My Books

The Communication Genome Project

By combining social, cognitive, developmental and evolutionary psychologies together, my research and work has allowed me to understand (and bring to you) some incredibly important information. In my book, I show you how the mind:

• Creates the very process of thought
• Determines where our attention is to be place
• Filters incoming external, and existing internal “information”
• Generates emotion and directs action

In having a functional understanding of these processes, I show you how to subsequently predict behavior and influence your audiences thought processes… I have also developed strong, foundational, “block and tackle” models/systems that are actually functional and applicable to the real world. This is science and psychology, not fluff and magic… The result is a 1350 page strategic communication bible, containing the most up to date information on how the mind functions. My book is linear, has structure and flow and all of the parts integrate together in a way that shows you how to use communication in a way that leverages the fundamentals of psychology.  The Communication Genome Project Table of Contents speaks for itself… This book is only available to coaching clients and seminar attendees. Please contact me directly to learn more.

In-House: A Lawyer’s Guide to Getting a Corporate Legal Position

In-House: A Lawyer’s Guide to Getting a Corporate Legal Position is the “must-have” career book on finding, securing, and thriving in the fiercely competitive in-house legal market.Author David J. Parnell takes the in-house-bound attorney by the hand, leading him or her through the maze of potential job-hunting strategies, dispelling the myths about corporate life, and offering the reader an arsenal of tips, skills and methods for creating a successful corporate career. Sometimes irreverent, always poignant, Parnell’s In-Houseis the first step on your way to corporate legal glory.

One of the more surprising attributes of the book is Parnell’s candor. For the first time, a legal recruiter is giving you an unfettered view of how things are done – or at least how they should be done. No hype, no silver bullets, no BS. For the practicing attorney who is frustrated by their current job search, this offers them a pragmatic, systematic approach that affords them more control over their professional destiny. For the recent graduate or those considering law school, this book offers a neck-breakingly raw explanation of what it takes, point by point, to land one of these positions.

In addition, the book includes numerous appendixes, containing sample resumes, sample questions, a deal sheet and even a resignation letter. If you’re looking for an insider’s guide to getting a corporate legal job, this book is a must-have for your job-search library. This book is available to the public (ABA Publishing). To learn more: In-House: A Lawyer’s Guide to Getting a Corporate Legal Position

 In-House Table of Contents

Chapter 1: MythBusters: Separating In-House Fact from Fiction
Chapter 2: Guts, Tools, and Reality Check: Do You Have What It Takes?
Chapter 3: Painting the Bull’s Eye: Defining Your Ideal Position
Chapter 4: The Paper Ambassadors: Writing Your Resumé and Deal Sheet
Chapter 5: The Funnel of Love: Creating Your Marketing Funnel and Strategy
Chapter 6: First Contact: Approaching the GC Chapter 7: Interviewing 101: The Fundamentals of Interviewing
Chapter 8: First Impressions Are the Only Impressions: Maximizing Your Physical Appearance
Chapter 9: First Time’s a Charm: Interview Rapport and Compatibility
Chapter 10: Abe Lincoln Interviewing: Intelligence, Competence and Credibility
Chapter 11: Borrowing Johnny’s Fiddle to Bargain with the Devil: Compensation Negotiations

Appendix A: Personal & Professional Skills Questionnaire
Appendix B: Position-Specific Filtering Questions
Appendix C: Sample Resumé 1
Appendix D: Sample Resumé 2
Appendix E: Sample Deal Sheet
Appendix F: Position Comparison Guideline
Appendix G: Sample Resignation Letter
Appendix H: Search Checklist

BigLaw DNA: Diagnosing The Symptoms of a Failing Firm

(Working Title / ABA Publishing – June 2013)

Lawshucks.com’s BigLaw Deadpool lists 31 Major firm collapses, many of them from the AmLaw 100: Altheimer & Gray (1914-2003), Arter & Hadden (1884-2003), Bogle & Gates (1891-1999), Brobeck Phleger & Harrison (1926-2003), Coudert Brothers (1853-2006), Dewey & LeBoeuf (1909-2012), Donovan, Leisure, Newton & Irvine (1929-1998), Finley Kumble (1968-1987), Gaston & Snow (????-1991), Graham & James (1934-2000), Heller Ehrman (1890-2008), Howrey (1956-2011), Jenkens & Gilchrist (1951-2007), Johnson & Swanson (1970?-1994), Keck, Mahin & Cate (1886-1997), Lord, Day & Lord (1848-1994), Mudge Rose Guthrie Alexander & Ferdon (1869-1995), Pennie & Edmonds (1883-2003), Pettit & Martin (????-1995), Shea & Gould (1964-1994), Testa Hurwitz (1973-2005), Thacher Proffitt & Wood (1848-2009), Thelen (1924-2008), Clark, Thomas & Winters (1938-2011), Dreier LLP (2006-2009), Herrick & Smith (1916-1986), Hill & Barlow (1895-2003), Isham Lincoln & Beale (1872-1988), Myerson & Kuhn (1988-1990), Wolf Block (1903-2009), Yoss (1986-2011).

In 2008, Hildebrandt (HBR Consulting) conducted a study comprised of 80 law firms that failed in the time span of (only) 1998 – 2004. The Lawshuck’s Deadpool, no doubt, comprises some of them. This seems to be a decent number of firms going the way of the Dodo, don’t you think? But when there are 1000’s of law firms out there in the ether, why should we even concern ourselves with small numbers like these? For two reasons, I say: (i) these are major firms; not mom and pop shops. Thousands and thousands of attorneys were affected when these firms collapsed; and (ii) they weren’t handling penny ante local DWI cases. Do to the size, scope, prestige and overall horsepower of these firms, major and economically-impactful clients were affected as well.

Nobody is omniscient, at least that I know of (if you know someone, then email me!), but some attorneys are far more near sighted than others. Time and again, we are approached by more attorneys than you’d expect, looking for work after their firm (or respective practice) has collapsed. Here is the reality of the matter: by the time a firm has officially announced that it is going under, the prime cuts of beef have long since been cleaved away by the lions, leaving the rest of the carcass to the vultures and jackals.

For the unlucky souls who didn’t read the painted wall, like a sperm racing toward a fertilized egg, there is significant competition and little to nothing (aside from sheer luck) distinguishing them from the pack. It is a dire situation and often enough, good solid attorneys – actual people – who have spent years, money, sweat and sometimes tears to get to their respective position, leave the industry all together. Sad? Yes. Painful to watch? Even more so. Preventable? For many, yes. That’s where BigLaw DNA  comes in.

There are, fortunately, common themes, threads and indicators that manifest when a firm or individual practice is beginning to run aground. As is often the case, though, when one is too deep in the woods, the forest is lost through the trees. Some attorneys no nothing of these red flags, others do but are unable to see them and worse yet, some just plain don’t want to take their heads out of the sand. My book will walk the interested attorney through the various symptoms and by presenting an illustration of each symptom at play, the reader will be better able to vet them out well ahead of a firm or practice collapse. Please contact me directly for pre-order information.

David J. Parnell | Edward, Anthony & Steele | Communication Expert