Have you read these?

A smattering of valuable and interesting posts from the blawgosphere and beyond

• “Meddlesome Clients Often Drive Changes” from Corcoran’s Business of Law blog. Whether or not in-house lawyers allow business managers into the outside counsel selection process, as Corcoran advocates, lawyers and firms pitching to corporate clients would do well to prep for their next meeting as if they were facing managers, not lawyers. This post provides valuable insight on how to do that (and a pretty strong argument for letting business managers into the process of selecting counsel).
  
  
• “The Biggest Mistake PR Pros Make Every Day” from Communications Catalyst. Lawyers, don’t be fooled by the title: this post is written for you, too. There’s nothing particularly novel about this advice, yet we all commit these mistakes more often than we’d like to admit. Read it. It will help you stop making the same mistakes again tomorrow.
  
  
• “20 Ways to Engage Contacts in Social Media” from Sometimes it’s better to be Socially Creative. If you’re reading this blog, you probably already understand that the greatest value of social media is being able to engage with others. This post is chock-full of practical advice on how to maximize that value. Even if you think you’re doing everything right, you’ll learn something when you read this post.
  
  
• “Associates: Get Out There and Focus on Your Passion” from Law Consulting Blog. This is a great story about an IP associate’s successful efforts to raise her visibility. Why? Because although she was very successful at earning respect and recognition, it wasn’t until she identified a specific (and achievable) objective that her efforts produced the result she was seeking.
  
  
• “Matthew Childs: Hang in there! 9 life lessons from rock climbing” from TED.com. I could watch this clip over and over again. Not just for the tips – lessons on rock climbing that do indeed translate well into lessons on life – but for the lesson on giving a great presentation that you’ll get. Study Childs’ style, make your presentations like his, and your audiences will thank you.