Author: Murray Gottheil

Categories
The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers

Where Have All The Bullies Gone?

Sign that says "No Bully Zone"

We lawyers like to use definitions in our writing.  It makes the substance of the document easier to read because it allows the drafter to avoid repeating things or using terms in an inconsistent manner.  I am going to try that here, knowing that I may offend someone or other.

In this article, ‘marriage’ means a romantic relationship (whether or not having a sexual component) between any two or more people of any genders or without a gender, whether or not sanctified by a religious or civil ceremony of any type, and ‘spouse’ means any of the human beings who are involved in such a relationship.  I hope that I have included everyone, but I will not be surprised if I have not.  Frankly, I am having trouble keeping up.

read more about bullying in law firms “Where Have All The Bullies Gone?”
Categories
Legal Fees

Live and Die by the Immoral Sword

When I completed my Articles long ago, I was not hired back.  It was a time of economic recession and jobs were difficult to come by.  I sent out many application letters and eventually accepted an offer at a small suburban firm.  The day after I accepted the job, I received a phone call from one of Canada’s largest law firms offering me an interview.  I politely declined and said that I had already accepted a position.  A family member who will go unnamed thought that I was crazy, but I had given my word and I was not going to break it.

read more about collecting your bills in our business culture “Live and Die by the Immoral Sword”
Categories
Mental Health and Work/Life Balance

Game Over

Sign that says "Game Over"

I met Maria when she landed her first job as an associate at a medium sized law firm in the Toronto area.  She was capable, intelligent, and eager to learn.  However, just how hard lawyers work in law firms seemed to catch her by surprise. I guess that they don’t tell you about that in law school.

There is a steep learning curve in the area of law in which Maria commenced her practice.  A great deal of training takes place in the first year or two, after which a good associate will hit their stride and become downright useful.  Maria was a good associate.  She persevered and right on schedule as she approached her second anniversary at the firm, Maria was becoming downright productive.

As often seems to happen, just as she was becoming valuable to her firm, Maria chose to leave. She departed for greener pastures just shy of her third anniversary at the firm.

read more to find out who is laughing now “Game Over”
Categories
Mental Health and Work/Life Balance

Billings First, Babies Later

Woman in front of computer with her head down and holding cell phone over her head, indicating frustration

Some forty years ago, I knew a young lawyer in her third year of practice. My acquaintance had just given birth to her first child.  She took what was then considered to be a lengthy maternity leave of 6 months (3 months being standard) before returning to work at a mid-sized downtown Toronto law firm, where she was the only female associate in her department and one of only three female lawyers in the firm.  Having taken such a long maternity leave, the firm looked at her as a slacker.

read more about how nothing has changed for lawyers who are parents “Billings First, Babies Later”
Categories
People I Met Practicing Law

People I Met Practicing Law Episode Four: The Jerks

A wide-mouthed crocodile

Quite a few years ago, I really ticked off a lawyer at one of the major firms. 

It was the early 1990’s, someone had called a recession, and everyone had shown up.  This big firm lawyer was acting for a bank trying to put the squeeze on a delinquent debtor.  My client was the delinquent debtor.  The bank had screwed up.  They had given him 30 days notice to repay his operating line and bounced cheques that were within the credit limit the very same day that the notice was given.  That is a no-no.   

read more about lawyers who are jerks “People I Met Practicing Law Episode Four: The Jerks”
Categories
Law Firm Management

Write-Downs and Rip-Offs

Framed Image of a sign saying "We Demand Justice"

I have two stories to tell.  One of them is 40 years old.  The other is 4 weeks old.  They are remarkably similar and do not reflect well on law firm cultures.  Unless, of course, you think that these two stories are atypical.  I will leave that to you to decide.

read more about how allocating write-offs can destroy goodwill with associates “Write-Downs and Rip-Offs”
Categories
The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers

Desperately Seeking More (Billable Hours)

Birds swarming fishermen.

“Let me have men about me that are fat; Sleek-headed men and such as sleep o’nights: Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.   

Shakespeare, Julius Caesar                                           

I used to think too much.  About my files.  About my billable hours.  About marketing. About how to run the firm better.  And mostly, about how much in common I had with Cassandra.

read more about whether Ambition brings happiness “Desperately Seeking More (Billable Hours)”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

About Those Soul-Sucking Jobs

Guinea pigs on the barbeque.

I once represented a doctor who wanted to stop being a doctor.  He absolutely hated it.   He was a nervous type, and he just could not cope with the responsibility of practicing medicine. The stress was killing him.   I helped him disentangle from another doctor with whom he had set up a clinic.  As far as I know, he never practiced medicine again.  I also know another fellow who became a doctor, hated it, and became a paramedic working on ambulances.   

read more about why people figure out too late that they are not suited for their profession “About Those Soul-Sucking Jobs”
Categories
The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers

Seeing Around Corners

Ancient arches covered in vegetation suggesting that danger may lurk within.

One of the best compliments that I ever received when I was practicing law was that I had the ability to ‘see around corners,’ meaning that I was often able to predict where problems were going to arise out of a proposed course of action. That comes with general knowledge, thoughtfulness, experience, and a healthy (or unhealthy?) dose of paranoia.  

Speaking of paranoia, some years ago I underwent one of those psychological assessments, where you answer a whole bunch of questions, and the computer tells you whether or not you are crazy (something that your loved ones can do without the testing.)

read more about seeing around corners “Seeing Around Corners”
Categories
Mental Health and Work/Life Balance

A Long Night’s Journey Into Day

The sun rising over the ocean.

I used to be the type of lawyer who woke up early and headed into the office.  On my commute, my head would be full of ideas about my files, firm management, and marketing.  I would call and leave messages for my staff and associates or call clients and referral sources to say hello and stay ‘top of mind.’  My commute was part of my workday, and I tried to make it as productive as possible.  When the calls were about files, I would be sure to remember to docket the time when I got back to the office.  I would do the same on the way home and put my dockets in remotely when I arrived.  

read more about there being a better way to live “A Long Night’s Journey Into Day”