your fall rEading list – rEsourcEs to Boost productivity and crEativity
Solo & Small Firm Section
Chairs:MatthewCrist-CristLegal|PAandGian-FrancoMelendez-LawOfficeofGian-FrancoMelendez,LLC
we hope these
materials help you
break through your
productive and creative
A
challenges and make
you a better lawyer and
s small firm
practitioners, we
should always be
looking for tools and
resources to help us be better
lawyers and better business owners.
Here’s a list of some of the best
books I have read that are my
go-to resources whenever I need
a refresher on what I need to be
doing to keep my firm productive
and successful.
Want to run not just a law firm
but a successful business? Read
The E-Myth Attorney: Why Most
Legal Practices Don’t Work and
What to do About It, by Michael E.
Gerber, Robert Armstrong, and
Sanford M. Fisch (2010). This book
is guaranteed to make you think
about your law firm in a totally
new way.
Thinking about starting your
own firm? The gold standard is
the American Bar Association
Press’ How to Start & Build a
Law Practice, by Jay G. Foonberg
(5th Ed. 2004). Another excellent
resource is Solo by Choice: How
to Be the Lawyer You Always
Wanted to Be, by Carolyn Elefant
(2d Ed. 2011).
small firm practitioner.
Want to get better at negotiating
using hundreds of years of
philosophy and history as your
guide? You can’t beat The 48
Laws of Power, by Robert Greene
(1998). Some notable chapter titles
include “Always Say Less Than
Necessary,” “Concentrate Your
Forces,” and “Master the Art of
Timing.” This is a must-read for
anyone involved in high-stakes
transactions or litigation.
Want to boost your productivity?
Looking to beat the daily grind?
You won’t be able to put down
The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape
9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the
New Rich, by Timothy Ferriss
(2d Ed. 2009). Want practical tips
and tools from some of the world’s
most successful people, from
Malcolm Gladwell to Arnold
Schwarzenegger? This author
also wrote Tools of Titans: The
Tactics, Routines, and Habits of
Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class
Performers (2017).
Want to learn about embracing
obstacles, overcoming adversity,
and keeping your perspective?
Check out The Obstacle is the Way:
The Timeless Art of Turning Trials
into Triumph, by Ryan Holiday
(2014). Another excellent book
from this author about overcoming
internal struggles is Ego is the
Enemy (2016).
Want to be inspired and get
your creative juices flowing? You
will want to read The War of Art:
Break Through the Blocks and Win
Your Inner Creative Battles, Steven
Pressfield (Black Irish Entertainment)
(2002). You can read it one on
sitting, and you won’t be the same
afterward. After reading that, you
should then pick up this author’s
Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power
and Create Your Life’s Work, by
Steven Pressfield (2012).
We hope these materials help
you break through your productive
and creative challenges and make
you a better lawyer and small firm
practitioner. n
Author: Matthew Crist - Crist
Legal | PA
Interested in writing an article for the lawyer magazine?
Contact stacy williams at
[email protected] for more information.
60
NOV - DEC 2019
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HCBA LAWYER