Go fetch a sense of purpose
I was taking a walk in one of London’s many beautiful squares; It was through Lincoln’s Inn at 730am a week or so ago. A thin mist was clinging to the grass, not a cloud in the sky and with the early morning sunshine lighting the scene, but not yet warming the air. As I… More
To whom it may concern…I have started to Tweet
Alarming though the headline may be I do not mean that I have started to make the sound made by small birds; I’mean I am now participating in the social-media phenomenon that is “Twitter”. If this does not distress you too much dear reader and you can be bothered then please by all means look… More
The biggest test of all
I am not one for polemic exaggeration or self-serving controversy, so please believe me when I say I would like to write about what I consider to be the biggest test of all for lawyers. It is not an exaggeration, but a genuine and passionate concern. And the test I want to describe is not… More
Wake up and smell the coffee
What do you imagine are the most important things that the world’s major law firms are grappling with at the moment? The profession, we know, faces very many challenges: the liberalisation of markets where lawyers have previously had an effective monopoly; the industrialisation of legal advice and services; the fight for the best talent and… More
Ten things my grandmother taught me: Lessons for life (and for lawyers)
Those who write are sometimes self-deluded into believing they have something worthwhile to write about. The fact that one can write however is not the same as having something worthwhile to say. It is even more of a shame if the people who have something worthwhile to say are not the people who write. When… More
Direct access to the bar
We always caution ourselves against stereotyping, but sometimes we just cannot help ourselves. The first time I ventured into London as a tyro lawyer to consult with the barrister my firm had instructed for a tricky commercial litigation, I was delighted to find my prejudices confirmed. Click here to read the full article published in… More
Do not be the tenant of your problem, but the architect of your solution
Way back in the mists of time, being a lawyer was reassuringly monopolistic, client service was met merely by opening a file and clients, of course, knew and accepted that it would be expensive to use you. Back then every aspiring young lawyer who was hungry to inherit the promised land learnt a very important… More
The One Hundred Day test: A gimmick or a serious challenge for the newly appointed General Counsel?
It was a group of journalists in the United States Washington press corps who were first to ask the question (of their new President):- “What are your plans for the first 100 days?” For many now this has become something of a management cliché creating, it is said, a false expectation that it is possible… More
Glimpsing the future – The democratisation of legal services
I am sorry; using a word like “democratisation” is not the best way to start any article. I suspect I’may have lost some of you already. The alternative however seemed to be something like “how changes to regulation and advances in technology potentially make access to legal guidance more prevalent and more affordable”. Centuries ago… More
The lawyer conundrum: pro bono for prosperity?
I have had a long and very close relationship with LawWorks, the leading national pro bono charity for solicitors in the UK. It is an organisation I am proud to be associated with and I hope it will develop, grow and thrive in the years to come. I say this up front because I clearly… More