Author: Murray Gottheil

Categories
Mental Health and Work/Life Balance

Deny, Deny, Deny – Right Up to the Breakdown

A collage the same woman with different expressions on her face.

“Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.”  

~ Mark Twain

I was speaking to a mom of three children the other day. She drives them to their different schools every morning and ferries them to sports activities after school and on the weekends, while trying to advance her career in the remaining time. She was talking about how difficult it was to stay on top of everything and take care of her own health, but she was pleased that she was somehow managing it all. My response? “Sure, right up to the breakdown.”

read more about denial and mental health “Deny, Deny, Deny – Right Up to the Breakdown”
Categories
Legal Tech

A.I. is No Substitute for a Determined Soul

Photo Code projected over Woman
Photo by ThisIsEngineering at Pexels.

My wife likes to tell the story of the first file that she worked on for me when she articled for my firm. (Those were in the days when she did what I told her to do, because I was the boss. Things have changed.)

I had her work on a financing file. Back in the day, financing statements under the Personal Property Security Act were typed on a government form, and submitted over the counter.

read more about not using ai as a substitute for competence “A.I. is No Substitute for a Determined Soul”
Categories
Family Business Succession

Business Succession a la Hallmark

A romantic couple at a beach at sunset.
Photo by Ilkin Safterov at Pexels.

I love watching Hallmark romance movies. (Yes, I am a guy.) My wife and former Associate, Maureen McKay, does not. They are too sicky sweet for her taste.

I watch these films because, after a lifetime of stress in the legal profession, I find that thrillers and suspenseful stories trigger my self-diagnosed and made-up condition, Post Professional Stress Syndrome. Formulaic romance movies are predictable, safe, and non-triggering. I can sleep at night after watching them.

read more about business succession in real life “Business Succession a la Hallmark”
Categories
The Practice of Law

Turning the Screws Because You Can

A screw.
Photo by Steve Johnson at Pexels.

I recently observed a transaction from afar. It was the sale of a small retail shop – a tiny deal for a few hundred thousand dollars. The seller was getting out because they had to. There was not a tonne of money to go around.

read more about lawyers being greedy “Turning the Screws Because You Can”
Categories
The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers

Toxic productivity update

An alarm clock, and apple, and a coffee mug.
Photo by Julien bachelet at Pexels.

Coming on three years ago, I wrote about toxic productivity. Among my pithy comments were the following nuggets:

read more about toxic productivity “Toxic productivity update”
Categories
Legal Tech

AI: Ask a Stupid Question, Get a Stupid Answer

A young girl in class raising her hand to ask a question
Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva at Pexels.

Martin is a lawyer who has closed many residential real estate transactions. Back when he was starting out, Martin read the relevant statutes and regulations and prepared all the documents himself. For each transaction, Martin drafted a Statement of Adjustments, adding numbers in his head. Eventually he used a calculator, and then a software program. Then, he hired a law clerk and taught her how to do it. Should the situation arise where Martin needs to prepare a Statement of Adjustments manually, he can easily do so, because he knows everything that there is to know about them. When a dispute arises as to the accuracy of a Statement of Adjustments, he can resolve it.

read more about doing legal work without having a strong conceptual understanding “AI: Ask a Stupid Question, Get a Stupid Answer”
Categories
The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers

Meet Marta – The Ideal Law Firm Partner

Woman sitting at her computer.
Photo by Olly at Pexels.

Back when I was attending Vanier College in Montreal, I met a girl named Marta who was quite beautiful. I could see myself dating someone like Marta, so I tried to get to know her. I was very happy when Marta told me that she thought that I was a nice guy, she liked me a whole bunch, and she cared very deeply about me.

read more about the relationship among partners in a law firm “Meet Marta – The Ideal Law Firm Partner”
Categories
The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers

We Are Not in the Results Business

Two men arguing at a business meeting with a woman looking frustrated and stressed.
Photo by Vlada Karpovich at Pexels.

Back in law school, my criminal law professor told us that our job would be to use every bit of our intelligence, ingenuity, and strength, and to work tirelessly, to deliver the best possible outcome for our client. “But,” he told us, “if at the end of the day, someone has to go to jail, make sure that it is your client.”  He was warning us not to become so zealous in our representation of our client that we crossed over the ethical or legal lines.

read more about not taking responsibility for outcomes “We Are Not in the Results Business”
Categories
Legal Fees

Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later

Woman staring at dollar bill.
Photo by Karolina Grabowwski at Pexels.

“Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” 

~ Joe Biden.

It used to make sense to me to try to scare businesspeople into wanting to pay legal fees. I would tell them one of my many stories about clients who started a business without including an adequate budget for legal fees.

read more about paying a bit now to avoid paying a lot later “Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later”
Categories
Firm Culture

Stabbing Back in the Law Firm

Smiling woman holding an knife.
Photo by Valeriya at Pexels.

I liked some of my partners all of the time; most of my partners most of the time; and one or two, almost never. I suspect that my partners, as a group, had similar sentiments about me.

The first thing to know about being a partner in a law firm is that you do not have to like all your partners all the time, but you are supposed to pretend that you do.

read more ab0ut partners behaving badly “Stabbing Back in the Law Firm”