In Their Own Words

Testimonials

Whether my clients found me on the web, came from a colleague’s referral, or first attended one of my seminars, and regardless of the top issue they wanted to tackle, I’ve discovered that they share a few important characteristics. First, they’re serious about elevating their business success. Second, they’re “coachable” — meaning, they’re committed to learning new ways of thinking and to practice new skills. And third, they’re hungry to experience greater personal satisfaction and increased self-understandingHere’s how some of my past and current clients describe their experience.

I was referred to Bill by a brilliant friend of mine, an attorney, who praised his expertise as a law firm coach. I retained him in connection with efforts to rebrand our website and on-line presence. While we had been a general litigation firm for decades and had tremendous experience, our website did not capture how focused we’d become in one niche area of legal practice that was unfamiliar to most lawyers. To say that Bill helped us successfully execute a massive project in record time in the midst of the global pandemic is an understatement. Bill’s help was invaluable. He introduced us to a website design firm and SEO expert and handled the coordination and negotiation of the project—at considerable savings. He coached us through the entire process, tirelessly working with us to develop and fine-tune our message. His unerring insight and experience cannot be overemphasized. Bill pushed us to achieve our goals with patience and persistence and was always a pleasure to work with. I cannot recommend him highly enough.

Jonathon Warner SuccessTrackESQ Testimonial

Jonathon D. Warner
Contingent Commercial Litigation, Judgment Collection
Warner & Scheuerman
New York, NY
www.wslaw.nyc

After serving on the bench almost 27 years, I retired from the judiciary to pursue my passion of being a mediator in the private sector at Carmody, Torrance, Sandak & Hennessey. I went to Bill to help me develop my practice and business plan. He had me hit the ground running. Bill had me (and still has me) doing tasks I never would have thought of on my own. He is brilliant in his ability to give me the confidence to try new concepts and actually perform them. My new partners have commented that they never thought I would be landing so many mediations so soon after joining the firm. Bill is a unique individual who will craft a plan to suit your personal needs. I value Bill’s advice and guidance and believe that the success I achieve in the private sector will be largely a result of my work with Bill.

Hon. Douglas Mintz (Ret.)
Carmody Torrance Sandak Hennessey LLP
Stamford, CT
https://www.carmodylaw.com

My practice is devoted to high-stakes products liability defense, mostly for large publicly traded companies. The work load, focus, and hours are demanding. Bill’s practical coaching guidance has been instrumental in elevating my overall game – especially with respect to how I’m handling my precious non-billable time. I’m better at administrative tasks such as time and billing, better at delegating and managing my team, and I’m finally getting to the cross-selling activities I’ve wanted to get to for a long time. Interestingly (and clearly thanks to Bill) I’ve also developed – and am enjoying — a deeper calm in the midst of the pressure-filled day-to-day activity.

Robert Simpson SuccessTrackESQ Testimonial

Robert Simpson
Partner, Products Liability Defense
Shook, Hardy & Bacon, L.L.P.
Hartford, CT
https://www.shb.com/

I got so much out of the 90-day jump-start coaching program with Bill Jawitz. My greatest takeaway was to review my time daily and set a schedule for the day each morning. Setting aside specific ‘administrative’ time was new to me. I was surprised at how much more effective I have become. Bill focused me on collecting outstanding fees and cultivating clients who could pay up front for my services, both areas where I needed to be more proactive. As a result, I’ve brought in more funds, which has allowed me to expand and help even more families, which makes me feel great. Bill, thanks so much for guiding me towards my best professional self!

bonnie schinagle successtrack esq testimonial

Bonnie Spiro Schinagle
Special Education Attorney
The Law Offices of Bonnie Spiro Schinagle
Syosset, NY
www.schinaglelaw.com

In addition to representing business owners in litigation matters, I also represent many attorneys in discipline and ethics matters, and both, understandably, need lots of attention. Bill helped me create a much more efficient structure for organizing and managing my clients’ demands, and for generally handling the competing priorities I faced (and still face) on a daily basis.

