Category: The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers

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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”
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The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers

Bullies in the Boardroom

A children's ride in the form of a donkey.

In my 6th year of practice, I represented an insolvent client in his negotiations with his Bank.  The retainer came upon me suddenly as the client was summoned to a meeting with the Bank and its lawyers on virtually no notice and told to bring counsel. 

I met the client for the first time just before the meeting, and off we headed downtown to meet with the Bank’s representatives and a senior insolvency lawyer at a large Toronto firm. I will call this lawyer Tom since I want to make it clear that he was an asshole, but I really do not want to be sued for writing this article. (Although I suppose that the risk of a successful lawsuit would be low since truth is a complete defense). 

read more about bullies in the legal profession “Bullies in the Boardroom”
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The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers

What, Me Worry?

View from a cable car looking down a mountain suggesting fear.

In my first four years of practicing law, I learned how to be a lawyer through the “sink or swim” approach.  I did this by working 12 hours a day and 6 ½ days a week, without supervision, mentoring or training.  I was also worrying 24 days a day, 7 days a week, and waking up screaming at night. I do not recommend this approach to learning the practice of law.

read more about stress in the legal profession “What, Me Worry?”
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The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers Uncategorized

Who Is The Smartest Lawyer in the Room (or on Zoom)?

Older man with glasses handing down under his nose.
Photo by Rene Asmussen at Pexels.

I am, of course. But I don’t have to make sure that everyone else knows it. Whenever I forget this simple truth, the client ends up paying for it somehow.

read more about how lawyers’ egos get in the way of the client “Who Is The Smartest Lawyer in the Room (or on Zoom)?”
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The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers Uncategorized

Our Firm Needs More Lawyers Who Are Just Like Me

I have observed over the years that it is an interesting aspect of human nature (or at least the nature of lawyers) that people tend to value most what they themselves do well. 

read more about how firms and clients benefit when lawyers bring different skills to the party “Our Firm Needs More Lawyers Who Are Just Like Me”
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The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers Uncategorized

Scrambling for the Largest Piece of Pie

Law firms being partnerships, someone must decide how to split the pie at the end of the year, and except in some small firms, the pie is rarely split evenly. The task of deciding how large a slice of the profits should be given to each partner in medium and large firms usually falls to the compensation committee. One might think that the compensation committee would consist of human resources professionals with specialized knowledge in evaluating job performance, and perhaps that is the case in some firms, but in many firms the primary qualification for membership on the compensation committee is a large client base and big billings.

read more about how lawyers seek validation in compensation “Scrambling for the Largest Piece of Pie”