When I came to the Bar, I was told:
“Barristers don’t chase money.”
That always sounded odd to me.
Before coming to the Bar, I’d worked in management and developed leadership skills.
I understood how businesses run.
If someone does the work, they get paid.
That's the standard.
But at the bar, it's different.
You do the work.
The matter finishes.
You send the invoice.
Then the email comes back.
“Accounts will process it.”
“Just waiting on the client.”
“Shouldn’t be long.”
And most barristers leave it there.
And wait.
Not because they don’t want to be paid.
Because they don’t want to risk the relationship.
Or risk not being briefed again.
So they wait - for weeks, months or years.
If you watch closely, these moment shows up everywhere in practice.
In meetings.
With teams.
Between lawyers on opposite sides of a case.
With clients.
When resolving conflict
Something needs to move forward or change.
And nobody addresses it (or avoids it)
Get aggressive about it and force it
Pretend it's not a problem and hope it resolves on its own.
The leaders who get engagement, build relationships, and move things forward handle these moments differently.
They influence.
They approach it in a way people engage with…and take action.
I broke it down here. "Influence for Lawyers Who Lead"
đź”— Download it HERE (limited time availability)
