Our Newest Books

 
For 15 years, DecisionBooks® has successfully published career resources for a life in the law. Beginning this year, we’re expanding into event planning with a personal touch. Our authors and consultants – all of them JD's or PhD's – represent the very best thinking on topics of great interest to legal audiences. And each of them is an experienced presenter. The next time you need a lawyer/presenter for a keynote, a firm retreat, an annual meeting, a workshop, or training program, we hope you'll consider our growing roster of speakers.

• Mid-life career change for lawyers
• Work/life balance
• Career and personal satisfaction
• Leadership development
• Career strategies for women lawyers
• Stress management
• Interpersonal effectiveness
• Improving working relationships
• Client development
• Performance coaching
• Job-finding strategies for new practitioners
• & more.

Presenter – Doug Richardson, JD/MA
Topics –
EQ for Attorneys: An Interpersonal Effectiveness Workshop.
How to Make Your Net Work: Mastering Effective Interpersonal Self-market for Career Advancement or Client Development.
Where Does Rapport Come From? Understanding the Ingredient in Personal Chemistry in Forging Effective Working Relationships.
Format – Each topic can be configured as a keynote or luncheon speech (40-70 minutes), an interactive half-day program or workshop, or a one- or two-day interactive training program.
Bio – A nationally recognized expert in leadership development, interpersonal communication and performance coaching, and a JD from Harvard Law School. A former large-firm litigator and federal prosecutor, he heads a leadership and career development consulting firm. An award-winning columnist for Dow Jones, and a former director of key executive services for Right Management Consultants. He has more than 20 years experience in executive/legal outplacement, assessment for hire, career transition counseling, and confidential performance coaching
Travels from – Mid-Atlantic area

Presenter – Deborah Guyol, JD
Topics –
Old Myths and New Realities of Contract Lawyering
How Temporary Legal Services Can Help Control Costs & Enhance Profits
The Value of Temporary Legal Services to Sole Practitioners and Small firms
How to Find the Right Contract Lawyer for Any Assignment
Contract Lawyering – How to Handle Confidentiality and Reduce Risk of Malpractice
Format – Workshops, law firm retreats, half-day programs
Bio – Co-author, The Complete Guide to Contract Lawyering (2003). USC graduate and practitioner for more than 20 years. Guyol’s practice focused on bankruptcy and commercial litigation in New York and Portland, Oregon. In 1992, she liberated herself from law firm life and reinvented her career as a contract lawyer. Guyol is the former coordinator of the Oregon Women Lawyers Contract Lawyer Referral Service, and is an experienced presenter on contract lawyering issues.
Travels from – Pacific Northwest

Presenter – Fiona Travis, PhD
Topics –
The Challenge of Living With Lawyers
The Unique Stresses of the Legal Profession
How to Cope With Difficult People
Dealing with Depression
Increasing Communication Skills
Stress & the Woman Lawyer
Bio – Psychologist, author, lecturer. Author of, Should You Marry A Lawyer? A Couples Guide to Balancing Work, Love and Ambition (2003), and Living With Lawyers (2001). In private practice for more than 25 years. Founder and director of Columbus Psychological Center, and member of Ohio State University’s graduate faculty. The speaker has a national speaking practice, and is a seminar leader at national, regional and local bar and judicial conferences.
Travels from – The Midwest

Presenter – Amiram Elwork, PhD
Topics –
Emotional Intelligence for Professionals
Stress Management for Professionals
Professional Success and Core Values
Format – Keynotes, workshops, luncheon/after-dinner presentations.
Bio – Author, lecturer. Dr. Elwork is the Director of the Law-Psychology Graduate Program at Widener University, one of the few professional training programs in which students earn joint doctoral degrees in law and psychology. He has written books and articles, and conducted research on a variety of psycho-legal issues.
Travels from – The Mid-Atlantic area

Presenter – Deborah Schneider, JD
Topics – An introduction to new career decision models for lawyers and law students.
Bio – Author and associate career of development programming at one of the UC law schools. Co-author of the forthcoming book, Should You Really Become a Lawyer? A Guide to the Biggest (and Most Expensive) Career Decision You’ll Ever Make (DecisionBooks, 2004). Schneider is a former career counselor at the University of San Francisco School of Law, and is a graduate of the career development training intensive with career expert Richard Bolles. She holds a JD from Washington University School of Law, and has held clerkships with the US Senate Judiciary Committee and the Brennan Center for Justice.
Travels from – The West

