Tag: lawfirmculture

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Firm Culture

Time To Go

A young girl holding a clock.
Photo by Renata Kelly Untaler at Pexels.

“There is a time for departure even when there’s no certain place to go.”

Tennessee Williams

On the day that the love of my life and I first told each other that we loved each other, we were, unfortunately, both married to other people. It was a pretty rough journey from then to now (together seventeen years, married for twelve.) Along the way a number of people were hurt, only a few of whom deserved it.  I love the result but would not wish the journey on anyone, and deeply regret the hurt caused to the innocent parties.

read more about law firm culture “Time To Go”
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Firm Culture

Building a Team of Partners and Losers

Baseball player sliding into third base and about to be tagged out.
Photo by Pixabay at Pexels.

We live in a hierarchical world. In a law firm, the levels are pretty clear. From top to bottom it goes something like this: Managing Partner, Other Partners (ranked in order of billings and client originating credits), Senior Associates, Professional Managers, Junior Associates, Law Clerks, Legal Assistants, Clerical Staff, Articling Students, and Cleaners.

Everyone in a law firm has a pretty good notion about what the hierarchy is, although Articling Students have sometimes found out to their shock and horror that they do in fact rank under the Law Clerks, Legal Assistants, and Clerical Staff.

read more about partners and losers “Building a Team of Partners and Losers”
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Law Firm Management

Selling Out For the Price of a Postage Stamp

A red postage stamp bearing the head of the Queen.
Photo by Brett Jordan at Pexels.

Just about everything that I learned about stupidity in the realm of managing people, I learned from lawyers, much of it from my own mistakes. However, this time I will write about the failures at my friend Martin’s law firm instead.

At Martin’s firm, the Human Resources Manager convinced the Partners that it would be a good idea to initiate a program to recognize long-serving firm members, with the view of spreading the word to all members of the team that the firm valued loyalty.

read more about how useless lawyers are at motivating people “Selling Out For the Price of a Postage Stamp”
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Firm Culture

The Lunatic Fringe

Two rams butting heads.
Photo by Pixabay at Pexels.

Back in the day, there was a law firm in which the partners were – how do I say it sort of nicely – not ‘culturally aligned.’

Sam was the Managing Partner. He was charming and charismatic, and nice to everybody, at least most of the time.  Aligned with him were enough partners to vote with him on everything that mattered, sometimes more out of personal loyalty or ignorance than conviction.

Gordon was the other high billing partner with a huge client base, which qualified him to lead a group of dissidents. He and Sam tended to be competitive about things such as compensation.

read more about law firm culture “The Lunatic Fringe”
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Firm Culture

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Patio cafe in a garden at night under a bright light.
Photo by Meruyert Gonullu at Pexels.

There is nothing funny about child abuse, so I hesitate to tell this story. But there is a point to it, so please bear with me.

Back in the day when parents did not see anything wrong with occasionally giving their kids a smack, there was a very young boy who believed that if he shut his eyes tightly, no one could see him. When his father was angry, the boy would close his eyes and feel safe. When he got hit anyway, he was initially shocked. But eventually he learned that hiding did not make him safe.

read more about partners who hide in law firms “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”
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Firm Culture

Partners Be Crazy

Man holding newspaper which is on fire.
Photo by Danya Gutan on Pexels.

“It had evidently not occurred to her as yet that those who consent to share the bread of adversity may want the whole cake of prosperity for themselves.”
― Edith Wharton

I cannot think of anything more important in a law firm partnership than associating yourself with partners who share your values.

read more about Law firm culture “Partners Be Crazy”
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Firm Culture

Lamenting Never Having Found the Legal Dream Team

Sign saying "It Was All A Dream"
Photo by Nadi Lindsay from Pexels

You may have heard the saying that ‘If you owe a $100,000 to the Bank, you have a problem; but if you owe $100,000,000 to the Bank, the Bank has a problem.’ 

The first time that I saw this principle in action was in the case of a rather large company that became insolvent years ago. This company owed so much money and there was so little chance of any of it being recovered, that the Bank could not be bothered to spend the money required to shut it down, and no other creditor thought that it was worth their while to drive it into bankruptcy. So, the insolvent company kept sputtering along for quite a while.

read more about why great lawyers are often not appreciated in law firms “Lamenting Never Having Found the Legal Dream Team”
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Firm Culture

Of Sisyphus and Speakerphones

A wall of boulders with the sea in the background.

When I started out in the legal profession many years ago, becoming a Partner at a law firm was the dream of every new lawyer.  At the firm where I articled in 1979, each new Partner received two gifts from the firm upon being admitted to partnership.  The first was a gold sculpture of Sisyphus, pushing the boulder up the hill.  The second was a speakerphone, which at the time was new and exciting technology. 

read more about lessons about the legal profession from the ancient greeks “Of Sisyphus and Speakerphones”
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Law Firm Management

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

An old fishing boat abandoned on the side of the road

In the summer of 1976, I worked for the largest law firm in Montreal, which was Ogilvy, Cope, Porteous, Montgomery, Renault, Clark & Kirkpatrick, as a student doing research.  You likely do not know that name, but you may recognize the name of its successors Ogilvy, Renault and Norton Rose.

read more about the loyalty problem “What Have You Done For Me Lately?”