Draughty halls and cold showers… the alternative way to customer satisfaction.
I was standing patiently in line last week waiting for the man in front of me to finish his diatribe. I was waiting to check-out of the hotel I had been staying in…he was not happy to go quietly. It was a really nice hotel; newly refurbished, all mod-cons, digital this and digital that, 24… More
My lawyer is great… really great
It would have been lovely, but I am not sure the line ?my lawyer is great, really great? was ever used about me? I am absolutely certain it was never used about my legal abilities and I suspect that is probably true of most lawyers. Can you, for example, imagine a client of yours giving… More
Mind the gap…
Talking to one City law firm partner the other day I was left a little nonplussed by an assertion of economic hardship? ?You would not believe? he said ?how hard it is for us to attract and retain the best young talent. It is just getting to be so expensive?. I felt that I should… More
The Perception Conundrum
In the UK just now we are in the middle of the holiday season. When I was a child I very fondly remember my summers as warm, sunny, full of friends and games and just about the best of times a boy could have. Now as a parent, summer holidays are a logistical feat (nightmare?)… More
The Power of Brand
If you are not into marketing then the notion of rebranding can seem like a vacuous and pointless expense. As the old (adapted) joke goes: ?How do you make a small fortune from rebranding?? ?Start with a big one.? But if you admire the immediate recognition and values associated with names such as Nike or… More
Out of my depth
I was having a coffee the other day with an in-house lawyer new into her first role; she was interesting and thoughtful and her conversation was engaging and full of optimism, but then she said something that made me pause for thought. She said ?I am really uncomfortable doing new things; I always feel that… More
Assessing Value? What makes the difference?
General Counsel must ensure that their preferred law firms provide value for money and that relationships are developed to their full potential. In doing so, some General Counsel look to set up new panels, some review their existing panels while others look at individual relationships on a ?horses for courses? basis. What then are the… More
Grumpy Old Lawyers
Is it me? Or will there come a time in everyone’s life when ranting at the television becomes normal behaviour? Almost every day now I find myself becoming agitated at any number of things I see and hear on television and instead of chuntering quietly to myself (or ignoring them completely) I now engage in… More
Animal Farm 2007
?I ache all over? said the old badger. ?I ache so much, it hurts to breathe? ?Oh dear? said the young fox ?whatever have you done?? ?He has done nothing but work all his life? interjected the wise owl ?He works so hard, every minute of every day, and when he has finished one project,… More
Lawyers’ Labours Lost
Seeing into the future therefore for legal services and the legal profession is similarly constraining? We can all have a vague, speculative thought about legal services becoming ?quicker, easier, cheaper?? Most of us have bought into this theory already. For example, thanks to (1) email, (2) document compilation and (3) mobile communications we have made… More