Author: Intelligent Challenge

  • Making better decisions

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    Good management information is at the heart of the outsourcing industry. Having worked directly in this field, both as a lawyer and a commercial animal, for six years, I have seen plenty of spurious arguments and assumptions but to the sword by solid data. Where margins are slim, and operational efficiency is a must, having…

  • Purple law firms

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    Not green law firms (sustainability is for another post), but purple law firms. The concept at the heart of Seth Godin’s excellent book “Purple Cow” is about being remarkable. I think that’s a great word, and today’s post is designed to make you think about how your firm, team or law department can be remarkable.…

  • Time to call for Superlawyer?

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    Having a cup of tea recently with one of my former colleagues, I was struck by the genuine excitement he still feels for the rich challenge offered by his work, even after 20 years in the saddle. Talking about what the future holds, it was clear that the profession offers a long-term and stimulating path…

  • A law firm’s immune system

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    In his book “Your Next Move” (which is excellent by the way) Michael Watkins introduces the concept of the corporate immune system. The idea is that organisations develop unspoken systems to protect their culture when threatened by a “foreign body” inside them. This is examined in the context of a new person joining the company,…

  • Can your lawyer read?

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    Dickensian lawyers were inseparable from their books. Noses always pressed into some dusty, leather-bound tome, everyone knew lawyers loved to read. Subsequent TV and film portrayals of lawyers  reinforced this image, with the hot-shot  New York lawyer seen pouring over books for hours, before leaping up (Archimedes style) with the fact or theory that would win the…

  • Starbucks, the prestigious offices of the modern law firm?

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    Reading in the legal press about the financial difficulties of UK law firm Halliwells, with many reports citing high property costs as the factor at the heart of their demise, I started thinking this morning about law firms’ property assets. My thinking was compounded by a meeting with Axiom, a pretty cool company, which has…

  • You’re working hard, but are you making money?

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    Holidays with the family are great fun, but relaxing they’re not. However, while soaking up the sun my mind did (very briefly) wander to those hard working lawyers who are slaving away without actually making much money for their firms. The recession has exposed the myth that all lawyers are making stacks of money, and…

  • Lawyers’ love in? Working collaboratively with competitors

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    Whether it’s the ongoing media focus on our new coalition government, or just the emergence of some spring sunshine, I’ve been thinking about happy togetherness this week. One of the things that used to warm my heart most in-house was when my key law firms used to work together collaboratively and effectively on projects for the company.…

  • Inhouse firefighters

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    Speaking at an Intellect event this week (don’t worry, the group is a trade body for the UK technology sector, not some type of meeting of great minds!) much of my content touched on the role in-house legal teams play, and it occurred to me that with much of my focus on law firms, I…

  • When negotiations turn nasty

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    Intelligent Challenge
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    Oh to be a fly on the wall in the current negotiations between the political parties striving to govern my country. Talk of ideological differences and deal breakers fill the air, triggering flashbacks of negotiations I supported or lead as a lawyer. One place where the similarity ends, is the lack of escalation if a…