His understanding of both human nature and how work flows through a legal practice let him pin-point what I needed to start doing – and what I needed to stop doing – to give myself breathing room (which is something I hadn’t had in years). Bill also helped me with a few important marketing questions, and as a result, my client development activities are more focused than ever. Bottom line is that Bill is an outstanding practice advisor and I recommend him without reservation.

stephen conover success track esq testimonial

Stephen J. Conover
Legal Malpractice and Greivance Defense
Carmody, Torrance, Sandak & Hennessey, LLP
Stamford, CT
www.carmodylaw.com/stephen-conover

I attended a program Bill gave on email management for lawyers at the New York City Bar Association and wound up hiring him because I was impressed with his overall clarity about the challenges and opportunities faced by managing partners of busy boutique firms. I’ve found his advice and resources in the area of hiring and performance reviews to be especially valuable. Like every other lawyer I know, I didn’t go to law school to become an HR manager, but Bill has helped me place the right amount of emphasis on the management of my team to the benefit of everyone in my firm.

Marcia N. Needleman
Levitt & Needleman, PC
Immigration and Nationality Law
New York, NY
www.levittandneedleman.com/

Bill’s training was packed with practical, usable content that has made a significant difference in the workflow of our legal department. Simply put, our attorneys and staff are completing matters more efficiently, and they’re working with each other, our clients, and outside counsel more effectively. Bill knows his stuff and presented the training in an interesting and easy to absorb way that took root and has stayed with us since.

robin smith success track esq testimonial

Robin Smith
General Counsel and Secretary
LEGO Systems, Inc
Enfield, CT

I retained Bill Jawitz after being impressed by his manner and knowledge at a New York City Bar Association seminar. Bill convinced me that specialty practice was the wave of the future, and that small firm “generalists” were out of date. Working with Bill, he helped me structure a departure from my lifetime as a commercial litigator (although one who historically did a fair amount of employment work) to embark on a purely transactional practice representing senior executives. Bill also helped me find a “niche within a niche,” adding to our traditional practice representing executives in finance and media the specific targeted representation of college and university presidents and other senior academic executives.

Bill then helped us put together a website for this targeted practice, and contributed his own resources, personal and forward-looking thinking to make certain that our website represented not only our current professional practice but our aspirations, as well as optimizing its ability to be found. He overcame my instinctive conservatism and “old fashioned” thinking, to execute his internet strategies, and Bill won his bet that clients as senior and sophisticated as college presidents would not only find our practice solely by using the internet but actually hire us!

I am deeply grateful to Bill Jawitz for re-orienting my practice and keeping us both busy and vital in this brave new world of legal marketing.

george birnbaum success track esq testimonial

George Birnbaum
Executive Employment Agreements and Compensation
Law Offices of George Birnbaum PLLC
New York, NY
https://gbirnlaw.com/

When I finally decided to open a firm after 11 years as an Assistant United States Attorney at the Department of Justice and 4 years in medium-size firms, I chose to work with Bill after talking with several law firm coaches. His sharp analytical skills and business sense would add value to any professional service firm, but it is the breadth of his field-tested experience with lawyers that makes him invaluable. My partner and I have grown quickly and Bill continues to make vital contributions by guiding us in the set-up and management of financial, HR, client development, and other key systems that we didn’t exactly know how to focus on by ourselves. I would advise any lawyer seeking to improve their firm to consult him.

shanlon wu success track esq testimonial

Shanlon Wu
White Collar Criminal Defense, Student Defense, and Qui Tam
Wu, Grohovsky & Whipple, PLLC
Washington, D.C.
www.DCWhiteCollar.com

Like many fast growing law firms, we struggled with the challenges of managing dozens of strong, independent personalities. We knew we wanted to get ahead of the curve on issues such as equity and compensation, decision-making authority, and which practice areas to grow. Fortunately, we heard about Bill through the New Jersey State Bar Association, and in a very short time, he helped us work through these and a few other critical areas.

Using his extensive knowledge of law firm management and his keen understanding of interpersonal dynamics, Bill skillfully led us through a series of conversations (both individually and in variously configured groups) to uncover where we were stuck and to coalesce us around a much improved process of working together. With Bill’s support, we have built a broader, sustainable Executive Committee in a way that has brought us even greater focus and effectiveness as we enter our second decade.

