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The Practice of Law

Reflections on M&A, Musical Chairs, and Mental Health

People of my vintage remember playing musical chairs at birthday parties, back before the days when money was so plentiful that it seemed to be important to impress the neighbours by hiring clowns and musicians or renting bouncy castles to entertain five-year-olds.

For those of you who did not have the pleasure of being pushed off of a chair by some mean kid who had fifty pounds on you, the idea was that music would be played while the children would circle a number of chairs that was always one fewer than the number of kids marching around them.

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The Practice of Law

Be Wrong, Confidently!

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.

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The Practice of Law

There Seems to be Some Confusion – I Loved Practicing Law!

This morning someone remarked that much of my writing about the legal profession  is a tad negative. She said, “you practiced law for a long time; you were good at what you did; you made enough money to retire and travel the world. Surely you must have liked something about being a lawyer, didn’t you?”

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The Practice of Law

On the Outside Looking In

Susan and Bob are unhappy spouses who own and operate a business. Sue enacts some resolutions to remove her husband as a director and officer of the corporation. Then she goes to the office before business hours, changes the locks, tells Bob that he is fired, and hires a security guard.

Bob shows up for work and is refused entry. He calls the police. The cops come and tell him that they are just there to keep the peace, which they will do by preserving the status quo.  Since Sue is on the inside, she gets to stay there. As Bob is on the outside, he has to stay there.  

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The Practice of Law

Adapt or Perish

Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative.” – H. G. Wells

I can mount a persuasive argument that I had a successful career practicing law.

Although it is unlikely that in a hundred years anyone will be writing about my contributions to the Law, some of my clients likely have fond memories about how I provided sound advice, got them out of a jam, or helped them achieve their goals.

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The Practice of Law

The Difference Between a Rut and A Grave

When asked about my complaints about the legal profession, I am forced to admit that back before I escaped the profession and became happy, I did in fact have some good days.  Three of them. (Okay, I am kidding about that last bit. There were more good days than that.)

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The Practice of Law

Who You Gonna Call?

My father told me about a dad who told his son to jump from a roof top, and that he would catch him. The son jumped. The dad stepped aside and let him fall. When the injured boy demanded an explanation, the dad replied, “I have just taught you a valuable lesson. Never trust anyone, not even your own father.”

As you may imagine, I had trust issues growing up, which is a bad thing. As it turns out, having a few trust issues may be helpful in the business world.

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The Practice of Law

Away “On Business”

Legal clients tend not to know the law, so they cannot judge their lawyer on how well they know their stuff.  Instead, they judge them on things that they do understand. Chief among those will be how they communicate.

In the picture that accompanies this post you will see a rather nice-looking boat which is named “On Business.”

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The Practice of Law

Justice vs. The Golden Rule

I have written about the Golden Rule before, but it is so crucial to the functioning of our legal system that it is worth looking at again.

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The Practice of Law

Ten Days to Close

One of my best clients was a partnership between two men who I will call Ken and Gordon.

Ken was the sales guy.  Gordon was the strategic thinker and administrator.  The company had offices in several Canadian cities and a few U.S. states.  There were a good number of companies and trusts on the corporate chart.

Ken and Gordon owned the main company, which had made money for many years and was valuable. It was financed by bank loans secured by personal guarantees of the owners.