We’re one week out from the release of my new book, The Marble and The Sculptor: From Law School To Law Practice. Getting a book published definitely ranks up there with sausage being made. There have been numerous challenges along the way, right up to the end. Through a series of miscommunications, some indeterminate number of books were shipped out by Amazon before they were stopped. So some lucky (or unlucky) few got copies of the book early.

The book has also been in the hands of reviewers and advance readers for weeks now. Reviews are embargoed until release date, November 5th. I freely admit that I’m rather anxious as to hear what people think of the book. I put a lot of effort into the book, and I’m proud of what I produced. But as I’ve heard other authors say, writing a book is as close as a man can get to having a baby – and nobody wants to be told they’ve got an ugly baby.

Just in case anyone was still on the fence, I wanted to offer a brief glimpse into the Table of Contents and Introduction of the book. Hopefully they should give you a taste of the structure and the tone of the book.

Table of Contents

Part One Law School

  • Do Not Go to Law School
  • Choose Classes That Matter
  • Reputations and Networking Begin in Law School
  • Build Lasting Relationships
  • A Tenuous Balance: Family, Friends, & Law School
  • The Final Push

Part Two Fundamental Skills

  • On The Importance of Stealing
  • Writing Well
  • Every Word Matters
  • Two Writing Tips For The Litigators (But Applicable For Everyone)
  • Inside Baseball and George Orwell’s Six Rules For Clear Writing 35
  • Churchill’s Five Elements of Persuasive Speaking
  • Public Speaking
  • Dress Up

Part Three Clients and Client Service

  • The Privilege of Being a Servant
  • Shifting Perspectives
  • A Valuable Lesson—Rule #1
  • Wal-Mart Efficiency with Neiman Marcus Feel
  • Quality Work Does Not Mean Quality Service
  • Attracting Clients and Business Development
  • Establishing a Personal Narrative
  • Greybeard Advice for Success As A New Lawyer
  • Telling Them What They Don’t Want To Hear
  • Relationships Are the Currency of Business
  • Dan Hull’s 12 Rules of Client Service

Part Four Professional Development

  • Mastery is a Journey, Not a Destination
  • Peter Drucker’s Four Universal Entrepreneurial Disciplines
  • To Sharpen Is to Destroy
  • So Good They Can’t Ignore You
  • The Professional Lives Behind the Scenes and Pays the Price
  • Inside the Prison, There Is a Prison
  • Personal Strategic Planning for New Lawyers
  • Organize Dissent
  • Five Basic Mistakes to Avoid in Your First Job at a Firm
  • Nature Loads the Gun, Behavior Pulls the Trigger
  • You Can’t Wait Until You’re Ready
  • Making Plans and Changing Habits
  • The Structure of a Habit
  • Address Incongruities
  • Are You A Worker Bee or A Renegade Killer Bee?
  • Personal Branding Is Stupid
  • How to Conduct Yourself Online (or Not)
  • Busy v. Remarkable
  • How You Confront Your Day Is Your Choice
  • There Has Never Been a Better Time to Be a Lawyer

Resources

The Marble And The Sculptor – Introduction

The Marble and The Sculptor Introduction Keith Lee.pdf

If that seems to be the sort of thing you’re interested in, you can grab it here.

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