Tag: attorneys

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Law Students and Young Lawyers

Partnership – Not The Holy Grail, Part  Four: The Beginning of the Journey

Thee serious looking business people in a formal office
Photo by August De Richelieu at Pexels.

Becoming a partner in a law firm is easy enough. You pay your money, you take your chances. But what exactly have you bought into?

We all know that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Partnership meetings are much the same. Partners can disagree in a meeting but when you leave the meeting room, everyone supports the decision. As far as the associates and staff are concerned, every decision is unanimous. That is the theory. Of course, theory does not always align with reality.

In the real world, people talk. They don’t only talk, but they advocate. They not only advocate, but they criticize. And politic.

read more about figuring out whether you re joining the right partnership “Partnership – Not The Holy Grail, Part  Four: The Beginning of the Journey”
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Law Students and Young Lawyers

Partnership –  Not  The  Holy Grail, Part Three: The Disadvantages

A group of professionals posting for a formal picture.
Photo by August de Richilieu at Pexels.

In Part One of  this series, I said that becoming a partner in a law firm is no longer the goal of every young lawyer. In Part Two, I wrote about the advantages of equity partnership.

Now, let’s talk about the disadvantages of equity partnership.

read more about the downside to being a partner “Partnership –  Not  The  Holy Grail, Part Three: The Disadvantages”
Categories
Mental Health and Work/Life Balance

An Action Plan for Becoming Less Miserable

Poster on a theatre for Les Miserables
Photo by Martino Battista at Pexels.

I understand that newbies to the legal profession who have student debt and no client base often feel locked into jobs that they hate.

I do not understand mid-level and senior lawyers who are financially stable and have a client base who stay in law firms that make them sick. I should understand them because I was one of them, but that is another story. Do as I say, not what I did.

Read more about reclaiming control over your life “An Action Plan for Becoming Less Miserable”
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Law Students and Young Lawyers

It is Okay to Put Up With Some Injustice

Several generations of a family posing for a photo.
Photo by kseniachernaya at Pexels.

[Note from Murray: Many of my readers are younger professionals. They may not be crazy about the content of this article. In my defense, I can be a curmudgeon sometimes, but that does not necessarily invalidate my old-fashioned opinions!]

After much thought, I have concluded that young people should be more willing to put up with tyranny. Before the howls to cancel me for this outrageous statement start, let me clarify. I am not talking about physical, sexual, emotional, or even financial abuse. I am talking about that other stuff that we used to call ‘life,’ such as uncomfortable or inconvenient situations.

read more about whether young folks should toughen up a bit “It is Okay to Put Up With Some Injustice”
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Client Development

Knowing What Type of Clients You Want

Picture of the beautiful Maureen McKay.

I think that lawyers should know who they are and what type of clients they want (and the answer is not “any client with a pulse.”)
Here is a great example from Maureen Mckay’s website (www.mckaylegal.com):

McKay Legal® has a select clientele.

You are the right type of client for McKay Legal® if you:

read more about being clear on what type of clients you want to attract “Knowing What Type of Clients You Want”
Categories
Law Firm Management

Law Firms Marching Obliviously into Oblivion

Black and white scene of damage and destruction.
Photo by Akin Akdag at Pexels.

Back in the old days when law school cost very little and you could rent an apartment in Toronto for a reasonable amount, law firms hired newly qualified lawyers at modest salaries and gave them simple assignments.  The firms also provided mentoring and training, so that the juniors could learn to do more challenging work. Firms neither made much money on the newbies, nor did they pay the  newbies much.  The pay-off came after a few years as the lawyers gained experience and could bill enough to earn their keep.

read more about the current state of the legal profession “Law Firms Marching Obliviously into Oblivion”
Categories
Client Development

How Can I Help You?

A Gold Mastercard on top of some other cards. Photo by Pixabay at Pexels.

One day, quite a few years ago, I was out for lunch with a banker who I will call Neal. Neal was a commercial account manager at a large Canadian Bank. As I always did at such meetings, I asked Neal, “how can I help you?”  (For those of you who need a masterclass in networking, this is how you do it.  You don’t tell referral sources how great you are, how your firm provides better quality services at lower prices, and all of the usual boring stuff. You ask people, “how can I help you?”)

read more about a strange adventure in marketing “How Can I Help You?”
Categories
The Practice of Law

Yes, You Can! (Maybe)

Freight trailers outside of a loading dock.
Photo by Elevate at Pexels.

In my heyday of clients and billings, my largest client asked me to handle an outsourcing transaction. I would hazard a guess that had it been completed, it would have made quite a ripple in the business community.

A Bay Street firm was the client’s corporate counsel. The client may have been my biggest client, but we handled only a sliver of their legal work.

read more about taking on new challenges “Yes, You Can! (Maybe)”
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Law Students and Young Lawyers

How I Almost Failed Out of Law School Taking Accounting 101

Hand holding a calculator with the other hand working on a computer.
Photo from Pexels.

I did pretty well in law school.  I studied all of the time, had no life, and got great marks. By my final year, I may have gotten just a little bit full of myself.

When selecting my courses for my final year of law school, I needed one more credit. So, devoid of any experience in the real world, I somehow decided that any course which was offered outside of the Faculty of Law would be easier than taking another difficult law course. 

read more about taking accounting 101 “How I Almost Failed Out of Law School Taking Accounting 101”
Categories
Mental Health and Work/Life Balance

Look at Me, I’m Murray N.D.

After.

Aaron Baer sent me an invitation to speak at the Authentic Legal Professionals Summit. He said, and I quote, “I’m going to gamble and say that  you’re able to speak about one of those (autism, ADHD, Tourettes, or other neurodivergences.)”

All of this was a bit of an eye-opener to me, because at 69 ¾ years old, I was unaware that I was neurodivergent, but it seemed to be a pretty safe bet for Aaron.

read more about not knowing that you are neurodivergent “Look at Me, I’m Murray N.D.”