As a founder and its first Managing Partner, I can’t thank Bill enough.

Michael Perrucci
Commercial and Medical Malpractice Litigation
Florio, Perrucci, Steinhardt & Fader, NJ, PA, and NY
www.fpsflawfirm.com

You know law, but Jawitz knows the business of law. He has helped me with everything from rate-setting to website development, networking, strategic business planning, time management, and more. What makes Bill so helpful is that his exhaustive knowledge of business theory and practice is complemented by a deep understanding of personality. He’s a great listener, and he manages to be kind and supportive while always pushing you forward to higher levels of business excellence. He helps you to articulate and capitalize on your unique strengths while educating you on the best business practices so that your legal practice can be healthy, personally satisfying, lucrative, and even fun.

nica strunk success track esq testimonial

Nica Strunk
Law Office of Nica B. Strunk
Real Property Litigation
Southampton, NY
https://www.nicabstrunk.com/

If you have an important decision to make in your law firm, consult Bill Jawitz. Five years ago, my firm lost one of its key attorneys to the judiciary and brought on a new attorney. We did not know whether to focus our practice in the areas of law in which we made the most money. Bill brought objective advise and law firm experience to the decision. He helped us take the plunge to focus our practice on trusts & estates/elder law, create a new website and build a following through search engine optimization. Bill got us in touch with a great website designer and SEO expert. He coached us individually to make the most of this transition.  He encouraged us to blog to build a following. Our revenue began to grow.

A year ago, we added another attorney.  We consulted Bill on how to best run a 4-lawyer firm. He suggested changing our practice model from separate practices to a managing attorney model. We changed case supervision and compensation systems. Our revenues will double this year from the level 5 years ago when we first consulted Bill. I credit Bill with unleashing our potential. Consult Bill Jawitz if you want your law practice to flourish.

joseph cipparone success track esq testimonial

Joseph Cipparone

Trust & estates, Elder law
Cipparone & Zaccaro PC
New London, CT
www.trustsestateselderlawct.com/

Working with Bill was not only a great business decision, but also a wonderful personal decision. Bill understands the challenges of practicing law, and he helps his clients flourish through a holistic approach to life while practicing law. As a solo practitioner, I miss the opportunity to work with colleagues on developing my practice; Bill is my trusted advisor because he understands my professional and personal goals, and helped me form a vision for integrating and achieving both.

He excels at advising on fundamental business issues, and he wisely helps his clients realize professional success through examination and expression of personal values. We all know how to be excellent lawyers. Working with Bill creates the space to explore and implement practices to enhance the way we work and the way we live. In my case, this has made for happy clients and one very happy lawyer!

mary schinke success track esq bill jawitz testimonial

Mary Schinke
Trusts and Estates
Mary Schinke, Attorney at Law, LLC
Roxbury, CT
www.SchinkeLaw.com

My practice had hit a plateau and although I was spending a lot of time on marketing efforts, the results were less than satisfying. Bill worked with me to evaluate my marketing strategies and separated the methods that worked from those that provided little or no return. We then worked together to develop a targeted plan and I am very pleased with the results. I nearly tripled my originations within the first year, and continued building volume at a rate of more than 20 percent per year over the next few years, and all while using my marketing time much more efficiently.

Karen A. Mignone
Environmental Litigation
Verrill Dana, LLP
Providence, RI
www.verrilldana.com/kmignone/

As president of our firm, I’ve been dealing with the transition and modernization issues common to small firms founded by lawyers who are reaching the end of their careers. It has not been easy work, and Bill Jawitz has been a very helpful consultant. Bill combines in one smart, engaged, funny brain a suite of interlocking knowledge and skills. He understands the business of lawyering — practice building; personnel management; and law firm finance. He knows how to manage, how to teach management, and the psychology of management. He knows how to help me sell ideas and build consensus without offending — as well as how to herd cats without getting clawed too badly. He is technologically savvy in all these areas, knowing the print and web resources out there, weeding out drivel, and recommending concise, authoritative sources to solve specific problems. He is valuable, and fun to work with. I consistently get my money’s worth.

