Meet the Women Rainmakers!

Juliet Peters
Interview by Jonelle Vold

Name: Juliet Peters
Firm Name: Becker Peters, PLLC
Address:  9375 E. Shea Blvd., Suite 100 Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Phone: 480-214-9548
Nominated by: Jonelle Vold
Interviewed by: Jonelle Vold
Practice area: General Business and Outside In-House Counsel services for small to mid-size businesses.

Meet Juliet Peters.  Juliet is the managing partner of a small commercial law firm in Scottsdale, AZ.  A second career attorney and former broadcast journalist, Juliet is accustomed to thriving in male dominated industries.  Juliet’s law career has had many interesting twists and turns from a partner at a large firm, in-house, to running a large public law division, and most recently to starting her own law firm.  Juliet is a dynamic rainmaker and a tireless promoter of women in business.  Juliet believes the way to shatter the glass ceiling is to build your own book of business and change the rules. 

Most successful/Favorite Rainmaking tip: For me it is usually about relationships and staying top of mind.  I do a lot of the traditional stuff:  meeting with people, connecting people who are looking for help or work or looking for other providers, marketing with other professionals, etc. 

Initially it was a little bit difficult for me to just come right out and ask for the business, but I am starting to do that more and more.  I think no matter what you have to close the deal at some point and asking for the business is the most direct route.  

Biggest influence on career/best career advice: Me: (in high school to my mom): “I can’t decide what I want to do.  I love to act, but I also want to be a lawyer.” Mom:  “Honey, I hate to tell you this but you can’t dance---at all. Broadway actresses have to dance. Why don’t you focus on something that lets you talk a lot and use your brain?” Me: offended at the time but later realizing “dang she’s good.” 

Know your strengths (and your weaknesses).

Percentage of time devoted to marketing:It varies, but I would say I never spend less than 10% of my time in any given week marketing and some months it can run as high as 20%. In the early days it was about half my time.  Now, I spend most Friday afternoons on administrative tasks, including marketing (scheduling it works best for me).  I review the coming week and I plug any open “time” with marketing activities.  I keep a list (website and LinkedIn updates, article and blog ideas, coffees, etc.) and work off of that. I do as many coffees and lunches as I can do.  

Proudest accomplishment: Sticking the practice of law out.  Spreading my wings.  Creating a practice that lets me nurture myself and my family (with time).  Fighting my fears and reinventing myself a few times.

Knowing what you know now, if you were starting out as a lawyer today, what would you do differently? Honestly, nothing.  I am so fortunate that law was a second career for me.  I understood what it was about, what it would take and I had no illusions about the grind.  I guess if I could offer advice I would say this…don’t be afraid to try different things.  If you really feel fed by the practice remember it is a long distance race not a sprint.  You may have to change your pace…walk sometimes, take a different route.  What feels right today, may not feel right in 5 years.  I’ve gone from litigation in a big firm to running a large public law division to working in house for a company and then running a small firm.  I’ve enjoyed them all (most of the time).  The constant for me is always…making a real, measurable difference.  The setting doesn’t really matter as long as that element is there.

Tell me about one rainmaking strategy or tactic that you initially thought would work, but it failed. Why did it fail? Joining boards, commissions or charities and professional networking groups.  I think there is a place for this kind of networking but again at its core it is about the relationship.  Attending functions or being involved on boards doesn’t work if you don’t know what to do with the contacts you meet there.  For me if I’m going to do something I need to do it because I have a desire to do it for it’s own sake. 

Tell me about one rainmaking strategy or tactic that you initially thought would fail, but it was a great success. Why was it successful? Haven’t found any magic bullet yet that produced a “great success.”  I plan on trying a lot more social networking next year.  I have always been skeptical about the propriety and usefulness of social networking for law firm marketing.  But if I’m honest I know I spend lots of time myself reviewing articles and looking for tid-bits…so I’d like to at least test the water more than I have this year.

What has been your greatest frustration about trying to get new business or new clients? Watching how easy it is for my partner (a man) to convert acquaintances (people he meets at the gym, men at his kids’ preschool, a high school friend’s second cousin twice removed J) into actual businesses. He is a great guy but it doesn’t work like that for me or really many women. To be honest, I have to really work hard to get the phone to ring and I get a lot more consistent referrals from male colleagues.  I refuse to give up though because I want so much to work with more women clients…so in 2012 I am setting out to make that happen.  Here is my pitch to all the woman GC’s, woman owned business, women client reps or big firm female partners with conflict cases…all things being equal (competency, cost, service, etc) stop and think….really use your buying power consciously and support other women and minority owned businesses, first .  I can hear the gasping now, but If we make a real effort to do that maybe we can begin to see some of these numbers change.

If you were mentoring a young woman lawyer, what advice would you give her regarding rainmaking? Don’t wait to begin to learn how to do it…start immediately. For many young associates in a traditional setting they completely buy into the following fallacy---“if  my “client” (the partner) sees how hard I work and how much I care, if I bill my time, take on challenges and show them what I got, I’ll make partner and voila the clients will come.”  No---no---no.  Bad plan. 

It is the worst feeling in the world to turn around in year 6-7 and 8 and realize…crap…I haven’t got a client to my name, now what do I do?

The business of law is changing and without a book of business you ain’t really welcome anywhere (at least not at the larger firms).  Don’t get caught in that bind.  Realize that the days of a “service” attorney are gone.  You have to learn to get business in the door now.

And also remember this first priority is to yourself.  When you feel ready look at the economics and set up your own practice.  You will be happy you did.

Would you say you ever had a mentor that made a genuine difference in how your career turned out? If yes, please describe. I have been fortunate to have a number of excellent mentors both formal and informal through the years and they have all made a difference in some way.  I have also acted as a mentor and I try to provide the same support I have been given. The best mentors are those who genuinely care about you and get a kick out of seeing you do well.  They throw you in the deep end, but are standing by with a life jacket. They push you (but don’t drag you), they support you, lend an ear, throw projects and referrals your way and help you see when you are off track.

Think about when you started out as a lawyer. Now think about the new female lawyers just starting out. What is different now compared to when you started? When I started there were jobs, it is much harder out there now I think.  Sadly what hasn’t changed are the numbers and actually we are losing ground.  Despite years of effort, the number of women in the C-Suites around the country, on public boards, in politics and as partners of large firms continues to stagnate or decline.  It is bleak and I notice sometimes that younger women don’t see that.  They are used to living in academic environments where they see lots of themselves around (more than 50%) and so they think the battle has been won. They bristle at the notion that there is inequity, can’t be…not there, you are wrong. They aren’t prepared for what they find in practice.  They wake up about year 3 or 4, they get discouraged and they get lives (sometimes in real short order) and then they get out….in droves.  It is a shame but I think we are looking to solve the problem the wrong way.  We need to assist women in setting up and growing their own practices that is how we change the dialogue and move the needle. 

List words that best describe you: Spirited, self-effacing, diligent, and pragmatic.