♫ Boy, the way Glen Miller played.
Songs that made the Hit Parade.
Guys like us, we had it made.
Those were the days!…♫

– Music and Lyrics by Charles Stouce and Lee Adams
and recorded by Archie Bunker.

One of the big changes in the legal profession has been the switch to the lawyer as collaborator: with their colleagues, with their staff and not the least, with their clients. Part of this is due to the work of Thomas Friedman and his “The World is Flat” philosophy. Part of it is due to the fact that the world has changed and clients have insisted on becoming equals with their advisors. Not only do clients want to be kept advised on what is happening with their cases, they want to be involved with the details of their cases – discussing strategy, options and not the least, potential cost-impacts.

Collaboration places new demands on lawyers. In my view, this goes beyond just seeking instructions – which is the most basic level of collaboration. When you seek instructions, you and the client are speaking from each person’s separate goals and values…in order to reach a common path of how to proceed. But there are much more rewarding, and deeper, ways to collaborate. In a true collaborative environment, there is a deep, continued and shared dialogue over proposed outcomes, options and impacts. In such an environment, each party seeks to build and enhance meaningful and beneficial long-term relationships. Each party has a commitment to common and shared goals that strive to go beyond the current engagement. There is also shared leadership, a sense of community, a commitment of resources and an understanding of each party’s overarching goals. There are shared responsibilities and the development of an environment of underlying mutual understanding and trust. Needless to say, all parties have to view collaboration as being to their mutual benefit. Since lawyers have not been traditionally viewed as being high on the trustworthy scale compared to other professions (rightly or not), I believe we have much to gain by adopting a collaborative perspective. (more…)

♬ Na je nun ta sa ro un in gan jo gin yo ja 
Ko pi han ja ne yo yu rul a neun pum gyo gi nun yo ja 
Ba mi o myon shim ja ngi tu go wo ji nun yo ja 
Gu ron ban jon i nun yo ja 
…
Oppan Gangnam Style 
Gangnam Style 
Op op op op oppan Gangnam Style 
Gangnam Style 
Op op op op oppan Gangnam Style…♬

Lyrics and Music by: Jai Sang Park and Keon Hyung Yoo, recorded by Psy.

My good friend, lawyer and entrepreneur John Treddinck has done it again.  John is the CEO and founder of Catalyst Repository Systems.  Catalyst is no ordinary company – it has been inducted into the Smithsonian Institute as a recipient of the prestigious Computerworld/Smithsonian Innovator Medal (not bad for a legal technology startup!). It has been repeatedly named a top e-discovery provider by Socha-Gelbmann, and its products have won multiple awards for innovation. John has been named a top 100 global technology leader and one of the law’s leading innovators.

Catalyst is now expanding to South Korea.  Now most companies would do a simple press release.  Not Catalyst. Not John.  Not *their* kind of marketing!!

John turned to JibJab and Catalyst did their announcement in Gangham style.

Clever, humorous and  catchy.

Here it is  (turn up your speakers! …and read John’s translation of Psy’s lyrics…):

That’s it John..do it Gangham Style!