Lawyers Using
Coaches
What
is a Coach?
Seven
Reasons Why Lawyers Hire Coaches
Renaissance Lawyer's Marketplace has coaches. (Link.)
There is also a website for finding a
lawyer-coach.
Lawyers Using
Coaching Skills in Their Law Practices
As we lawyers have become coaches and have talked to other lawyers who have
been trained in coaching, we have seen that our coaching skills are very
useful in interacting with our legal clients. A coach supports a client in
reaching goals and staying focused on their commitments. Lawyers can use these
skills to work with their legal clients in many types of disputes. Irene
Leonard King has written a workbook for lawyers that includes coaching skills
for lawyers. You can purchase the book or find out more at www.coachingforchange.com.
Divorce coaches work in a specific niche in that they support clients
in creating the future they intend to have with their spouse and children and
then achieving that future. They keep their clients focused on the end result
so they don't get caught up in the details. Not all divorce coaches are
lawyers. Some are therapists, including those trained in Collaborative
Divorce.
The skills of coaching (listening, speaking, creating futures, etc.) are very
compatible with the role of a lawyer. Rather than the god-like being with all
the answers, the lawyer can become a problem-solving expert by asking
questions about what is important to the client, what the client wants and
needs, and what result the client would like to create. Then, the two, working
together, can create a plan for achieving that solution. This future-based
approach avoids the blaming and accusations that have characterized many legal
disputes. At least one major law firm is training its lawyers in coaching
skills as a tool for dealing with legal clients.
Lawyers Being
Coaches
Many lawyers have found that they like coaching so much
that they are interested in becoming coaches. Some leave law altogether.
Others combine coaching and law. There are many coaching programs that can
train you in general coaching skills. Some coaches also train and
consult with coaches who are working with lawyers.
The International Coach Federation
(ICF) is a good resource for coaches of all kinds. There is also a Special
Interest Group (SIG) for lawyer-coaches and coaches who specialize in working
with lawyers. The SIG is sponsored by Coach University, one of the many
training programs for coaches, and is open to all coaches who coach lawyers.
Monthly calls address issues of interest to all who coach lawyers. Contact wpsim1@aol.com
for information on the Coach U Lawyer SIG.