Putting your house in order
“I am just not cut out to do marketing” So said one partner of one of the larger law firms in the UK to me not so long ago. “I am” he went on “a lawyer.” “If I wanted to be in marketing I would be writing slogans for baked bean adverts not negotiating rent… More
Untitled
Your career as a solicitor might last thirty-five, even forty years. That is an awfully long time and must seem a daunting prospect when standing at the start line wondering what on earth might lie ahead in the next few months let alone the next few years. Where the adventure begins Some students will be… More
Resolve to Evolve
With their antiquated business practices and lack of customer service, are law firms in danger of being left behind? Paul Gilbert says that it’s definitely time for a revolution. People who call for revolution are often in the minority and easily dismissed by the majority who are comfortable with the status quo, but when the… More
I have a dream?
“I’m sorry, did you say it was an elephant?” “No, I said it was irrelevant” …I really do hesitate to write this piece… just how many times can someone write about a subject practically no-one (it appears) cares two hoots about and still want to say some more? Ask most people about the Law Society… More
A Call to Arms
In-house lawyers should be a hugely influential constituency whose voice should carry enormous weight. But, says Paul Gilbert, their response to date to changes in the legal profession has been decidedly underwhelming In the space of the last ten years in-house lawyers have raised their profile by a significant and important degree. Many are prominent… More
Forum
The Law Society, so the perception goes, is out of touch, irrelevant to the vast majority of solicitors and their firms and generally just not very good. The Big Question (Legal Week 28 June) as much as said so. In a survey, the survey said “unimpressive”, “negligible” and other predictable things. Now I suppose we… More
Give us a break
The Chinese have a saying “You cannot stand still in a moving river”. It will evoke a familiar feeling for in-house lawyers everywhere. The dynamics of the business world today dictate that just about everything changes all of the time. Priorities change, timescales change, as do targets, products, objectives, personnel, budgets, and markets. Every single… More
Forum
“Daddy, what job do you do?” “I’m a solicitor sweetheart” “Oh…what’s one of those?” “A solicitor is someone who helps people” “Like the lollypop lady at school, or like a nurse?” “No not exactly. A solicitor is there to help people buy their house, or get money from people who do wrong things to them,… More
Reform Debate
In most important debates there will be several different points of view all of which will have some validity. People hold to their particular view for a variety of reasons: they may have a genuine heartfelt belief in their position, it may be that it is the view of the majority of their friends, colleagues… More
Make More Money – Now!
Every now and again I find myself driving along the A40 into London pondering the unpalatable thought that unless my alarm goes off at 3am I really will spend years of my life sat in a car?What is more, a car that could go one hundred miles per hour but will actually only reach ten… More