Michelle Cotter Richards, Esq. is a coach and therapist (and former lawyer) who has been using a strengths-based approach to help lawyers cultivate meaning, purpose, and balance in their lives for over 15 years. Whether individual or in groups, she loves helping lawyers develop the skills they need to thrive over the full trajectory of their careers, including business development, leadership, emotional intelligence, self-advocacy, and relationship building. She is also the author of Originate: Business Development for Lawyers, the top-rated business development book for lawyers on Amazon.com.

Before becoming a coach and therapist, she was a litigator at Howrey LLP, associate litigation counsel for MCI (now Verizon), and associate general counsel at ZeniMax Media, Inc. (now part of Microsoft). She earned her JD, cum laude, from The George Washington University Law School, MSW from The Catholic University of America, and BA from Fordham University.