Achievement by Design

I discovered the magic of coaching when, miserable in my job as a litigation associate, I went to see a career coach who was also a lawyer. He helped me reinvent myself and became a touchstone whenever I faced a crossroads in my career.  Along the way, I decided to follow in his footsteps.  No matter what the endeavor, a coach can help you accelerate your progress with proven methods.

In a nutshell, you describe what you want and, together, we explore options, design strategies for you to implement and achieve your goals. That is the winning formula I used with a best-selling author, attorneys from junior associate to chairman, accountants and executives. Common areas include: 
 - Marketing 
 - Confidence
 - Career transitions 
 - Leadership
 - Improving work relationships 
 - Work/life balance

Public Speaking:  I lead workshops and present to organizations on topics including marketing, improving self-confidence, effective goal-setting,  and communicating effectively.  I have presented at many continuing legal education seminars and can tailor most presentations to qualify for credit.

Founder and Lawyer Coach

The Legal Intelligencer

Lawyer coach Dena Lefkowitz helps attorneys learn what they don’t teach in law school: business development/marketing, leadership and she provides tools and strategies for career transformation within or outside the law.

Columnist

Nemours

Certified in Health Care Compliance by Health Care Compliance Association, conducted workplace investigations of alleged misconduct, analyzed legal requirements, evaluated organizational exposure, reported to Chief Compliance Officer and presented findings and recommendations to hospital leadership and human resources business partners.

Compliance

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Responsibilities included:

Advising the Executive Director on all legal affairs;
Appellate arguments before the Commonwealth and Supreme Court;
Supervising and mentoring staff attorneys
Overseeing and directing outside counsel;
Drafting external and internal policies;
Lobbying lawmakers to increase funding;
Recommendations to support initiatives of the Office of Open Records
Supervising litigation in appellate and common pleas courts;
Monitoring appeals from decisions of the Office of Open Records
Conducting training for public officials and attorneys and ppeals officers;
Handling inquiries from government officials and citizens;
Presenting continuing legal education seminars for attorneys;

Significant Accomplishments:
Oral argument before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court;
Created an appeals process pursuant to the new Right to Know Law;
Designed training for public officials on Pennsylvania's Sunshine Law;
Drafted the first Final Determination ever published by the Office of Open Records
Served as Senior Attorney and Appeals Officer from 2008-2010;
Drafted advisory opinions;
Instrumental in all aspects of implementing the Right to Know Law

General Counsel - Office of Open Records

Chester Upland School District

Represented and advised the Education Empowerment Board, Superintendent and executive management team on all legal matters involving the School District. Was responsible for all legal affairs including:
Creating the Office of General Counsel:
Reducing outside legal expenses by over $800,000 in the first year;
Developing strategies for cost-effective selections and use of outside counsel;
Overseeing outside counsel and reduction of litigation expenses
Drafting Policies and protocols ;
Providing counsel to improve governance and oversight of legal costs;
Drafting or approving all procurement contracts;
Monitoring and advising senior staff to ensure compliance with the Public School Code, Administrative Regulations, Public Employee Relations Act, Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, Public Officials Act, the Pennsylvania Charter School Law and law related to education including FERPA, NCLB, Title IX, and ADA;
Mediation of employee grievances;

General Counsel

School District of Philadelphia

Assistant General Counsel

Eckell Sparks Levy Auerbach Monte Sloane Matthews & Auslander, P.C.

Associate

ALAN R. KUTNER & ASSOCIATES

CAIOLA, CAIOLA & GOWEN

ABRAHAM, PRESSMAN & BAUER, P.C.

Business and Career Coach for Lawyers / Author of "Winning in Your Own Court" / Entrepreneur

When I was a kid, I was the only girl I knew whose dream did not involve walking down the aisle in a white dress. I wanted a career. My role models were more Mary Richards than Carol Brady. 

And the coolest career, I thought, would be to become a lawyer. 

