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Nov
16
By Brian Johnson, PDC Trusted Advisor, President & Founder, Johnson & Hunter, Inc.  Click here for Brian's complete bio Different settings come with their own distinct challenges when public speaking. As the PDC Winter Meeting approaches, it’s an appropriate time to explore some common issues speakers contend with while presenting at conferences. I’d like to offer some practical advice about the underlying stagecraft of public speaking in a big hotel ballroom.  Rather...
Apr
24
By Brian Johnson, PDC Trusted Advisor, President & Founder, Johnson & Hunter, Inc.  Click here for Brian's full bio. When he died last month at the age of 94, I pulled out the slim paperback written by Dr. Tom Amberry, recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for shooting 2,750 free throws without a miss in 1993—at the age of 71! His book is titled, Free Throw – 7 Steps to Success at the Free Throw Line. Here’s the list: Seven Steps to a Perfect Free Throw...
Jan
25
In January of this year the PDC was pleased to partner with J. Johnson Executive Search, Inc. to release the results of the inaugural PDC Compensation Survey. To learn more about the survey and the data collected, view this article by Carol Crawford of J. Johnson Executive Search. Thank you to all of our members who participated in this valuable initiative! PDC members can access a summary of the survey results here. 
Dec
02
Dear Colleague:   The NALP Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of an important and timely new research study on age-diverse mentoring relationships within law firms.  The NALP Foundation is partnering with the University of Maryland, College Park and George Mason University to undertake this research in order to gain additional insight into mentoring relationships and the role that age disparity can play in the successes or challenges of the relationship.   Mentoring...
Oct
28
This week's post is by Jean Vrola, PDC Winter Meeting Committee and Assistant Manager - Professional Development, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP As many of us register for the NALP PDI Conference and the PDC Winter Meeting, review the agenda, and consider which sessions we are most interested in attending, our default is to think in very pragmatic terms.  What useful takeaways will we come away with?  What new ideas will we learn that we can introduce back at our law firms or law...
Sep
12
Recently, Thomson Reuters’ West LegalEdcenter released its New Associate Training Satisfaction Survey, which sought to measure current behavior and attitudes of new associates relating to their first-year training in their respective law firms and identify opportunities to improve new associate training. The survey was completed in June, as a 15-minute survey that was deployed online. Using a demographic sample provided by Thomson Reuters, respondents were invited to participate via email,...
Aug
16
Paula Davis-Laack, JD, MAPP, Dr. Larry Richard, JD, PhD, & David N. Shearon, JD, MAPP   ** This article was originally published on June 14, 2016 at the ABA’s Law Practice Today online magazine.   Only 30% of American workers are “engaged” at work.  This is damaging to businesses, but for law firms, it can be devastating.  The market for legal services and clients’ expectations of and approach to law firms are also changing.  Law has always been and...
Aug
09
Once again, we are pleased to announce that our Summer Conference from July 21-23 was an outstanding event, chock-full of opportunities to engage with industry experts, connect with peers, and even enjoy the Florida setting with a few fantastic social activities! PDC Members, First-Time Attendees, and Trusted Advisors alike all found plenty to learn, enjoy, and take home to share with their colleagues. We could tell the story of the conference in words, but it’s a lot more fun to show photos...
Dec
21
A Note from the Chair, Amy Hancock Happy Holidays! I'm pleased to provide you with this month's PDC update. Let me begin to say how wonderful it was to see so many of you earlier this month at PDC's Winter Meeting. Recharged, Re-Energized and Renewed...Those are the words I use to describe walking away from this month's PDC Winter Meeting. I want to again thank Planning Committee Co-Chairs Ruth Alexandor and Maggie Suender and the entire committee for developing this unique program....
Nov
10
So many of us are tasked with the responsibility of developing and mentoring others to maximize their professional experience, but who’s helping you?  We are. Come to the 2015 PDC Winter Meeting to access tools to help you assess your performance, identify your work styles, and develop your full potential.  Spend the day focused on you.  It’s like a spa day for your career. Join your colleagues from across the country as we explore ways to become better thought leaders,...
Oct
30
Anita Zigman was one of the very early members of the PDC.  And she gave so much to the organization through her ideas, and her straight-forward common-sense approach to what we do.  The term “thought leader” is ridiculously overused these days, but it is a perfect description of Anita.  Smart, experienced, analytical, kind, and a true “leader.” Anita served as a Member of the inaugural New York State CLE Board, and was an important voice of reason in those early days of...
Oct
22
Here are five key skills your clients wish your young associates had:        INDUSTRY RESEARCH AND COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS:  To best understand your clients, young lawyers must “get smart” about the relevant company, industry, product, etc. What products or services does the company sell? What are the revenues, sales volume, costs, and profits? How are these changing over time and why? What’s happening in your client’s industry, and how does your client’s experience...
Oct
08
I recently participated in a webinar on Mindfulness hosted by the Southeast PD Group, and it had escaped me about how useful that can be.  Many people are invited to webinars, and it’s easy to look at the date and time and file it in the pending box, but what’s actually easier is to press the registration button and look forward to learning something new that could help you in your trade.  What could be a better use of time for your professional career, and most webinars are free!...
Sep
17
Luckily, my first PDC conference was also my first PDC speaking opportunity.  What a great initiation to the PDC!  Before I set foot in San Francisco for the conference, I worked with some of the wonderful PDC event planners and organizers. They made planning the program easy and provided all the resources and assistance that I needed. I was impressed. And, I was impressed as an attendee. The PDC appeals to a range of interests and isn’t afraid to allow anecdotal programs to offer...
Aug
10
Okay, what’s the catch?  I asked myself that question a dozen times over the three days of the PDC’s annual conference this year.  I joined the PDC only a few months ago, so this was all new to me.  You’re telling me we gather 200 people from competing law firms across the country (around the world!  Shout out to our Canadian and Japanese members), and somehow they’re all willing to share info and collaborate?  The initially puzzling impression I had of PDCers was...
Jul
22
I’m back in my office after an amazing PDC Summer Conference feeling energized, creative, and connected.  The 2015 Summer Conference in San Francisco was my fourth PDC conference, and an amazing way to celebrate our organization’s 25th Anniversary – our first sold out conference! The event was jam-packed with interesting and innovative sessions. As a conference planning committee member, I know how hard we tried to develop different ways for people to connect with one another, to meet and...
Jul
06
As you may have heard, the Professional Development Consortium has a significant birthday this year.  It turns 25!  To help us honor this milestone, we asked PDC colleague Leslie Belasco to assist us in re-tracing steps back to 1990, when the PDC first got off the ground.  Leslie was the perfect person to ask.  Not only was she a participant from the beginning, she was a host!  The very first meeting occurred in her offices at ALI-ABA in Philadelphia (now called ALI CLE...
Jun
26
On behalf of the PDC Website Adhoc Committee, we are delighted to unveil the latest revision of the PDC website including our new blog. This is the PDC’s next step in our ongoing efforts to foster communication within the membership as outlined in the strategic plan. Our new site has robust features for both PDC members and visitors and it offers a clean, modern design, easy-to-navigate functionality, and a content-rich site experience.  The PDC will continually update and enhance as it...

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