Presenter – Janina Latack, PhD
Topics –
EQ for Lawyers
Building a Winning Team: Realities and Strategies
How to Turn Stress into Peak Performance Energy
How to Work with Just About Anyone
Re-Igniting the Fire at Work
Are You Working and Living Creatively
Leadership Assessment and Development
Bio – Author, ABA presenter, and executive career coach. Authored Career Bootcamp for Lawyers: A Structured Program to Help Start, Stop, Change or Reinvent Your Law Career (DecisionBooks, 2003). The speaker is certified with the National Board for Certified Counselors and the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health. She is a contributing author to the ABA’s Changing Jobs Handbook. A presenter for the Arizona Bar Association and ABA annual meetings. An affiliate consultant with Right Management Consultants, a major outplacement organization, and is an adjunct faculty with the University of Arizona and Ohio State University. She holds a PhD in Organizational Behavior and Personnel Psychology from Michigan State.
Travels from – The Southwest

Presenter – Kenton R. Hill EdD, CMC
Topics –
EQ For Lawyers: Protecting Your Investment Through Intelligent Use of Your Emotions
Building Trusting Relationships Within Your Law Firm
Mutual Gains Approach to Negotiations and Conflict Resolution
Format – Each topic can be presented as a formal speech, interactive program, or workshop from a half-day up to two days. Workshops can also be preceded by individual assessment and feedback for participants, and followed up with individual coaching if desired.
Bio – Speaker, workshop presenter, performance coach, and author of Being a Smart Lawyer Isn’t Enough Anymore: The Case for the Emotionally Intelligent Professional (DecisionBooks, 2004). Hill is a Certified Management Consultant, who brings over 30 years of public and private sector experience to his work as Principal Consultant at KRH Consulting. He is a former VP at Selection Research (now Gallup, Inc. ), and senior consultant for an international outplacement firm. He earned a Masters Degree with emphasis on psychological and career assessment, and a Doctorate plus post-doctoral work in executive leadership. He has provided performance enhancement coaching for over 250 individual leaders and service professionals and more than 40 teams in nearly 100 different organizations from two partner law firms to Fortune 500 companies
Travels from – The West Coast

Presenter – Richard Gottfried, JD, MBA, MA
Topics –
Listening Skills for Lawyers – No Joke
Never Enough Stress Management Techniques
Avoidance of Substance Abuse for Lawyers
I’m the Last One Who Needs Assertiveness Training
No Kidding – The Lawyer as Family Man/Woman & Friend
Hurt Happens – Intra-Office Conflict Resolution
Format – Keynote, workshop or half-day training
Bio – Education: Stanford BA, UCLA MBA, UCD JD, Pacifica MA. Rick formerly worked as a corporate lawyer with law firms, in sole practice and as in-house counsel to a Fortune 500 company. he also worked as a business planner. During his transition to psychotherapist and counselor (licensed Marriage & Family Therapist) in private practice, Gottfried worked as a mediator and was active in holistic and collaborative lawyers groups. He serves as a counselor for the State Bar Lawyers Assistance Program, and has been a CEU presenter for the State Bar, CEB and law firms.
Travels from – The West Coast

Presenter – Michael E. Hall, PhD
Topics –
Love the Law You're With (law-career satisfaction)
She Works, He Works, then why don't THEY Work? (dual-career couples)
The Teeter-Totter: Striking Work-life Balance (family-career/stress)
Warning! Career Success May be Hazardous to Your Health (work addiction)
Not Quite Good Enough (career success-perfectionism)
Things That Go 'Boo' in the Workplace (impostor phenomenon, fear of failure/success)
Whatever Happened to Ms. (Mr.) Congeniality? (workplace conflict)
Format – Keynotes, half-day courses, full-day training sessions.
Bio – PhD (counseling psychology-Penn State), author and presenter at international conferences. Hall is a counselor, executive coach, and career consultant in private practice who helps individuals confront personal, performance, and personnel barriers to life-career satisfaction or organizational success. Formerly, he was associate director of career counseling and assistant professor of counseling psychology at Penn State. His current roles include: Professional-Affiliate of Graduate Faculty (University of North Carolina-Charlotte).
Travels from – The Southeast

