Tag: mentoring

Categories
Mental Health and Work/Life Balance

A Long Night’s Journey Into Day

The sun rising over the ocean.

I used to be the type of lawyer who woke up early and headed into the office.  On my commute, my head would be full of ideas about my files, firm management, and marketing.  I would call and leave messages for my staff and associates or call clients and referral sources to say hello and stay ‘top of mind.’  My commute was part of my workday, and I tried to make it as productive as possible.  When the calls were about files, I would be sure to remember to docket the time when I got back to the office.  I would do the same on the way home and put my dockets in remotely when I arrived.  

read more about there being a better way to live “A Long Night’s Journey Into Day”
Categories
The Practice of Law

David and Goliath in the Legal Profession

Statue of Michelangelo's David

In my early years of practice, I received a phone call from a friend who practiced union side labour law.  He had a question about Civil Law and having recently graduated from McGill with a Civil Law degree in addition to my Common Law Degree, I was able to answer his question.  He appreciated my help.  Or so he said.

read more about why the best lawyers may not be available to represent small clients “David and Goliath in the Legal Profession”
Categories
People I Met Practicing Law

People I Met Practicing Law Episode Two: Ethically Challenged

A fox by the side of the road.

Patricia was a good lawyer.  She knew her law.  She worked hard.  She produced billings. She brought in clients.

We all have character flaws.  Even me.  However, Patricia had more than most of us. She was uber competitive.  She liked to win.  She hated to lose.  Patricia and others saw these attributes as positives. If she had been able to keep them under control, they might indeed have been assets.  She was not, so they were not.  

read more about ethically challenged lawyers “People I Met Practicing Law Episode Two: Ethically Challenged”
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?”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

Ten Things I Liked About Being a Lawyer

The author playing Jenga.

Since I retired, I have been writing articles about the legal profession “from the safety of retirement”.  It occurred to me recently that many of them may have been a bit negative in tone. Someone carefully studying my growing body of work (and I do realize that absolutely nobody is doing that) might conclude that I have a negative view of the profession in which I worked for 40 years. 

read more about what I actually liked about being a lawyer “Ten Things I Liked About Being a Lawyer”
Categories
Legal Fees

Putting In Time

Building with clock tower in Peru

Back when I started practicing law, I used to record my time on a docket sheet stapled to the inside front cover of each file.  When it came time to bill the file, all of the information that I needed was there for me to use, but I was the only one who had it.  Firm management did not have it.  They could not tell me that my docketed time for the month was too low, or that I had recorded less time than last month or how my work in process compared to the same month of the year before.  They could not easily compare my docketed time to what I had billed and tell me that my write-offs were too high, and they certainly could not look at my work in process and easily tell me how I was doing compared to other associates.

read more about the pressure on lawyers to bill their recorded time “Putting In Time”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

Finding Your Path (Or Stumbling Along in the Legal Profession)

Blue Footed Booby walking near direction sign.

There is a well-known quote which has been attributed to various people to the effect that “if you are not a socialist at age 20, you have no heart, but if you are still a socialist at age 30, you have no brain.” 

read more about working on your career instead of just in your career “Finding Your Path (Or Stumbling Along in the Legal Profession)”
Categories
The Practice of Law

Got Ya!

Confused looking squirrel

Quite some time ago in Toronto, there was a major retail landlord who had some very desirable space in the downtown core past which walked thousands and thousands of commuters on their way to and from the subway every working day.  The space was leased to a large number of small boutique tenants who were quite delighted to be allowed to locate their business there.

read more about ethics in negotiation “Got Ya!”
Categories
Mental Health and Work/Life Balance

Working To Be Relevant

A wooden boardwalk in the woods splitting into two paths.

I first met Lauren when he was a partner in a large Buffalo law firm which had a significant cross-border practice with an office in Toronto.  Lauren practiced business law, although by the time that I met him he was spending a great deal of time on business development.  His job involved significant travel between Buffalo and Toronto.  Lauren was also quite active in an international legal association and travelled internationally as well.

read more about those who work to the very end “Working To Be Relevant”