Tag: attorneys

Categories
The Practice of Law

Be Wrong, Confidently!

Confident looking man.
Photo by Rene Asmussen at Pexels.

I came across a lawyer the other day who makes mistakes in his communications with clients and the other side. None of the errors will likely land him in too much trouble. They may even be excusable based on the theory that spending too much time trying to be ‘perfect’ is unhealthy and expensive for clients who are being billed based on the amount of time spent on the matter. But they are mistakes nonetheless, and they could all be caught with a bit more thought and proof-reading.

read more about how to address criticism “Be Wrong, Confidently!”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

Living in Different Worlds

The Milky Way.
Photo by Pixabay at Pexels.

I believe that lawyers should not compete based on price. I tell this to my mentees, and sometimes the response is, “that is easy for you to say from a cruise ship in the Pacific. I’m struggling to get files in the door and pay my rent.”

I also think that new lawyers should avoid practicing in areas that have become commodities and are particularly fee sensitive, such as residential real estate. My young friends tell me that they have to get cash in the door and that doing some real estate files is the best way to do it.

read more about the Financial pressures on young lawyers “Living in Different Worlds”
Categories
Mental Health and Work/Life Balance

Money, Money, Money

Currency from several countries including U.S. Dollar and Euros.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska at Pexels.

“I love money. I love everything about it. I bought some pretty good stuff. Got me a $300 pair of socks. Got a fur sink. An electric dog polisher. A gasoline powered turtleneck sweater. And, of course, I bought some dumb stuff, too.”

Steve Martin

I like money as much as the next guy. Actually, I like money much more than I like the next guy.  

read more about money “Money, Money, Money”
Categories
Legal Tech

My WFH (or WTF) Journey

Woman sitting on bed, drinking from mug, and looking at her computer.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio at Pexels.

They say that those who do not  learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

When I started practicing law in 1981, I went to the office six days a week. Sometimes six and a half. I never used my computer at the office, mainly because I did not have one.  Nor did anyone else.

read more about My Journey with legal tech “My WFH (or WTF) Journey”
Categories
People I Met Practicing Law

Law Firm Primer For Articling Students and New Associates – Part Eight: The Chief Marketing Officer

People mingling at a bar.
Photo by Helena Lopes at Pixels.

Those of you who have been following this series know that I said that Part Seven was the final article in the series. It turns out that I lied.

The purpose of the series is to set out the questions which Articling Students and new Associates should figure out about their firms when deciding whether to stay there over the long-term.

This time it is about the Chief Marketing Officer (“CMO”).

read more about the chief marketing officer “Law Firm Primer For Articling Students and New Associates – Part Eight: The Chief Marketing Officer”
Categories
Murray The Wannabe Feminist

Feminists – Honesty Is Not Always The Best Policy

Sign on wall that says "Fight Sexism."
Photo by Markus Spiske at Pexels.

I was speaking to a newbie lawyer the other day.  I am going to call her Sue, which is definitely not her real name.

Sue is an intelligent young woman, but like many of us when we are starting out, is perhaps just a tiny bit naïve.

Sue told me that she was applying to a firm in a community where she lives in eastern Canada. To prepare for the interview, she checked out the firm’s website. She was delighted to learn that the firm prides itself on recognizing the importance of work life balance.

read more about the difference between a Firm’s marketing and its values “Feminists – Honesty Is Not Always The Best Policy”
Categories
Retirement

Reap What You Sow

Farmer planting rice.
Photo by Rattasat at Pexels.

Hey law firms!  Have you given much thought to your partners approaching retirement, and calculated what their retirement may cost you? 

read more about how much it is costing your firm to handle retirement badly “Reap What You Sow”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

Show Me the Money

Woman sitting at desk with dollar bills on the desk and in the air.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko at Pexels.

“Youth is always impatient, even though, ironically, youth alone has time for patience.”

Lucilla Andrews

In my new pastime as a cynical commentator on aspects of the legal profession which I whole-heartedly embraced and profited from for many years, I speak to quite a few folks at the early stages of their careers. I try to think back to when I shared their enthusiasm and optimism, but frankly it was way too long ago.

read more about choosing jobs based on salary “Show Me the Money”
Categories
Law Firm Management

Reading Between The Lines

Man in front of computer screen which says that his services are no longer required.
Photo by Ron Lach at Pexels.

At my law firm, we had great human resources management. It was so good that information was hard to come by. In fact, it was just about impossible to get any really good gossip out of management until it had made its way down to the partners, after which it became more readily available.

Since we had some really smart people at our firm (as well as a few who were not so smart), it should not be surprising that we had to compensate for the lack of information flow by learning to read between the lines.

read more about human resources in lawfirms “Reading Between The Lines”
Categories
Firm Culture

How Strong Are Your Roots?

A large tree which has been uprooted.

The image that accompanies this post is of a massive tree in the forest behind my house which came down in a storm, bringing down another tree, which brought down a third. As you can see, the root system was wide, but shallow.

These trees might have looked majestic, but when force was applied, their roots proved to be too weak to hold up their weight.

read more about the roots supporting your law firm “How Strong Are Your Roots?”