The Lawyer's Edge

Elise Holtzman
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On The Lawyer's Edge podcast, attorney and professional business coach Elise Holtzman sits down with successful lawyers, legal marketing specialists, business leaders and authors to talk about how lawyers and law firms can grow and sustain healthy, profitable businesses.

  1. 2d ago

    Michelle Citrin | Why Your Headshot Is a Business Strategy, Not a Vanity Project

    Michelle Citrin is the owner of Michelle Citrin Studios, a personal branding and photography practice focused exclusively on women in law. She has more than 17 years of experience in photography and earned her degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Michelle also brings a background in fashion styling and design to her work, which she uses to help attorneys show up with the same authority they have earned in the courtroom or boardroom. She operates studios in Fort Lauderdale, Charlotte, and Asheville and works with clients around the world. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Ocean Drive Magazine, and NBC6, and she teaches continuing legal education programs across Florida on marketing, executive presence, and personal branding. WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT HEADSHOTS AS A BUSINESS STRATEGY For many lawyers, professional photography is something to check off the list when it is time to update a website bio or LinkedIn profile. That approach misses how much your imagery shapes the perception people form when they look you up. If your headshot no longer reflects your current level of experience, authority, and success, there can be a disconnect between the reputation you have earned and the way you are showing up online. This is why Michelle Citrin approaches professional photography as an important part of a lawyer's larger marketing and visibility strategy. Your face is often the most recognizable part of your brand, and the images you use can help you stay memorable and top of mind while giving you more control over the narrative people encounter online. As AI changes how professionals market themselves, being human, using real imagery, and showing up as yourself become even more important to building trust. In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge Podcast, Elise Holtzman talks with Michelle Citrin of Michelle Citrin Studios about using professional photography as a marketing strategy, matching your imagery to the authority you have earned, building visibility and trust online, and being human in a world of AI. 3:19 - What strong personal brands have in common 4:41 - Showing up consistently without being "loud" 6:31 - Treating professional photography as a marketing strategy 8:19 - Why your face is the most recognizable part of your brand 9:20 - Matching your imagery to your current level of authority 12:21 - Making your expertise more visible and staying top of mind 15:32 - Why accomplished lawyers can still feel uncomfortable in front of the camera 20:11 - Choosing a photographer who understands your audience and marketing goals 21:16 - Planning imagery around your target market and message 24:05 - Being human in a world of AI 26:36 - Building trust when clients are finding and vetting lawyers online 28:45 - Updating your photography regularly and continuing to show up Mentioned In Why Your Headshot Is a Business Strategy, Not a Vanity Project Michelle Citrin Studios Michelle Citrin on LinkedIn Get connected with the coaching team: hello@thelawyersedge.com The Lawyer's Edge SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE This episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer's Edge, a training and coaching firm that has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. Each member of the team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach—and either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress. To get connected with your coach, fill out our contact form.

