Tag: lawfirmculture

Categories
Firm Culture

The Lunatic Fringe

Two rams butting heads.
Photo by Pixabay at Pexels.

Back in the day, there was a law firm in which the partners were – how do I say it sort of nicely – not ‘culturally aligned.’

Sam was the Managing Partner. He was charming and charismatic, and nice to everybody, at least most of the time.  Aligned with him were enough partners to vote with him on everything that mattered, sometimes more out of personal loyalty or ignorance than conviction.

Gordon was the other high billing partner with a huge client base, which qualified him to lead a group of dissidents. He and Sam tended to be competitive about things such as compensation.

read more about law firm culture “The Lunatic Fringe”
Categories
Firm Culture

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Patio cafe in a garden at night under a bright light.
Photo by Meruyert Gonullu at Pexels.

There is nothing funny about child abuse, so I hesitate to tell this story. But there is a point to it, so please bear with me.

Back in the day when parents did not see anything wrong with occasionally giving their kids a smack, there was a very young boy who believed that if he shut his eyes tightly, no one could see him. When his father was angry, the boy would close his eyes and feel safe. When he got hit anyway, he was initially shocked. But eventually he learned that hiding did not make him safe.

read more about partners who hide in law firms “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”
Categories
Firm Culture

Partners Be Crazy

Man holding newspaper which is on fire.
Photo by Danya Gutan on Pexels.

“It had evidently not occurred to her as yet that those who consent to share the bread of adversity may want the whole cake of prosperity for themselves.”
― Edith Wharton

I cannot think of anything more important in a law firm partnership than associating yourself with partners who share your values.

read more about Law firm culture “Partners Be Crazy”
Categories
Firm Culture

Lamenting Never Having Found the Legal Dream Team

Sign saying "It Was All A Dream"
Photo by Nadi Lindsay from Pexels

You may have heard the saying that ‘If you owe a $100,000 to the Bank, you have a problem; but if you owe $100,000,000 to the Bank, the Bank has a problem.’ 

The first time that I saw this principle in action was in the case of a rather large company that became insolvent years ago. This company owed so much money and there was so little chance of any of it being recovered, that the Bank could not be bothered to spend the money required to shut it down, and no other creditor thought that it was worth their while to drive it into bankruptcy. So, the insolvent company kept sputtering along for quite a while.

read more about why great lawyers are often not appreciated in law firms “Lamenting Never Having Found the Legal Dream Team”
Categories
Firm Culture

Of Sisyphus and Speakerphones

A wall of boulders with the sea in the background.

When I started out in the legal profession many years ago, becoming a Partner at a law firm was the dream of every new lawyer.  At the firm where I articled in 1979, each new Partner received two gifts from the firm upon being admitted to partnership.  The first was a gold sculpture of Sisyphus, pushing the boulder up the hill.  The second was a speakerphone, which at the time was new and exciting technology. 

read more about lessons about the legal profession from the ancient greeks “Of Sisyphus and Speakerphones”
Categories
Law Firm Management

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

An old fishing boat abandoned on the side of the road

In the summer of 1976, I worked for the largest law firm in Montreal, which was Ogilvy, Cope, Porteous, Montgomery, Renault, Clark & Kirkpatrick, as a student doing research.  You likely do not know that name, but you may recognize the name of its successors Ogilvy, Renault and Norton Rose.

read more about the loyalty problem “What Have You Done For Me Lately?”