Tag: mentoring

Categories
People I Met Practicing Law

On Being Easily Inconvenienced

Man leaning against wall looking anxious.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadi at Pexels

I met more than a few lawyers who were ‘easily inconvenienced.’ For these individuals, any challenge, no matter how inconsequential it might have appeared to be to others, was a major problem. It was never a good time for their associates or assistants to take a vacation. Their work not being given top priority by an associate who reported to several lawyers – a catastrophe. Their shared assistant working for another lawyer at the exact moment that they wanted something done – a disaster. Staff members attending a half-day training session on new technology – a real problem. Funds for closing being delayed for an hour for whatever reason – the world was ending.

read more about being easily inconvenienced “On Being Easily Inconvenienced”
Categories
Client Development

How To Be a Great Law Firm Client

White water rafters suggesting teamwork.
Photo by Pixabay at Pexels.

I suppose that the initial reaction of a law firm client to the question of how they can be a great client may be, “Why should I care?”  I certainly met my fair share of clients who could not possibly have cared less about whether their lawyer thought that they were a great client.

read more about great clients “How To Be a Great Law Firm Client”
Categories
Law Firm Management

Is My Wife Right (Yet Again)?

Woman working in garage, standing in bay fixing a car.
Photo by Pixabay at Pexels

In the first draft of this post, I set out as a fact that I had a question which would stump 95% of all lawyers. My wife read the draft and said that I was wrong. There is nothing unusual about that. I am wrong plenty and she is quick to notice when I am.

read more about the little people “Is My Wife Right (Yet Again)?”
Categories
Substantive Legal Content

Murray’s Rant About Rights of First Refusal

Pedestrian Stop light.
Photo by Davis Sanchez at Pexels

Bob, Ted, Carol, and Alice own a company. They have a shareholder’s agreement. The only divorce mechanism is a right of first refusal (“ROFR”).

Bob wants out. He goes to Ted, Carol and Alice and asks them to buy his shares. They refuse. They tell him to use the ROFR.

read more about why rights of first refusal are useless “Murray’s Rant About Rights of First Refusal”
Categories
Firm Culture

An Alternate View of the Legal Universe

The galaxy.
Photo by Pixabay at Pexels.

When I was young, so much younger than today, I completely bought into the fairy tale that the best and brightest lawyers are all at the large law firms and that everyone else is just not that good. After all, they practically teach you that at law school, although they never quite say it aloud, so I imagine that they have plausible deniability.

read more about whether big law lawyers are smarter than the rest of us “An Alternate View of the Legal Universe”
Categories
People I Met Practicing Law

The Hat

Man wearing a fedora.
Photo by Frank K. at Pexels.

My father had a rocky start to his career. There were many years at the outset of his working life when he did not make much money and struggled to pay his bills. When creditors would call, he would explain to them about the payment hat. He would tell them that once a month he turned his fedora upside down and put all of his monthly bills in the hat. He described how he would then mix the bills up and pull them out and pay them until the money ran out.

Finally, he would warn the creditors that if they kept calling him and annoying him, their invoices were not going into the hat.

Read more about bad clients “The Hat”
Categories
Legal Fees

The Quebec Shuffle

Elderly man in a suit wearing headphones and dancing.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadic at Pexels.

Many years ago, Maurice called me to complain about a legal bill that he had received. Fortunately, it was not me who had drawn his ire, although I was his primary legal counsel.

Maurice’s accountant had convinced him to go to a meeting with Peter, a very sophisticated tax lawyer, to discuss something called the ‘Quebec Shuffle.’

read more about transparency in legal fees “The Quebec Shuffle”
Categories
Law Firm Management

We are Too Small to Spend Money on That

Garbage Truck being loaded.
Photo by Anthony Nguyen at Pexels

I have been known to be critical of large law firms. Not today. Say what you will about Big Law, at least large law firms are smart enough to hire professionals to manage their businesses. For that reason, I am going to leave them out of today’s rant.

Instead, let me turn my wrath on small and medium sized legal practices. You know, the ones typically headed by a few brilliant legal minds who are way too intelligent to need help from people with real business expertise.

read more about how small firms can be small minded “We are Too Small to Spend Money on That”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

Let’s Make New Law!

Skyscrapers with Bank logos.

Back in the 1990’s, the Standard Chartered Bank out of the UK opened a subsidiary in Canada called the Standard Charted Bank of Canada and set about making commercial loans.

One of the Bank’s customers was a client of mine who I will call Sol. Sol had a line of credit for his business of about $3,000,000, back when $3,000,000 was a lot of money.

read more about honing your bullshit meter “Let’s Make New Law!”
Categories
Legal Ethics

Dancing Close to the Ethical Line

Person walking on the center line of the highway.
Photo by Aleksandr Burzinsk

Since I moved to the country after spending most of my life in the big city, I fashion myself as something of a country type. I drive a pick-up truck and I listen to country music. So, it should come as no surprise that I am drawing inspiration for this story from Johnny Cash who proudly proclaimed that “I Walk the Line.” 

read more about the ethical line “Dancing Close to the Ethical Line”