THE ACADEMY
ABOUT
A WORD FROM
In today’s business world, we need to be business partners and trusted advisers to our clients; able to anticipate their legal issues and to help them overcome the hurdles enabling their objectives to be met.
I remember the first time I was asked to take a client out to lunch. I had been qualified for less than a year and had no qualms about firing off strongly worded litigation letters to serve the interests of my clients.
Doing this well requires a level of skill and confidence not found in any technical textbook. That is why the firm launched the Rosenblatt Academy in 2007. Its mandate is to improve the business skills of our partners and fee earners.
But the prospect of having to make all that small talk over lunch? I am not afraid to say I found the prospect much tougher than going to court on my client’s behalf.
Each course in the programme shares a common goal – to boost your confidence and to provide you with the necessary skills to ensure you are a success, whether you are on the phone, in a meeting or networking after work. The Academy is managed by Bladonmore Training on our behalf and will continue to develop to match the needs of the firm for many years to come.
So when the opportunity arose to set up a scheme – our own tailored programme – that would provide partners and fee earners with appropriate business skills, I thought back to the early years in my career and what I could really have done with. Every course delivered in the Academy meets these criteria. They will boost your levels of confidence and help you to become a much more rounded lawyer, with strong commercial skills to match your existing technical ones. I cannot recommend the programme enough and hope you will embrace the opportunity it affords you. Tania MacLeod
BENEFITS TAILORED MODULES The modules in the Academy have been selected to focus on the key attributes and knowledge that you need to build your skills at Rosenblatt. These have been tailored to your needs and will boost your confidence and your ability to serve your clients, to help you develop as a solicitor.
Using Real Rosenblatt Case Studies The examples used to illustrate the points in each course will be based on Rosenblatt case studies. When you go to a Rosenblatt Academy training course you should be ready to talk about your own client experiences. This will ensure there is a forum for continuous improvement in which we share knowledge together.
Delivered in a practical environment Every course is intended to provide you with the practical assistance you need to exceed the expectations of our clients. That means the sessions are going to be delivered in a down to earth and easy to comprehend fashion. The focus of the trainers will be to give you the tools that ensure you reach a new standard.
Providing rapid and constructive feedback The feedback you receive will always be constructive in nature. Everyone who comes to a Rosenblatt Academy session is trying to improve and contribute to the development of the team. The feedback will be rapid and delivered in a way that is encouraging and supportive. It is about enabling each of you to make a large number of small changes that can be put into action immediately.
Backed by regular progress updates and support The team at Bladonmore is committed to ensuring you get the most from the programme. Dedicated programme managers will inform you about the latest Academy courses, keep you up-to-date on the schedule and will call regularly to get your feedback.
The trainers were very enthusiastic on the topic and encouraged participation. It provided a very good overview of how the City works and the different financial markets Natalie Milne
COURSES
RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT This module focuses on how to understand your client and what drives their business; the importance of knowing the individuals and what motivates them. The better you are at relationship management, the closer you will get to adding value and developing long-term, even life-long, business relationships.
PRESENTATION SKILLS Taught by presentation experts, you will learn valuable skills enabling you to prepare a talk, focus messages and deliver with confidence. Using the latest videoing techniques, performances will be analysed during the training and you will go away with a DVD showing your improvement.
NEGOTIATING WITH NEW AND EXISTING CLIENTS* Every day you are negotiating with clients. Not just on fees, but on deliverables; on outcomes; on resources; and on expectations. By learning a few techniques and practising them in a safe environment you can become more effective at negotiating and influencing.
DELEGATION AND MOTIVATION SKILLS Understanding how best to ask someone to undertake work for you is a key skill. The session will provide tips to manage the process effectively and minimise the chances of things going wrong. An introduction to motivation skills will provide a powerful framework to understand how to motivate yourself and others.
BEST PRACTICES IN PITCH PRESENTATION The process of constructing, preparing, practising and delivering a good pitch is critical to your success. You will learn about clear messaging and applying it to pitching in a competitive environment. The techniques you learn here can also be used to get your Rosenblatt message out in day-to-day conversation.
INTRODUCTION TO THE CITY* The course will use a variety of techniques to help you understand who’s who and what’s what in the City. Based around what a lawyer needs to know early in their career, the session will answer your questions and give you a solid grounding in the essentials of the City as the financial capital of the world.
NETWORKING SKILLS Making new contacts and maintaining existing ones are the essence of good networking. Delivered by successful networkers, you will learn how to draw up your own networking strategy, using your own personal style.
DEALING EFFECTIVELY WITH THE MEDIA* Communicating well with the press can help promote your practice, raise your profile and avoid embarrassing and costly mistakes. It starts with understanding how the press works. By the end of this session you will have refined messages, developed a strong delivery style and will understand how to control press interviews.
