Category: General musings

  • Team player or liability?

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    After watching the mighty Liverpool FC destroy their Mersyside rivals at football on Saturday (ok, it was an edgy 1-0 win, but let’s not get hung up on the details), my mind drifted to the importance of teamwork. From there it was a small, sideways step to pondering teamwork in law firms. The increasing size…

  • The price of information; which is better, a lawyer or an ipad?

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    With the drool-inducing i-pad being officially announced this week, the spotlight (on it’s way to Apple HQ, admittedly) stopped once again on the publishing industry, and questions were asked once again about what impact ebook readers will have on the publishing houses. Digital media and distribution has certainly changed the face of the music and…

  • When individuality is not all its cracked up to be

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    It’s great to be an individual, right? Creativity, expression, setting yourself apart? We celebrate these things in many areas of society, but in the business world, it’s not always so straightforward. Take law firms for example; individuality can help drive the creative streak of the business to break the mould. It’s pretty difficult to stand…

  • Stretch for personal growth?

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    Being faced with two really interesting projects recently, I was soul searching as to which was the right opportunity for me. One of the key factors in my decision was how much the project would challenge and stretch me. Now those of you that know me would perhaps not be suprised by that (never one…

  • Time and money

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    From my days as a project lawyer, I remember hearing “it’s just a question of scope. Or time. Or money”; the three key project variables. Of those, it’s time and money that are occupying my thoughts this week. In particular, the need to strengthen the link in lawyer’s minds between what they do (day to…

  • The advisor of last resort?

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    Speaking with the general counsel of a large multi-national recently, I was struck by the number of opportunities that her external advisors had to impress her. Many law firms often complain that it is hard to develop close, long term relationships with clients because the clients only contact them when they have a problem; the “advisor…

  • The size 0 law firm?

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    Sitting in an Entrepreneur’s group meeting at accountants Price Bailey on behalf of a client, the conversation (nicely facilitated by Nick Mayhew) turned to the concept of  “lean”, which took me back to the operations management module on the MBA. While at first sight many of the process improvements that have led to successful improvements…

  • The winds of change

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    Intelligent Challenge
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    The legal profession has been changing for some time now. In the 12 years I’ve been working in and around it, many of the traditional trappings of the lawyer have been slowly and surely eroded. But in the UK, as deregulation really sweeps away some of the protection that has been preventing supply matching demand…

  • Strategy as a thought?

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    Intelligent Challenge
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    In the increasingly fast paced world we live in, it seems more and more difficult to make plans for the future. There are all sorts of ways of thinking about strategy; what it is, how it’s formed, and what it does (a favourite book of mine is Strategy Safari by Mintzberg), but a common view…