  2. Aug 11

    Michael Roch | How Partner Compensation Can Undermine Your Firm's Strategy

    Michael Roch is the founder and principal advisor of MHPR Advisors, where he advises managing partners, boards, and remuneration committees on partner compensation and governance. For more than 25 years, he has worked with law firm leaders across Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States, as well as with accounting, consulting, and other professional partnerships. Originally trained as both an accountant and a lawyer, Michael brings a cross-disciplinary perspective to questions involving compensation, governance, finance, and tax. He is the co-author of The Partner Remuneration Handbook and co-leads a long-running global survey tracking how partners are paid across markets. Based in Zurich, Michael serves clients worldwide. WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT PARTNER COMPENSATION AND LAW FIRM STRATEGY Law firm leaders often believe their compensation system reflects what they are trying to build. Yet the way partners are paid may still reward them for holding tightly to client relationships, prioritizing their own originations, and resisting the collaboration the partnership says it values. As the business grows across offices and practice areas, those old approaches can become increasingly disconnected from where the firm is going. Michael Roch explains that this often happens because partnerships fail to update compensation systems developed when they were much smaller. Changing the system requires leaders to be clear about what the business is trying to achieve and willing to let go of old paradigms that no longer support that direction. It also requires a closer look at what the partnership actually rewards, how partner contributions are evaluated, and whether the decision-making process reinforces the strategy or works against it. In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge Podcast, Elise Holtzman talks with Michael Roch of MHPR Advisors about why compensation systems fall behind as firms grow, how origination credit can create conflict around client relationships, what firms should consider when compensating managing partners and other leaders, and why money is only one of the tools law firm leaders can use to influence behavior and retain talent. 3:45 - The three elements that shape a partner compensation system 5:20 - Why compensation systems fall behind as firms grow 10:19 - What a firm's compensation system reveals about its real values 14:58 - Why annual compensation memos cannot replace ongoing performance dialogue 20:13 - Origination credit, collaboration, and control of client relationships 24:23 - Putting rules and governance around origination disputes 28:38 - How firms should compensate managing partners and practice group leaders 35:16 - Why paying more rarely solves a retention problem 38:21 - The leadership responsibility partners have to associates and counsel 40:08 - Why reward involves more than compensation Mentioned In How Partner Compensation Can Undermine Your Firm's Strategy MHPR Advisors | LinkedIn Michael Roch on LinkedIn The Partner Remuneration Handbook by Michael Roch and Ray D'Cruz SmarterReward™ Dr. Heidi Gardner | How Law Firms Can Increase Revenues, Grow Client Loyalty, and Improve Diversity Get connected with the coaching team: hello@thelawyersedge.com The Lawyer's Edge SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE This episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer's Edge, a training and coaching firm that has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. Each member of the team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach—and either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress. To get connected with your coach, fill out our contact form.

  3. Aug 4

    Elise Holtzman | How to Cultivate a Business Development Mindset

    What do you think is one of the most powerful obstacles to business development success for lawyers? Despite their busy schedules, it isn't a lack of time. It's not about the lack of money, either. It's not even that you don't know how to do it, although law school certainly didn't teach it. Simply put, it's your mindset. It's the stories you tell yourself that stop you from taking (or fully committing to) consistent, targeted action. And it's the biggest impediment I've come across again and again with lawyers I meet. In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge podcast, you'll learn 7 tips that will help you cultivate a successful business development mindset. I'll teach you a thought process that will inspire you to start taking action in the direction of your goals and stick with it consistently! WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT CULTIVATING A BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MINDSET 2:57 - What business development success and that criminal law class you took in your first year have in common 5:27 - The first thing you can do to cultivate your business development mindset for success 8:14 - Two things you need to recognize about business development and one thing you shouldn't expect to see 11:26 - The people you shouldn't listen to and the responses you don't want to give to everyone else and yourself 14:12 - A change that'll make it more likely for you to focus on and engage with business development Mentioned In How to Cultivate a Business Development Mindset IGNITE Women's Business Development Accelerator  Get Connected with The Coaching Team at hello@thelawyersedge.com The Lawyer's Edge SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE… Today's episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer's Edge, a training and coaching firm which has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008.  Each member of The Lawyer's Edge coaching team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach AND either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress.  To get connected with YOUR coach, just email the team at hello@thelawyersedge.com.

  4. Jul 28

    Joshua Wurtzel | How to Get Started as a Rainmaker - And Succeed!