UNDERSTANDING DEBT* Taught by one of the real experts in debt, this session will help you understand the basics of debt. Raising money, rating, pricing, refinancing, risks and structure will be some of the topics covered. By the end of this session you should have a good working knowledge of types of debt, tiers, securitisation, covenants and mezzanine.
*New for 2008/09
IMPACT ON OUR PEOPLE Peter Price Presentation Skills I now understand the importance of slowing down and signposting. A very helpful course - very positive - it will help me make my presentations more effective. Claire Ankers Relationship Management Very useful tips to take forward. Nick Foss Pedersen Presentation Skills Small group, lots of attention paid to each participant. Essential for every fee earner at one time or another. Intensive, useful.
Laura Clatworthy Introduction to the City I thought the Introduction to the City was fantastic. Practical, topical, well pitched and genuinely interesting. I am very much looking forward to the next debt session – it’s worth getting up early for! Rebecca Tanner Relationship Management Useful examples to highlight the skills necessary to develop, maintain and manage client relations. Would be good for trainees to do the course again as a refresher one in a particular department and really start building up a client base.
Natalie Milne Relationship Management The Relationship Management session was a good opportunity to hear other people’s experiences. Suzanne Hu Networking I enjoyed the general interaction and focus on real-life situations. Anthony Field Media Skills The interview - very useful insight and training on how to deal with journalists.
Matthew Toms Networking The networking sessions identified that a simple strategy will not transpire as “false” but merely make you come across as engaging and sharp.
Gill Haslam Networking Skills I like the books to take away - easy to refer to or jog my memory - very good Made me think of answers instead of just being given them.
Suzanne Hu Presentation Skills I was impressed by how closely my presentation style was being scrutinised and the amount of detailed advice I was given.
Neil Sampson Media Skills Very helpful and good practical advice on how to say no to journalists.
Jonathan Lea Networking Skills Good and interesting session and useful discussion and booklets.
Rachel Roberts Networking Skills Being able to work on a networking strategy personalised to one’s own needs - really good, thought provoking and encouraging.
Matthew Toms Presentation Skills Very relevant and helpful, especially filming. Best way to demonstrate areas for improvement is to see them on screen. Gill Haslam Introduction to the City Explanation of Northern Rock made it make sense - understanding company accounts excellent - covered all points and gave very understandable examples and explanations. Suzanne Hu Introduction to the City Reading share prices in FT - positive very enjoyable and very interactive and good structure.
TRAINERS BENJAMIN BALL Is managing director of Bladonmore Training. Previously he worked as a corporate financier, and as a director of strategy and programming at Cable and Wireless. He was educated at Oxford University and studied corporate finance at London Business School. NICK BARRON Is an award-winning media strategist. Nick has successfully launched internet companies, produced television programmes and managed broadcast rights negotiations. SANDRA DAVIS Honed her public relations skills whilst working for large and small PR consultancies in a career spanning 18 years. Her experience ranges from being the head of corporate communications and marketing at George Wimpey plc to spearheading many award-winning and multinational campaigns as an external adviser.
DAVID BOND Began his career at Merrill Lynch working as a fund manager and then investment analyst. David is one of our best trainers for communicating with City audiences. Richard Rivlin Is the founder of Bladonmore, a communications company that provides training and content services to an international client base. Prior to launching Bladonmore in 2002, Richard spent five years as a financial journalist at the Sunday Telegraph and Financial Times. Jane-Emma Peerless Spent 10 years at the Financial Times developing her sales and account management skills. A variety of management roles put her in contact with a host of management challenges and honed her instinctive people management skills and emotional intelligence.
PRACTICE CLAIRE SCARAMANGA Is an MBA qualified consultant and senior marketeer with over 17 years’ experience within blue chip companies and leading marketing agencies. She specialises in creating successful marketing strategies and change management. Chrissie Smith Has covered news on parliamentary matters, financial, legal, environmental, and industrial and consumer affairs. Chris also provides speech revision and scripting services for senior level management who present to the City. HEATHER WHITE Is a networking strategist, speaker, author and coach. She specialises in behaviours and strategies of professional networkers. Heather has a unique and insightful approach to networking.
Bladonmore will manage the logistics and communicate with every individual ahead of each training session. ACADEMY Sessions Every Thursday morning sessions will be delivered between 8.00 and 11.00am in a Rosenblatt boardroom. Feedback and Follow-up Following each session an individual feedback note will be prepared. The feedback will be delivered to delegates. Measuring success of the Academy Reviews of the Academy at regular intervals are important to determine how sessions are contributing to the overall performance of Rosenblatt, and how individual performances are improving. The process for achieving this will involve three months of follow-ups with delegates and regular formal reviews with Rosenblatt.
www.rosenblattsolicitors.com/academy
Bladonmore 10 - 11 Percy Street London W1T 1DN +44 (0)20 7631 1155 www.bladonmore.com