Jonathan Katz
Jacobs & Dow PC
New Haven, CT
Personal Injury and Business Litigation
www.JacobsLaw.com

I’m now getting regular press on the topic of amicable divorce, I have the best staff I’ve ever had, I’ve raised my rates, and I’m more focused than ever — all thanks largely to the accountability that working with Bill brings. As I get more comfortable running the business — and not just having a law firm — I’m putting in place the strong foundation upon which I’ll continue to grow my practice. I have built a referral base of more than 30 psychologists/therapists to my divorce practice by starting a quarterly newsletter newsletter (called “Family Matters”) for mental health professionals and by using Bill’s guidance to build one-on-one relationships.

randall pitler success track esq testimonial

Randy Pitler
Family Law
Randall B. Pitler, PC
Royal Oak, MI
www.AmicableDivorce.com

I worked with Success Track Esq for almost a year. During that time Bill was invaluable in helping us develop a team-oriented mindset. His insights into law firm management have completely changed my outlook on how to practice law. Bill truly offers a comprehensive approach to balancing law and life. He’s not just a law firm coach, but he’s a life coach. Because we don’t practice law in a vacuum, Bill’s coaching helped me become more integrated and holistic in balancing my life. His strategies for dealing with taxes, personal relationships, and business management were invaluable. With his guidance we were able to establish new systems and his emphasis on daily planning and time management were worth their weight in gold. Most of all, Bill managed and oversaw a major website development project with aplomb and we are extremely pleased with the result. In short, consulting with Success Track was worth every penny and I would urge any other lawyer struggling with his practice or with managing the balance between and law and life to hire them.

Eric Gang
Gang & Associates, LLC
Veterans Disability Law
Andover, NJ
www.VeteransDisabilityInfo.com

As a former NFL lineman, police officer, and then prosecutor, I have always been drawn to competitive, high-stress work, and I brought that intense energy to the criminal defense firm I started 12 years ago. But it took a heavy toll on me despite having plenty of business. Now, since working with Bill, I am much less stressed. I have put in place routines that have already brought me increased time with my family, increased profit margins, and a significantly more effective and happier staff. Bill’s knowledge, insight and ability to help me change for the better has been priceless.

Don Pumphrey, Jr.
Pumphrey Law
Criminal Defense
Tallahassee, FL
www.PumphreyLawFirm.com

Several years ago I attended one of Bill Jawitz’s seminars titled “Marketing Your Practice Online.” Prior to the seminar, I had tried to promote my website online, with mediocre results. Using Bill’s suggestions, I was able to hone my focus and substantially improve my web presence. I now get multiple inquiries each week from potential clients that learned about me from web searches — and I don’t spend anything on advertising.

Bill does not just have great ideas on how to market your practice. He is also a productivity guru. He has helped me in numerous ways to become more efficient so that I now provide even more cost effective services to my clients. I highly recommend Bill to any law firm looking to improve its marketing or its productivity.

Andrew Mitchel
International Tax Attorney
Andrew Mitchel, LLC
Essex, CT
www.andrewmitchel.com

Bill Jawitz helped me power through a complicated company reorganization. I could have done the job by relying solely on my own wits, but he saved me time, strengthened my resolve, opened my mind to new perspectives on old problems, and provided many helpful solutions. Bill’s business acumen is impressive, particularly his understanding of organization processes. Add to that Bill’s deep understanding of the psychological dimensions of team-building, and you have a unique resource.

While I already had a management team in place, perhaps the most powerful experience was helping me to see that I could be much more effective in managing and leading them, so that they could take greater ownership of important initiatives.

Being a neutral force outside my company, Bill has been very successful in helping me understand my own leadership style – what it is and how I could best improve my technique by capitalizing on natural strengths. By quickly understanding my team, business operations, market forces, organization design, time management and productivity, as well as the psychological dimensions of people, he helped me dissect and solve pesky problems in short order.