    Joshua Wurtzel is a commercial and real estate litigation partner at Schlam Stone & Dolan LLP, a Manhattan boutique law firm that represents businesses, non-profits, and individuals in complex and corporate matters. He has successfully represented public and private companies and prominent individuals in both federal and state court. With his focus on aggressive litigation and his ability to develop creative and novel solutions to complex disputes, he brings a unique, out-of-the-box perspective to his clients' most pressing legal needs. Before joining Schlam Stone & Dolan, Josh was an associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in its Securities Litigation and Corporate Governance group. He also previously worked as an intern for the Honorable Kiyo A. Matsumoto of the Eastern District of New York. He's a regular contributor to several legal publications (such as the New York Law Journal) and lectures on cutting-edge legal issues in the commercial real estate sector. WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT HOW TO GET STARTED AS A RAINMAKER - AND SUCCEED! Bringing new clients into a law firm not only drives a law firm's growth, but can also provide you with greater professional autonomy and an increased ability to call the shots in your own career. Despite the clear benefits to becoming a consistent business developer, many lawyers don't pursue business development success or struggle to achieve it. In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman sits down with Joshua Wurtzel, a commercial and real estate litigation partner at Schlam Stone & Dolan LLP, to discuss his experience with building a book of business. Josh shares the challenges he faced on his journey to becoming a rainmaker and explains how networking and coaching have been instrumental in refining his approach to business development, team-building, and client relationships. 2:50 - Why Josh decided to start building his book of business and the early challenges and successes he encountered 6:22 - The impact of developing his book of business on Josh's approach to client relationships 9:18 - How Josh landed his first clients and honed his networking skills 11:42 - The importance of building trust over time and different strategies for developing lasting relationships 15:22 - The business development challenges that Josh continues to focus on overcoming 18:23 - How Josh has adapted his business development strategies over time and why he prioritizes business development 25:02 - How Josh maintains the momentum of his business development efforts when immediate results don't materialize 28:07 - The importance of building a team to support business development and manage client relationships 33:59 - Advice for associates, counsel, and junior partners looking to start building their own book of business and advance in their careers 38:29 - The role of self-confidence and belief in your success as a lawyer and aspiring rainmaker MENTIONED IN HOW TO GET STARTED AS A RAINMAKER - AND SUCCEED! Schlam Stone & Dolan LLP | Joshua's Profile Joshua Wurtzel on LinkedIn Joshua Wurtzel on Instagram Business Networking International (BNI) USA 500 Clubs Get Connected with The Coaching Team at hello@thelawyersedge.com The Lawyer's Edge SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE This episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer's Edge, a training and coaching firm that has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. Each member of the team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach—and either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress. To get connected with your coach, fill out our contact form.

  5. Jul 21

    Tara Stingley | How to Become a Visible Expert in Your Practice Area

    Tara Stingley is a Partner of Cline Williams and the Chair of its Labor and Employment Law section. Cline Williams, established in 1857, is Nebraska's oldest existing law firm and is a full-service firm with approximately 60 lawyers working in 5 offices located in Nebraska and Colorado. Tara is the firm's primary representative to the Employment Law Alliance, the largest international network of labor and employment lawyers. Tara focuses her practice on employment law, advising businesses in various industries on compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations. WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT BEING A VISIBILITY EXPERT AS A PRACTICING ATTORNEY Those first travelers making their way West did so without a roadmap. But in taking the opportunity, they paved the way for the nation's expansion. That spirit of the West is very much rooted in Tara Stingley and the Nebraska law firm of which she is a partner. As the first woman to serve on Cline Williams' executive committee, she challenged other members to think about how they defined issues and the impact of their decisions. She also established her niche as an employment law expert within the legal community. Laying down that foundation has paid dividends in affording her opportunities, as it can for you, too. And unlike that first wave of westward travelers, you don't have to go forward blindly; Tara has tips to help you build your roadmap to greater visibility. In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge podcast, you'll hear about the payoff potential in raising your profile and building your brand as a subject-matter expert and how to start proactively doing it (even if you're still a young lawyer). Tara will also discuss the importance of representation, the need for professional women to stop underestimating their value, what plays into a client's decision to pick you over others, and so much more! 1:51 - How Tara became a lawyer and partner at Cline Williams and how the law firm differs from others 9:51 - The importance of Tara's role as the first woman on the firm's executive committee 13:22 - Why you should strive to increase your visibility as an expert in your field, even when you can't see an immediate payoff 20:58 - How lawyers can create branding opportunities for themselves rather than wait for them to appear 25:06 - The mindset you need for approaching opportunities to raise your profile and ultimately get clients you want to work with 29:40 - An essential piece of advice for professional women (especially those dealing with imposter syndrome) Mentioned In How to Become a Visible Expert in Your Practice Area Cline Williams Employment Law Alliance Tara Stingley on LinkedIn Get Connected with The Coaching Team at hello@thelawyersedge.com The Lawyer's Edge SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE… This episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer's Edge, a training and coaching firm that has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. Each member of the team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach—and either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress. To get connected with your coach, fill out our contact form.

