Teleseminar Targets Legal Entrepreneurs

Growing up in England, Mahli went to college in the UK, where she studied literature and history. Afterward, she began her graduate work in communications in British Columbia. Before finishing she decided to study broadcast journalism in Vancouver, Canada.

During her stint in journalism, Mahli got to work for organizations that were well known, such as CNN Business News. Now living on the East Coast, Mahli has started a legal public relations company with lawyer friend Allison Shields called the Sun Communications Group. Starting in 2006, their company began to hold teleseminars twice a year, devoted to legal professionals.


"This teleseminar came out in terms of a need out there," explains Mahli. "You know how many students who graduate don't want to work in large law firms? They don't have the skill set [yet]...they don't know where to start."

Referring to the structure of law firms, Mahli says that people don't necessarily know what they are doing when starting up a business on their own, especially straight out of school. The seminar, titled "How to Grow Your Law Practice on a Shoestring Budget — 8 Part Tele-Class Series for Law Firm Associates or Small Practices," focuses on creating a step-by-step strategy when entering the law firm world or building a practice from scratch.

"There are a lot of people starting their own practices. They are wasting so much energy because they are navigating in uncharted waters," she says. "You have to have the skills there to bring about the business. This is not rocket science, so that's why these teleseminars were created."

Mahli says that the teleseminars work toward building one's strategy in starting and establishing a firm. She also says that the seminars are for everyone, from "paralegals who wear multiple hats" to associates.

"This will give you the skill set needed not only to start your practice but to fill in those gaps," she adds. "It's not an art or a science; it can be learned. Learn those components...learn the missing skills."

The eight-part teleclass series includes sessions that focus on helping legal professionals with issues such as time management, networking, speaking, writing, and client-focusing tactics.

Mahli and Shields present the seminars live, but for people too busy to stay on the phone for that long, audio recordings of and notes on each of the seminars are also available. You can even download the sessions on your iPod, says Mahli.

Mahli explains that the sessions can help by offering advice on how to keep in touch with all the people you have networked with in the past.

"How do you stay in touch without being obnoxious?" she asks rhetorically. "Everyone needs an attorney, but not everybody is your client."

She also says that law professionals need to know how to care about, protect, and treat clients like "royalty." Other seminars on marketing and media relations help law professionals see their specific weaknesses in establishing credible outlets to promote their firms, according to Mahli. She says that the seminars address the concerns and give the necessary advice on how to get one's law business into the market.

"Honestly, [this gives people] a sense of encouragement...they get a lot out of it," Mahli says. "It gives them more time to be with their families. If they get a couple of hours more because they've learned from [the seminars], then my job is done...our job is done."

Mahli hopes the session on time management will give people "a sense of peace" by showing them how to use their time more efficiently and do the things that they enjoy. She also says the "sense of confidence" the seminars give them will help them with networking and client work.

The teleclass series takes place on Wednesday evenings (Eastern Standard Time), with each session lasting an hour. It runs from March 5 through April 23, 2008.

To register or to learn more (and find out about the bonuses that go along with this teleclass), please visit www.lawyermeltdown.com/teleclass-shoestring.html or contact Mahli at pmahli@suncommunicationsgroup.com.