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Paula T. Edgar, Esq., is a partner of Inclusion Strategy Solutions LLC, a consulting firm that provides innovative and strategic solutions on organizational diversity efforts, intercultural fluency initiatives, sexual harassment prevention and EEO compliance.

Paula speaks and consults on these and other topics by facilitating workshops, conducting live and virtual professional development training, delivering keynote speeches and coaching executives. Paula is an expert in inclusive executive/leadership development, personal branding, networking, social media and career strategies. She is a past President of the Metropolitan Black Bar Association (MBBA), New York’s largest black bar association.

Paula has previously served as the founder and CEO of PGE LLC, the inaugural Chief Diversity Officer at New York Law School, and as an attorney for the New York City Commission on Human Rights.

I met Paula at a conference in 2019 at which we were both speakers. I was so moved by her talk, that I went up to her, let her know that and asked if we could keep in touch. We started following each other on LinkedIn and I became an even bigger fan of hers. Learn more about why Paula is so awesome below.…
Continue Reading Women Who Wow: Paula Edgar

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I wrote a new article for Law.com and the Mid-Market Report on “How To Maintain and Build Your Business During COVID-19.”

As I note, the most important question you should ask yourself right now is “how can we support our clients and our profession during this time?” Let that guide everything you do as a…

In this installment of Women Who Wow, I’m featuring Caroline Hess, the social media marketing manager at Zenoti in Seattle.

I met Caroline when she worked at Lexblog. She was so helpful to me as I got this blog off the ground and supportive of it as it grew. I’m so thankful to her…

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We all strive to be perfect especially since so many of us are Type-A personalities. But here’s the thing, perfection is impossible. It was improbable when life was “normal” and it certainly is now when nothing is normal. During the pandemic we are showing much more of who we are and nothing is perfect.

I…

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Clients come to law firms because they need help finding and implementing solutions – each employee is in essence a legal solution provider and a problem solver. And in a crowded and the unpredictable business climate of today, it is more important than ever to embrace and anticipate changes to meet the shifting needs of clients. Most importantly, we always need to put our clients first and ensure that every employee embraces a client-centric mindset.

Being a great lawyer doesn’t guarantee you a solid book of business anymore. Neither does having a law degree from one of the top schools in the country. None of these fancy credentials matter if you don’t have the right people skills (or emotional intelligence) to connect with clients on a personal level, especially now. 

Because clients regularly hire outside counsel who they’ve known for many years – from law school, a prior firm, a friend of a friend or a past matter – cultivating relationships should be at the heart of everything you do – especially now. It’s important to treat everyone with whom you come into contact as if they could be a future client or referral source, which is a helpful guiding principle in how to interact with your professional network.

Here’s how to develop a more client-centric mindset and build stronger relationships despite the barriers we are facing today during this worldwide pandemic. …
Continue Reading How to Demonstrate Client Care and Value in a Down Economy

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My good friend Jay Harrington posted some very smart thoughts on how lawyers and the marketers who aid them can be more successful at business development right now that I wanted to share with you.

  1. Put the work in. Stay calm and measured. Be consistent. Trust the process. Instead of setting out to close new

…

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While we all have to do our part by staying apart physically, online networking and content marketing are tools that every professional and company should use to market themselves (in an appropriate way) and their company. The worst thing you can do is to do nothing right now. We will all be relying on social media more than ever before in the foreseeable future, so it would be wise to embrace it now.

The most important question you should ask yourself right now is “how can we support our clients and our profession during this time”? Let that be your guiding light.

Here are some ways you can build relationships during the era of social distancing and quarantining. They just require a more human and online touch. …
Continue Reading 10 Relationship Building Ideas During the Time of Social Distancing

Glassdoor

One of my clients forwarded me an email from a company purporting to be able to “fix” negative Glassdoor reviews. I sent her an explanation in response and wanted to share what I told her as you may also receive a similar solicitation with false promises to quickly enhance your Glassdoor reviews.

Here’s the thing…

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My content tip for today is to showcase your expertise and help others by offering clients and the general public access to offer educational resources about the coronavirus.

For example, many firms, both large and small have launched Coronavirus Resource Centers on their web sites that include client alerts, webinars and other helpful resources for…

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This is a photo from from the 2012 Legal Marketing Association annual conference when my dear friend and mentor Wendy Bernero was inducted into the hall of fame.

Wendy is a true leader and advocate for women. She’s the smartest and kindest person I know. She always believed in me and pushed me to become…