When we think of work, we think of compensation. The two go hand in hand for most of us. It is how we traditionally measure value, and we like to be rewarded for our efforts. But, some of the best opportunities come with no financial gain, and those opportunities should not be missed.

Throughout the near 20-year life of the Best Friends at the Bar project, I have given 100+ speeches and programs throughout the country and abroad. And many of them were given for no compensation whatsoever. I also wrote many articles for mainstream legal media and was a monthly columnist at the ABA Journal — all for free. Freebies take just as much time and effort as compensable work.

I would not blame you if you are wondering what on earth I am talking about. I can assure you that it was never that I did not know my value. Rather, it was because I took the long view. I knew that offering something for free provided the opportunity for me to engage with future audiences and acquire dedicated readers.

For you, it likely is different. Most of you are practicing lawyers and are accustomed to being paid for your time and effort. But, there are circumstances when those rules do not apply. One of those circumstances is business promotion — that thing that creates anxiety in most of you because you see it as too daunting, too awkward or too uncomfortable. So, you shy away from it. You put it off. You convince yourself that self-promotion is bad and distasteful and below you.

However it does not have to be that way. There is a new way of thinking about business promotion. It is now considered “old school” to come right out and ask a prospect for work. The hard sell model died somewhere around the dawn of The Millennium. The preferred approach today is much more subtle.

Here’s how it works. If you identify a business prospect, and AFTER you run a current client check in your firm to make sure that you are not encroaching on someone else’s turf, develop a casual relationship with the prospect that might include meeting for coffee or lunch. Discuss your lives and your work, with casual references to your practice and your firm. Afterwards when you see information that might be helpful in the prospect’s work, send it in an email. It’s still a pitch, but the kinder and gentler variety.

Business promotion is a jog not a marathon, and it has to develop over time It is an investment in people, relationships and reputation.. You need to be patient, yet also persistent in your own mind, to combat the procrastination. If it is meant to be, that approach will result in the call you have been waiting for.

And, most important, enjoy the hunt. All of your efforts will not pay off, but you only need a few successes to get the attention of the powers that be in your firm. And, when that happens, it suddenly becomes all about the money!

My books for young lawyers are getting a lot of attention these days. That’s definitely good news for me, and it also may be good news for many of you.

The Best Friends at the Bar book series is part of a mentoring program for young lawyers that I founded after I retired from law practice in 2006. The early books focus on the challenges for women lawyers, and the later books were written with all young lawyers in mind.

My most recent book is New Lawyer Launch: The Handbook for Young Lawyers. Here is what readers are saying about it.

“You have offered young lawyers a steady hand as they navigate the sometimes treacherous waters between graduation and a fulfilling career. You have touched real lives, real young attorneys who have walked into their first firms or courtrooms with a little more confidence because of the practical advice you have shared.”

“New Lawyer Launch is a handbook for the moment law school leaves off and real professional life begins. The transition from law school to professional practice is one of the most disorienting career shifts in any profession, and the handbook addresses it with foundational, timeless advice from contributors with strong mentorship backgrounds.”

“New Lawyer Launch matters for the first year associate sitting alone in an office at nine in the evening wondering if he or she is doing everything wrong. It matters to the law student about to cross the stage and step into a profession that gave them no roadmap for what comes next. And it matters to every young attorney who has ever needed a mentor and did not know where to find one.”

So, if you think you would benefit from that kind of help, I hope you get your hands on the book sooner rather than later. Some of you are getting ready to cross that law school graduation stage and others of you are entry-level lawyers in firms or government or corporate settings and feeling insecure about how to proceed successfully in a demanding profession. For others, gifting this book to a young lawyer is sure to be appreciated.

You never will regret becoming a Best Friend at the Bar and helping yourself or another young lawyer avoid the pitfalls of law practice while setting a strong foundation for a successful and satisfying career in the law.

What Millennial Lawyers Want: A Bridge from the Past to the Future of Law Practice is also very popular with young lawyers today, including Gen Z lawyers. That book includes lessons learned from my own mentor and challenge questions about how those lessons relate to your own experiences.

My books are available from Amazon or from the publisher on the Best Friends at the Bar website at www.bestfriendsatthebar.com.