Tag: mentoring

Categories
Law Firm Management

All About the Lead Dog

Dogs leading a dog sled that is out of frame.
Photo by Olya Kobruseva from Pexels

Many years ago, the managing partner of my firm, who I will call Sid because that was his name, had on his desk a replica of a dogsled with a team of dogs in single file. There was a pithy saying attached to the sled which read, “if you are not the lead dog, the scenery never changes.”  Think about that for a minute. No, I mean really think about it. Take a moment to focus on exactly what every dog following the lead dog had to look at for the entire trip.

read more about law firm leadership “All About the Lead Dog”
Categories
The Practice of Law Uncategorized

A Business Lawyer’s Take on Criminal Lawyers

Payphone on jailhouse wall.
Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

I practiced business law for 40 years. I never knew much about criminal law. In fact, I knew so little about the subject that I used to tell my clients that if they got arrested, they probably should not use their one phone call to call me because all that I could do for them in their hour of need would be to incorporate a company.

read more about why criminal lawyers rock! “A Business Lawyer’s Take on Criminal Lawyers”
Categories
Fluff

Translations From Lawyer Talk: Part Three

Group of lawyers speaking to each other.
Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels

Due to popular demand (I have now asked myself to do this ten times) and as a continued public service, I am providing some more translations from Legal Talk to Plain English.

read more about how to understand legal talk “Translations From Lawyer Talk: Part Three”
Categories
Mentoring

How To Raise a Baby Lawyer

Young child working at his desk surrounded by books and a monitor.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko at Pexels

Those who know me would not be surprised to learn that I think that I was a brilliant supervising lawyer and mentor. Not necessarily because I was, but because I had a fairly high opinion of my own skill set. Many of us lawyers do. Not all of us are right, although I am.

read more about what real mentoring looks like “How To Raise a Baby Lawyer”
Categories
People I Met Practicing Law

People I met Practicing Law Episode Five: The Good Lawyer

Dental chair and equipment.
Photo by Daniel Frank from Pexels

I was once hired by a dentist to help him disassociate from his partner. I will refer to my client as the “Good Dentist” and to his partner as the “Dentist from Hell.”

read more about how good lawyers get things done “People I met Practicing Law Episode Five: The Good Lawyer”
Categories
Legal Ethics

Truth In Advertising

Neon signs in London, England.
Image from Pexels, by Negative Space

I expect that “honest” would not be the first word that comes to mind as a general description of the business culture in Canada, or anywhere else for that matter. The idea of “buyer beware” (or “caveat emptor” as we lawyers like to say) is well ingrained in our business culture, and we all expect businesses to create “spin” when they market their goods and services.

read more about bullshit baffles brains “Truth In Advertising”
Categories
Legal Fees

Things are Better When Someone Else Pays

Man holding credit card.
Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

Years ago, a young person I know was quite proud to show me his first credit card. I was underwhelmed and said: “Big deal. Anyone can get a credit card with their own name on it. The trick is to get a credit card with someone else’s name on it.”

I was reminded of that incident recently when I got a notice in the mail from a major insolvency firm telling me that a fund which I had unwisely invested in was insolvent, the insolvency firm had been appointed as the receiver, and a large law firm has been appointed as ‘representative counsel.’  Now I had reason to worry that all was lost.

read more about how great it is when someone else is paying your legal fees “Things are Better When Someone Else Pays”
Categories
Mental Health and Work/Life Balance

Always Failing at Something

Speed boat at the dock partially submerged.

When I practiced law, I was fairly good at doing the many things that a lawyer has to do in order to deliver great client service. I always offered to meet at the client’s office. I listened carefully to the clients to ascertain their goals and concerns. I insisted that I work to a deadline and if the client did not volunteer a deadline, I prompted them to set one. I frequently made the deadline on Monday so if I got overwhelmed with work, I could finish the project up on the weekend. I almost always met my deadline, and on the rare occasion that I was having difficulty doing so, I would call and explain the situation and give the client options, such as having me work all night to meet the original deadline, extending the deadline or having an associate take over the project.

read more about how difficult it is to do everything well in a law practice “Always Failing at Something”
Categories
Law Firm Management

Law Firm Compensation Systems: Getting What You Pay For

A stack of gold bars.

I was once hired at a firm to replace a much more senior corporate lawyer who I will call Carl.

One of a number of things which Carl had done to cause the firm to search for a replacement was that he had gamed the compensation system. Under that system, Carl was paid a bonus based on a percentage of his billings, without reference to collections. This would be a fatal flaw in any compensation system, but at the time the firm was new to that type of thing and had not yet figured that out.

read more about the problems with law firm compensation systems “Law Firm Compensation Systems: Getting What You Pay For”
Categories
Law Firm Management

The Best Article Ever Written (by me) About Retiring from Law Firms

Football fans watching a game.
Photo by Tembela Bohle from Pexels

Let’s say that a partner at a law firm has been there for quite a while and is getting older, a situation in which I once found myself.

And let’s say that the partner is done with working lots and lots of hours and wants out. Perhaps the partner has become tired or has had a health scare or no longer deals with stress as well as he or she or they once did or finally realizes that there is more to life, or whatever.

read more about how law firms should handle retiring partners “The Best Article Ever Written (by me) About Retiring from Law Firms”