Imagine if the girl whose mother called her “impossible” for being argumentative could use that specific trait and be a courtroom lawyer like Katherine Hepburn in “Adams Rib!” My dreams became grander when I was in law school and watched how the lawyers on “L.A. Law” lived. The sexy cases, the gorgeous designer suits, the cars, the prestige. Yes, please!

Well, that dream lasted for three years. Yup, 1000 days is all it took for me to realize that being a lawyer can really suck if all you know is what they taught you in law school.  As soon as I graduated, I began to see all the things I still didn’t know. And they were big, crucial things. How to get clients? I didn’t know. How to make partner? I didn’t know. How to change areas of practice if I didn’t like the first one I picked out of law school? I didn’t know.

And, that’s exactly what happened to me. I didn’t like being a litigator, my first job out of law school, because I had no idea what it was like. After all, we never saw the long hours, sleepless nights, drudgery, or stress on “L.A. Law.”

I realized that although I was helping some of my clients recover millions of dollars, I wasn’t feeling like a winner because I didn’t understand the basic laws of being a successful professional outside of the courtroom and so I quit. I shifted my practice a few times and, after 20 years, I decided to leave the law.

My dad said I was crazy. My colleagues said I was crazy. But I’m not crazy because, now, 14 years later with a successful coaching practice, having helped hundreds of lawyers win more in their careers and lives, I realize that this is my purpose, what I was made to do. I’m grateful I became a lawyer so I could become not-a-lawyer and help the rest because we will always need great lawyers. As a lawyer coach, I’m here to make sure we still have some.

Book a call here: https://achievementbydesign.com/calendar/

Lawyers learn early how to operate on our own. 

Law school trains us to spend long stretches in silence with nothing but casebooks and caffeine. Then we enter practice, where the days are busy but often isolating. 

Many of us get so good at managing everything ourselves that accepting help feels foreign.

And yet, what actually keeps us going in this profession isn’t force of will. It’s the community we build around ourselves. Research from the BBC shows that people who live the longest, including groups in Japan, credit their longevity to connection and movement, not sheer independence.

Even the strongest creatures don’t move through their environment alone as we see in the video.

We’re not meant to either.

Maybe the real skill isn’t doing everything ourselves. Maybe it’s letting ourselves be part of something that makes the load lighter, the days funnier, and the work more sustainable.

If leaning on others feels unfamiliar, that’s alright. Most of us weren’t taught how to do it. We learn by trying. And each small step toward connection gives us a little more oxygen.

#CareerCoachForAttorneys #LawyerCoach #LegalCareerCoach #LifeCoachForLawyers #AchievementByDesign

Dena Lefkowitz, Esq., PCC ★

Award-winning author of "Winning in Your Own Court: 10 Laws for a Successful Career without Burning Out or Selling Out" (American Bar Association, 2022). I coach lawyers to win.

Marcos batista

Lawyers are excellent at spotting risk for our clients, yet can be surprisingly slow to notice risks sitting right on our own desks, especially when it comes to keeping up with technology.

We have seen this play out before. When computers first wandered into law libraries, they sat quietly among the case reporters while Westlaw discs arrived like little postcards from the future. Some lawyers leaned in and learned. Others avoided the “machines” entirely and hoped the moment would pass. Lawyers who put in the time to figure it out, even when those hours weren’t billable, gained time, accuracy, and opportunities that did not materialize for lawyers who sat it out.

Here we are again.

Latham & Watkins  recently pulled more than 400 first-years into mandatory AI training. This is happening because the nature of legal work is changing and the firms know it. Tasks that filled junior days for generations, like sorting, gathering, summarizing, organizing, and basic drafting, can be handled by tools that do not bill.

This shift does not diminish the profession. It brings the focus back to where our real value lives.

Judgment. Nuance. Strategy.
The human side of lawyering that cannot be automated, outsourced, or turned into a template.

