Stripping back the negative associations many lawyers have with the `S' word - selling - is a crucial step in redefining a lawyers approach to business development. This book explores the benefits to stepping out of the safety net of simply being a great lawyer - which, in today's market, is a given. Successful rainmakers know how to truly engage with clients, to understand their business needs and challenges, and how to make their lives easier. These are the skills that attract and build sustainable, rewarding client relationships. Rainmakers: Born or Bred helps you to identify those seemingly intangible aspects of selling that many lawyers think are unachievable, and provides you with practical ideas to implement as you set out on your journey to improve your business development skills. Packed with opinions and advice from actual clients and rainmakers alike, it will help you to make the most of the business development opportunities that present themselves every day - while staying true to your own personality.

Patricia K. Gillette is one of the country's leading experts and most sought-after speakers on gender diversity and equality. She was a top-rated employment lawyer and litigator for 40 years as well as a major rainmaker in her firms. In 2015 she resigned as a law firm partner to pursue her passion for changing the legal profession as an author and keynote speaker. Patricia was also invited to join JAMS and now spends some of her time mediating employment-related cases. In her writings and presentations, Patricia focuses on how to succeed in the high-powered, fast-paced business environment of today. Relying on research studies she commissioned, as well as her own experiences and charismatic style, Patricia is able to inspire audiences to think positively and practically about how they can realize their personal and business goals. She also brings thought-provoking ideas on how to bring meaningful change to law firm and corporate structures to increase diversity and inclusion. In recognition of her work to advance women in the profession, she has received several awards, including the ABA Golden Hammer Award, the California Women Lawyers Association's Fay Stender Award, the Transformational Leadership Award as one of the Top Women Rainmakers, and the Barristers Association of San Francisco Award of Merit. Patricia is the co-founder of the 2006 Opt-In Project, the first nationwide initiative to refocus the discussion from work-life balance to the structural issues that impact the retention and advancement of women in the workplace. She has been a commissioner on the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, the ABA's Gender Equity Task Force, co-chair of the BASF No Glass Ceiling Initiative, and she serves on non-profit boards, including Direct Women, which is dedicated to placing women attorneys on boards of public companies. Patricia is the proud mother of two successful and enlightened sons and lives in Kensington, California with her husband of 42 years. She is an elected official of her town and active in community organizations and activities. For more information visit Patricia's website at www.patriciagillette.com.