  6. Jul 14

    Leslie Davis | How Minority and Women-Owned Firms Are Winning Corporate Work

    Leslie D. Davis is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms, Inc. (NAMWOLF), a nonprofit trade association that connects preeminent minority and women-owned law firms with corporations and public entities hiring outside counsel. Before taking the helm at NAMWOLF in 2021, Leslie spent 25 years as a trial lawyer and rainmaker, made partner at three firms, and served as lead counsel in complex jury trials, bench trials, and arbitrations. She is also a certified transformational leadership coach, sought-after speaker, mentor, and longtime advocate for equity in the legal profession. Leslie earned her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law and her M.A. and B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Iowa. WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT HOW MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED FIRMS WIN CORPORATE WORK Minority and women-owned law firms have been fighting for a seat at the corporate table for decades. The barrier has not been a lack of talent or capability. Outside counsel decisions have historically been shaped by connections, relationships, and familiarity, making it harder for firms outside those established networks to compete for corporate work. NAMWOLF works to change that by connecting carefully vetted minority and women-owned firms with corporations and public entities hiring outside counsel. Its member firms are selected based on their reputation, experience, responsiveness, reliability, and ability to handle sophisticated legal work. The organization also creates opportunities for firms and in-house counsel to build real relationships while encouraging member firms to refer work to one another rather than compete for every opportunity. In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman talks with Leslie Davis of NAMWOLF about how minority and women-owned firms win corporate work, why relationships remain central to outside counsel decisions, how NAMWOLF evaluates its member firms, and how the organization is responding to changing attitudes toward diversity. 2:51 - NAMWOLF's mission and the legal market it serves 4:30 - Why member firms collaborate instead of competing for every opportunity 6:50 - How NAMWOLF vets firms for sophisticated corporate legal work 9:06 - Creating relationships between member firms and corporate counsel 12:15 - Why Leslie left trial practice to lead NAMWOLF 14:21 - How litigation and rainmaking prepared Leslie for the CEO role  17:01 - Learning to lead professionals who are not lawyers 20:55 - Responding to the changing climate around DEI 25:04 - Staying focused when the conversation becomes a distraction 30:26 - Building real relationships that lead to business MENTIONED IN HOW MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED FIRMS ARE WINNING CORPORATE WORK NAMWOLF | LinkedIn Leslie Davis on LinkedIn Get connected with the coaching team: hello@thelawyersedge.com The Lawyer's Edge SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE This episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer's Edge, a training and coaching firm that has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. Each member of the team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach—and either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress. To get connected with your coach, fill out our contact form.

  7. Jul 7

    Emily Stedman | What Law Firm Leaders Need to Understand About Lawyer Well-Being

    Emily Stedman is a commercial litigation partner at Husch Blackwell LLP in Milwaukee, where she handles complex business disputes from pre-suit negotiation through trial and appeal. With more than a decade of experience in practice, Emily brings both Big Law credibility and a practical understanding of what it takes to build a successful legal career without burning out. In addition to her litigation work, she is a nationally recognized advocate for lawyer well-being, known for her candid speaking, writing, and thought leadership on the mental health realities of modern legal practice. She has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers Rising Stars, and Corporate Counsel for her influence and leadership in the profession, including a Women, Influence, and Power in Law Award in the Mental Health and Well-Being Initiative category. She has also served on the Wisconsin Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being. WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT LAW FIRM LEADERSHIP AND LAWYER WELL-BEING Lawyer well-being is often treated as something individual attorneys have to manage on their own. Lawyers are told to set boundaries, manage stress, ask for help, and keep going. That advice may be useful, but it only goes so far when lawyers are also making assumptions about availability, visibility, and what it really takes to succeed inside a demanding law firm. Emily Stedman is not arguing that Big Law should stop being demanding or that lawyers can build ambitious careers without working hard. Her point is more practical. If law firms want talented lawyers to stay, leaders need to be more honest about how sustainable careers are actually built, including the different ways lawyers can meet expectations, exercise autonomy, and model a life inside the profession that others can realistically imagine for themselves. In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman talks with Emily Stedman of Husch Blackwell LLP about lawyer well-being as a leadership issue, the assumptions lawyers make about availability and visibility, the generational tensions around boundaries, and why leaders need to tell the truth about how they actually work. 3:22 - Why Emily started speaking openly about lawyer well-being 6:12 - Lateraling to Husch Blackwell and practicing more authentically 7:45 - What Emily changed about how she worked after joining a new firm 9:33 - Building a sustainable Big Law career while still meeting firm expectations 12:08 - The mindset shifts lawyers need before setting better boundaries 16:39 - What law firm leaders get right and wrong about well-being 19:43 - Why lawyer well-being does not mean avoiding hard work 21:23 - Why well-being requires better management conversations inside law firms 24:22 - The connection between everyday well-being, burnout, and mental health crises 29:07 - The one concrete thing law firm leaders can do to make a difference 34:14 - How leaders model autonomy, control, and sustainable careers for others MENTIONED IN  WHAT LAW FIRM LEADERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT LAWYER WELL-BEING Husch Blackwell LLP | LinkedIn Emily Stedman | LinkedIn Get connected with the coaching team: hello@thelawyersedge.com The Lawyer's Edge SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE This episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer's Edge, a training and coaching firm that has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. Each member of the team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach—and either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress. To get connected with your coach, fill out our contact form.

