Author: Murray Gottheil

Categories
Client Development

How Can I Help You?

A Gold Mastercard on top of some other cards. Photo by Pixabay at Pexels.

One day, quite a few years ago, I was out for lunch with a banker who I will call Neal. Neal was a commercial account manager at a large Canadian Bank. As I always did at such meetings, I asked Neal, “how can I help you?”  (For those of you who need a masterclass in networking, this is how you do it.  You don’t tell referral sources how great you are, how your firm provides better quality services at lower prices, and all of the usual boring stuff. You ask people, “how can I help you?”)

read more about a strange adventure in marketing “How Can I Help You?”
Categories
The Practice of Law

Yes, You Can! (Maybe)

Freight trailers outside of a loading dock.
Photo by Elevate at Pexels.

In my heyday of clients and billings, my largest client asked me to handle an outsourcing transaction. I would hazard a guess that had it been completed, it would have made quite a ripple in the business community.

A Bay Street firm was the client’s corporate counsel. The client may have been my biggest client, but we handled only a sliver of their legal work.

read more about taking on new challenges “Yes, You Can! (Maybe)”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

How I Almost Failed Out of Law School Taking Accounting 101

Hand holding a calculator with the other hand working on a computer.
Photo from Pexels.

I did pretty well in law school.  I studied all of the time, had no life, and got great marks. By my final year, I may have gotten just a little bit full of myself.

When selecting my courses for my final year of law school, I needed one more credit. So, devoid of any experience in the real world, I somehow decided that any course which was offered outside of the Faculty of Law would be easier than taking another difficult law course. 

read more about taking accounting 101 “How I Almost Failed Out of Law School Taking Accounting 101”
Categories
Mental Health and Work/Life Balance

Look at Me, I’m Murray N.D.

Aaron Baer sent me an invitation to speak at the Authentic Legal Professionals Summit. He said, and I quote, “I’m going to gamble and say that  you’re able to speak about one of those (autism, ADHD, Tourettes, or other neurodivergences.)”

All of this was a bit of an eye-opener to me, because at 69 ¾ years old, I was unaware that I was neurodivergent, but it seemed to be a pretty safe bet for Aaron.

read more about not knowing that you are neurodivergent “Look at Me, I’m Murray N.D.”
Categories
Firm Culture

The Latest Law Firm Scam

Man and Woman standing in a field and embracing in the sunlight.
Photo by Jonathan Borba at Pexels.

There is an old story about a young  man who, after finally meeting the love of his life following years searching the globe for his one true soulmate, took his girlfriend’s hands in his own one starlit summer evening, stared deeply into her beautiful eyes, and whispered to her in a husky, excited voice: “since I met you, I can’t eat. I can’t drink. I can’t sleep… I’m completely broke.”

read more about firms with no billable hours target “The Latest Law Firm Scam”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

Capitalism Run Amok in the Legal Profession

Band on stage with people dancing.
Photo by Edotomme99 at Pexels.

There were good things about the old days when law was primarily a profession, and lawyers joined law firms with a view to learning, working hard, and becoming partners. One of them was that law firms cared about their associates progressing, developing clients, and becoming self-sufficient.

read more about law firms ripping off young lawyers “Capitalism Run Amok in the Legal Profession”
Categories
Legal Tech

Abandoned Intelligence

Woman sitting on the floor in a dark room wearing virtual reality goggles, working on a computer and surrounded by other computers.
Photo by Cottonbro at Pexels.

There is no shortage of talk about the importance of lawyers delegating legal work to other lawyers and paralegals. Despite that, I have always believed that lawyers should not delegate work that they do not know how to do themselves. I questioned how anyone can check the quality of work done by their law clerks or associates if they do not know what a good job looks like.

read more about a likely downside to artificial intelligence “Abandoned Intelligence”
Categories
Client Development

The Battle of the Brands

Rock band on stage.
Photo by Thibault Trillet at Pexels.

Law firm marketing comes in two flavours.

read more about personal branding and firm branding “The Battle of the Brands”
Categories
Firm Culture

Let the Games Begin

The Olympic Logo on a hilltop overlooking water.
Photo by Pixabay at Pexels.

An important element of a law firm’s culture is the manner in which it designates ‘client lawyer’ status, or ‘client origination credits’ (“OCs”).

By way of background, there are three ways to earn money in a law firm.

read more about firm culture and originating credits “Let the Games Begin”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

From Big Law to Law School and Back: Follow the Money

A dance club.
Photo by Edotommo99 at Pexels.

One cold December evening when I was twenty-two years old,  I lined up outside for almost an hour to get into an exclusive club in Montreal.  The gatekeeper allowed the beautiful people in and passed over the others. I would still be waiting if I had not pretended to be part of a group that had been waived in.  

read more about why the cool kids want to go to big law “From Big Law to Law School and Back: Follow the Money”