So this is a good moment to check our footing.
Are we holding on to tasks the tech already handles more efficiently?
Are we waiting for someone else to signal that our role has evolved?
Or are we already adapting in ways that match where the work is headed?

The tools will keep changing. We are the ones who decide whether we keep pace.

If you want to talk through what staying current means for your own career, please book a consult by clicking on the link above.

Video credit: @raharpradhan

#CareerCoachForAttorneys #LawyerCoach #LegalCareerCoach #WinningInYourOwnCourt

Thanksgiving travel asks a lot of us, starting with patience. 

The crowds, the lines, checking the board only to see the departure time sliding later… none of it is new, yet we’re somehow surprised every year.

This video captures the spirit of getting ourselves ready for the waiting. Not the travel. The waiting.

Most of us have our own version of a coping kit. My carry-on is basically the adult pack and play: audiobooks, Kindle, music, knitting, snacks. If the antsiness hits, there’s something to reach for besides the departure board. 

And if an unsolicited conversation heads in my direction, the headphones are ready, although there’s always the chance the person next to us turns out to be the most interesting human we’ll meet all month. Travel can also hand us a good surprise sometimes.

Keeping ourselves occupied gives the mind somewhere useful to land instead of circling delays we can’t influence.

I wish safe and speedy travels to everyone heading out this week. May the trip be smoother than anticipated and your patience last as long as needed.

Video credit: koreydior

#CareerCoachForAttorneys #LawyerCoach #LegalProfession #LegalCareerCoach #LifeCoachForLawyers

There are moments when our body knows what our brain forgets: moving feels good.

The guy in this video gets people dancing, and before long, nobody’s thinking about how their day went or what’s waiting at work. They are in the moment.

It reminded me of a recent David Byrne concert. From the first “hey!” of “And She Was” to the encore “Burning Down the House”, we were all dancing. For a couple of hours, none of us were thinking about work, deadlines, or anything else. Just feeling the gorgeous music.

Funny thing is, I almost didn’t go. It was a weeknight, not nearby, and I was tired. But I pushed myself (David Byrne!) and as always, I was glad I did. Live music never fails to uplift me.

I write about this every so often because we all, including me, need reinforcement. We sit too long. We overthink. We forget that our brains work better when our bodies move. Even a short walk, a stretch, or a dance break can reset the whole system.

Sometimes we have to push ourselves, even to do the things that make us happy. Especially when we’ve been working too much.

What gets you moving when your brain says stay still? Is there a certain song?

Video credit: ed.people

#CareerCoachForAttorneys #LawyerCoach #LegalProfession #LegalCareerCoach #LifeCoachForLawyers

We’ve always worried about being replaced.

During the Industrial Revolution, we feared machines would take our jobs.

When computers arrived, our worry shifted to what they might outthink, or outwork, us on.

Now, it’s AI.

Every time, the same question comes up:
What happens to us?

History shows that we adapt.
We learn.
We create new roles, new industries, new ways of working together.
The technology changes, but our curiosity, ingenuity, and humanity are able to meet that.

Somehow, we keep finding ways to make the new tools work for us instead of the other way around. 

Action is a perfect antidote to worry, so what’s one thing you can do to level up and stay a step ahead?

🎥 credit: parspelikan_group

#CareerCoachForAttorneys #LawyerCoach #LegalProfession #LegalCareerCoach #LifeCoachForLawyers

Lawyers get a lot of flak.

They’re the punchline in jokes, immoral villains in TV dramas and the ones we love to mock until we need one.

But behind the jokes are humans who care deeply.
Who stay up late rewriting briefs, not because they love all-nighters, but because they want to get it right.
Who take calls at dinner, worry about clients like family, and carry the weight of other people’s problems, sometimes into sleepless nights.

I recently spent a few days coaching lawyers at the Association of Corporate Counsel Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, my hometown. Every conversation reminded me how committed they are to serving others, often at their own expense.