  8. Jun 30

    Travis Armstrong | What Happens When Lawyers Actually Listen to Their COO

    Travis Armstrong is the Chief Operating Officer of English, Lucas, Priest & Owsley, also known as ELPO, the largest full-service law firm in South Central Kentucky. He has managed the operations of the firm for 21 years, after beginning his career in public accounting and later serving as a CFO in the insurance industry. Travis holds both a CPA and Certified Legal Manager designation and has overseen finance, operations, facilities, HR, and marketing as the firm has grown. He is also the immediate past president of the Association of Legal Administrators, the premier international professional association for legal management professionals, and has made mental health and well-being in the legal profession a personal priority. Outside of work, Travis is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hiking, kayaking, and running, and has completed six marathons. WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS EPISODE ABOUT LAW FIRM LEADERSHIP AND OPERATIONS There is someone inside your firm who sees things that may never make it into the managing partner's inbox. They see the operational strain, the succession gaps, and the cultural undercurrents that affect how the firm actually runs. Yet in many law firms, the people managing the business side are still treated as support instead of strategic leadership. That gap creates real risk. Firms may have plans for transitioning client relationships, but far fewer have thought through what happens when the COO, firm administrator, or another long-tenured business professional leaves. There is also a cost to doing nothing, from attorney time spent figuring out administrative systems to culture problems that quietly affect productivity, retention, and mental health. In this episode of The Lawyer's Edge podcast, Elise Holtzman talks with Travis Armstrong of English, Lucas, Priest & Owsley about what law firm COOs see that leaders often miss, why operational succession planning matters, how mental health affects the whole firm, and what it means to look at and listen to your culture. 2:33 - How Travis moved from accounting and insurance into legal management 4:34 - Why law firms tend to adopt change more slowly than other industries 5:25 - What the Association of Legal Administrators does for law firm business professionals 10:05 - How managing partners can get more value from their COO or firm administrator 13:14 - How Travis's role evolved from firm administrator to COO as the firm grew 14:17 - Why operational succession planning is a blind spot for law firms 19:00 - The cost of doing nothing when an operational leader retires 21:23 - Why difficult succession conversations are worth having early 23:11 - What the ALA survey revealed about mental health resources in the legal profession 25:16 - Why legal administrative professionals often lack access to the same mental health resources as lawyers 27:45 - How ALA's mental health first aid training helps legal professionals spot warning signs 31:00 - Why law firm leaders need to look honestly at their culture 34:19 - The business case for supporting mental health in law firms 35:25 - Why attorneys need to listen to administrative staff and trust their judgment Mentioned In What Happens When Lawyers Actually Listen to Their COO  English, Lucas, Priest & Owsley, LLP | LinkedIn Travis Armstrong on LinkedIn Association of Legal Administrators ALA Mental Health First Aid Training Amanda Koplos | How Legal Administrators Help Unlock Your Law Firm's Potential Retirement by Design - Ida Abbott Consulting LLC Get connected with the coaching team: hello@thelawyersedge.com The Lawyer's Edge SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE This episode is brought to you by the coaching team at The Lawyer's Edge, a training and coaching firm that has been focused exclusively on lawyers and law firms since 2008. Each member of the team is a trained, certified, and experienced professional coach—and either a former practicing attorney or a former law firm marketing and business development professional. Whatever your professional objectives, our coaches can help you achieve your goals more quickly, more easily, and with significantly less stress. To get connected with your coach, fill out our contact form.

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About

On The Lawyer's Edge podcast, attorney and professional business coach Elise Holtzman sits down with successful lawyers, legal marketing specialists, business leaders and authors to talk about how lawyers and law firms can grow and sustain healthy, profitable businesses.

Information

  • Creator
    Elise Holtzman
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    217
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Lawyer's Edge
  • Show Website
    The Lawyer's Edge

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