyers.
If you have never been for professional coaching before, you may wonder what may or may not be discussed during sessions. In course of the first session you and the coach are likely to explore and identify the areas in which you desire to develop or grow.
LawyerFirst® developed and are experienced to cover the following coaching terrain, divided into three spheres, namely:
e.g. your personality, personal beliefs, stress, competence, thoughts, habits and goals
e.g. business levels, systems, people, budgets and marketing
e.g. legal developments, technological developments, political unrest, pandemics etc.
Coaching is non-judgmental and respects diversity and does not aim to convert or force any belief, tool or practice you may not prefer or be comfortable with. You only share information, feelings or thoughts as you feel comfortable to do and are protected by ethics and confidentiality.
Coaching is a process and therefore works best if you commit to more than a single session. Follow-up sessions make sure you are completing actions, kept accountable to yourself and celebrate reaching goals.
Coaching sessions are confidential and can be scheduled weekly, two-weekly, monthly, or on an ad hoc basis, depending on your needs as client.
Before coaching commences, the coach and client will conclude a coaching contract in which both parties agree to certain responsibilities and commit to the process. The success and outcomes of coaching, will mostly depend on the client’s coachability and the client’s commitment to move forward. A coaching contract can be concluded between (a) the coach and an individual lawyer, or between (b) the coach, the lawyer, and the employer, if the employer will sponsor the sessions.
LawyerFirst® strives to establish trusting long term relationship with clients and coaching only needs to continue as long as it is helpful or the specific race is won! Coaching terms are therefore negotiated and mutually agreed on.
Coaching assists individual legal practitioners to set personal and professional goals, create action plans, and achieve more success faster.
Training – I am telling you how to do it
Consulting – I am doing it for you
Mentoring – I am telling you how I did it
Coaching – I am supporting you to do it
In accordance with international coaching ethics, coaching contracts must be concluded before coaching commences. Coaching contracts confirms confidentiality, obligations of each party and payment arrangements.
LawyerFirst® offers two types of standard coaching contracts, depending on who will pay for the coaching sessions.
An Individual Coaching contract is concluded between the coach and an individual lawyer, in which case the individual lawyer pays for coaching sessions.
A Sponsored Coaching Contract is concluded between the coach, the lawyer and the lawyer employer, in which case the lawyer employer pays for coaching sessions.
If you are a lawyer interested in personal development or to start, grow, renew or exit your own legal practice, the Individual Coaching contract will be the best option for you.
If you are a lawyer working for a firm /corporate oranisation, whose development will mutually benefit the lawyer and the firm / corporate organisation, the Sponsored Coaching contract will the best option, if the firm / corporate organisation agrees to pay for coaching sessions. In the event of Sponsored Coaching, the parties will agree on limited and necessary reporting on the sessions to the sponsor.