Today’s for them.
For the lawyers who show up, stand up for their clients, and give more of themselves than most of us will ever know.

Happy Love Your Lawyer Day.
You’ve earned it many times over.

Show some love in the comments!

#CareerCoachForLawyers #LawyerCoach #LifeCoachForLawyers #LegalProfession #WinningInYourOwnCourt

Most of us in professional services spend a fair amount of time networking to keep our businesses healthy. 

Last week, I had several one-on-ones with potential referral partners, and a theme kept popping up:

“In the new year, I’ll…”
“No one is hiring/buying/making decisions this time of year.”

It was mid-November.

It made me wonder why so many people press pause this early. Even if we’re taking a few days off, working shorter weeks, or hopping between holiday events, there are still plenty of working hours left in the quarter. We have touch points to make, check-ins to do, and relationships that could move forward if we take even one small step.

If we need to coast, let’s coast fully. No half measures. No homework on the roller coaster. Multitasking won’t help us enjoy the ride or finish the assignment. 

We don’t have to push hard, but we also don’t need to drift into idle.
When we’re working, let’s make good use of this time.
When we’re resting, let’s actually rest.

And if we meet folks who are already coasting, go ahead and put something on the calendar for January and keep going.

Future business needn’t wait for January. Do you agree?

🎥 credit: yahiafri

#CareerCoachForAttorneys #LawyerCoach #AttorneyDevelopment #LegalCareer #LegalProfession

Do you love having your picture taken?

I wish I felt that way, and it’s a great example of how different personalities respond to the same thing.

At the Association of Corporate Counsel Annual Meeting, where Legal.io  was offering professional headshots (thanks for that!), I stood in line and watched every facial reaction as we waited for our turn: eager, anxious, confident, blasé and carefree. 

We were all about to stare straight into a lens and hope the camera captured something that looks like us on a really good day.

Watching all those faces reminded me how much we invest in the version of ourselves that ends up online. I recently met a new client, who’s in a career transition, and his LinkedIn profile picture showed a completely different hair color than he has now. It happens more often than we admit; our photos stay the same long after we’ve changed.

And that brought to mind Ann Landers and Dear Abby, the twin advice columnists who kept using their 1950s publicity photos for decades. They aged, while their pictures stayed the same. Who else remembers them?

These days, we have fewer excuses for an out-of-date image. Professional conferences like the one hosted earlier this year by ACC Greater Philadelphia - Association of Corporate Counsel make it easy to step away between sessions, get our picture taken, and cross “update headshot” off the list.

Most professionals refresh their headshots every two to three years, or sooner if your look changes such as new hairstyle, glasses, color, or even job title. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s accuracy. If your photo doesn’t match who shows up on Zoom, it’s probably time.

Yes, it’s been touched up, because who doesn’t want a little help from Photoshop? Even so, each time I update my headshot, it’s a small exercise in acceptance. This is what now looks like. Hit “like” if you can relate.

#CareerCoachForAttorneys #LawyerCoach #LegalProfession #LegalCareerCoach #LifeCoachForLawyers

Transformation rarely feels transformational while we’re in it. It usually feels like work.

But transformation videos speed things up. If we watched the egg transform in real time, we’d probably wander off for a snack. Our attention isn’t wired for slow, steady change.

But our careers aren’t edited for time. There’s no fast-forward button that jumps us from “something feels off” to “this finally fits.” We feel every wobble and wonder whether any of it is adding up.

The egg ends up transformed simply because the person working on it didn’t lose steam. Just kept making tiny additions. Our careers respond to the same kind of persistence.

If you feel like things aren’t happening fast enough, you’re in good company. If the pace feels unglamorous, take heart. Transformation takes time.

🎥 credit: lindayecookingtime

#CareerCoachForAttorneys #LawyerCoach #LifeCoachForLawyers #AchievementByDesign #WinningInYourOwnCourt

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