Presenter – Shawn Smith, JD
Topics –
Career Change for Lawyers
Overcoming Fear of Change
Using Marketing Techniques to Enhance your Legal Job Search Campaign
How to Use Publishing and Speaking to Build Visibility and Gain Clients
When Things Get Personal: Overcoming Conflict in the Workplace
Making the Transition to In-House Practice
Format – Keynotes, half-day programs, full-day retreats or training sessions
Bio – Ms. Smith practiced law in private practice and in-house for 15 years before moving to a more satisfying and diverse career as an author, speaker, consultant and executive coach. She is co-author of The HR Answer Book: An Indispensable Guide for Mangers and Human Resources Professionals (AMACOM 2004), and has appeared on radio and television business programming. She holds a J.D. from the New York University School of Law and a B.A. from Amherst College.
Travels from – The Mid-Atlantic area

Presenter – Camille Walker, JD
Topics – Career strategies for women attorneys
Background – Lawyer, workshop presenter. Walker is president of Career Strategy, a consulting firm committed to enhancing the career and life goals of women attorneys. She has a business degree from Texas Tech University and a law degree from the University of Houston. She has practiced law for 12 years (municipal, insurance, corporate), and currently serves as an advisor for the Texas Bar Lawyer Assistance Program.
Travels from – The South

Presenter – Sheila Neilsen, JD
Topics – The Boss From Hell, and What to Do About Him/Her
The Psychology of Career Ambivalence, and How to Overcome It
Assessing Career Satisfaction – Knowing Whether Your Career is Right for You
Bio – Lawyer, social worker, lecturer. Former criminal prosecutor; in state court as an assistant DA, and in federal court as a U.S. Attorney. In 1990, she developed her own counseling and executive coaching business for attorneys. Several large law firms rely on her for outplacement services for their attorneys. She was a contributing author to two ABA books, and her articles have appeared in numerous trade journals and law-related web sites. An experienced presenter.
Travels from – The Midwest

Presenter – Ed Honnold, JD
Topics – Midlife career change for lawyers
Bio – JD, Yale Law School. Licensed clinical social worker. Former law clerk for US Court of Appeals, private law firm associate, legislative director to member of Congress and USAID Office of General Counsel. Founder of a Washington DC-area personal transitions support organization. Director, Day Center, Psychiatric Institute of Washington.
Travels from – The Mid-Atlantic area

Presenter – Suzanne Holmes, EdD
Topics –
The Inevitability of Change and Transition
Making a Successful and Healthy Career Transition
Understanding Depression and its Impact on Career Development
How Do I Achieve Career Satisfaction?
Family-of-Origin Influence on Decision-Making
Format – Hour-long presentations, half-day workshops
Bio – Ed.D. in counselor education/counseling psychology. Worked as director and/or associate director of career services at two nationally ranked law schools, and served as career consultant at a third law school, and acted as mental health consultant in each of these settings. Simultaneously maintained a private counseling practice assisting attorneys who were experiencing dissatisfaction with their career situations. Has authored several articles and presented numerous seminars on career satisfaction for attorneys and on attorney counseling. Currently, an affiliate faculty member at a Denver university, and active member of the American Counseling Association
Travels from – The West

Presenter – Tama Kieves, JD
Topics –
Creating the Work You Love
Creative People: Manifest Your Dream Career
Bio – Author, career coach, motivational speaker, workshop facilitator. A Harvard Law School graduate and former corporate litigator who chose to leave the law to write, and to help others find the work they feel passionate about. Author of, This Time I Dance: Creating the Work You Love (2002).
Travels from – The West

Presenter – J. Kim Wright, JD
Topics – New models for the legal profession
Bio – Lawyer, international speaker. Founder and principal at Renaissance Lawyer, an organization that coaches, consults and does workshops on innovative approaches to law practice that are based on connecting people, solving problems and resolving conflict.
Travels from – The Pacific Northwest

Presenter – Dave Behrend, M.Ed.
Topics –
Attorneys With Tunnel Vision: How To Pursue Alternatives/Options Within or Outside the Practice of Law
How Attorneys Can Avoid Workplace Overload and Benefit From Work-Life Balance?
Strategies For The Displaced Attorney: How The Associate/Partner Gets Back On Track
The Floundering Recent Law School Graduate: Where to Turn for Employment
The Impaired Attorney – Help for Those with Possible State Disciplinary Issues
Format – Up to 90-minute presentations; includes keynotes.
Bio – For 25 years, has successfully counseled attorneys and other professionals undergoing forced or elective career/employment change. On referral, also provides career consults for various state bar associations, and for impaired, disenchanted, and displaced attorneys in lawyer assistance programs. Assists attorneys for whom addictions or depression has affected their careers. Has written extensively for legal publications on workplace topics, and for eight years participated in a careers program on radio. Holds an M.Ed.
Travels from – The Mid-Atlantic area