Bill’s talents would be extremely useful for any business executive, experienced or inexperienced. He requires your active participation, with deadlines you impose yourself, and it pays off immediately. Without being a martinet, he rapidly coaxes you into recognizing your style and business problems from multiple perspectives. He has the business knowledge and the confidence to challenge your thinking at just the right moments. After every session, I left stronger, knowing that I was on a shorter path to success.

I recommend Bill unconditionally to anyone who wants to save time, work smarter, build a stronger team, and achieve specific business results.

nancy mulloy bonn success track esq testimonial

Nancy Mulloy-Bonn
Past Executive Director
The American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education Group (ALI-CLE)
Philadelphia, PA
www.ali-cle.org

Hiring Bill has been among the best decision our firm has ever made. The overarching accomplishment we credit directly to Bill’s consulting work with us is our transformation from being a general practice firm to fast becoming THE state-wide leader in our niche (landlord/tenant law). We initially engaged Bill to help us with personnel management issues, but quickly realized that his talent in both business development and organizational dynamics could help us in many more areas.

Our brand, our firm culture (including decision making, communication, and client service) and our overall strength heading into the future have all been developed thanks to our work with Bill. Now that our firm’s path is set, my partner and I continue to work with Bill as our executive coach. Not only has our business benefited, but Bill has challenged us to grow as individuals, as well, which has impacted the quality of our lives outside of the office. We’re eager for our office to continue to grow and improve with Bill’s guidance.

robert chesson success track esq testimonial

Robert Chesson
Partner
Chesson & Schweickert, LLC, Milford, CT
www.LandlordLawFirm.com

When I was Director of Training at the New Mexico Public Defenders Office, I brought Bill in to do a presentation on professional time and case management for our 250 attorneys. It was a great investment. He was engaging and offered dozens of innovative ideas on case and time management. As one can imagine, being a public defender means extreme workload and time demands. Bill’s tips allowed us to dedicate more of our precious time to our clients — and to our families. Now in private practice, I still use many of the techniques I learned from Bill every single day.

Barry Porter
Former Director of Training, New Mexico Public Defenders Office
Burgess and Porter, LLC
Criminal Defense Law
www.burgessporterlaw.com

Working with Bill has been one of the most rewarding professional development experiences I have ever had. I initially sought Bill’s services to assist and guide me on improving my time management skills, but he quickly seized upon the opportunity to show me how to improve on other management skills that I could, and now do, implement every day. Bill’s tips, exercises, encouragement, and reinforcement have not only resulted in a noticeable reduction in my daily stress levels, but they have allowed me to reconnect with much of the joy I used to get from practicing law but which had become buried beneath the increasing workload associated with leading our firm’s growing IP practice. And of course, my family loves it too that I’m happier in my work.

Arthur Schaier
Intellectual Property Law
Carmody & Torrance, LLP
Waterbury, CT
www.CarmodyLaw.com

Our Firm invited SuccessTrack to our recent annual meeting to discuss marketing and client development. The hour-long presentation covered a wide range of key marketing skills while providing enough specific details to make it very practical. Our younger lawyers learned a great deal, and even our senior attorneys were fully engaged. We were all challenged, educated and entertained. In short, the program was excellent and I would highly recommend it to other law firms interested in developing more business in today’s environment.

nick paindiris success track esq testimonial

Nicholas Paindiris
Partner
Brown, Paindiris & Scott, LLP
Glastonbury, CT
www.bpslawyers.com

In my role as FEMA Deputy Chief Counsel, I coordinate a large number of tasks in a fast-paced, complex environment. Our department gained valuable information and several useful techniques for managing our time more effectively from Bill’s presentation at the 2008 annual training conference for the FEMA Office of Chief Counsel. His Time Management program and techniques proved very helpful to me and my staff of over 120 who attended the session. I found the presentation to be both practical and engaging.

Adrian Sevier, Jr.
Chief Counsel
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Washington, D.C.

I maintain a deep library of hundreds of best-of-breed checklists, templates, guides, and white papers on every aspect of managing a legal practice and law firm, from lawyer marketing plans, to hiring process checklists, to alternative fee engagement letters.

If you need a quick resource, call me. I’ll send you what I have on the topic free of charge with no strings.

Call for a free consultation (203) 806-1300

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