♬ I’ve got the magic in me…♬

Lyrics and music by: Rivers Cuomo; Lukasz Gottwald; Bobby Ray Jr Simmons, recorded by B.O.B.

Magical Lawyer

This is a guest post by Pam Woldow  of Edge International on legal project management, posted originally on her blog, At the Intersection:

On the eve of LegalTech, I have been encountering a lot of magical thinking recently when talking with law firm partners about Legal Project Management.  One partner, hoping that the IT and KM folks can simply buy a tech solution so that he could avoid making any real changes to the way he manages matters, engaged in extreme magical thinking when he asked, “isn’t there just some software where I can click one button and it manages everything?”   He just wants to keep doing what he’s always done and have technology somehow make the result different.

Sorry, we live in the real world.

Here’s the bottom line:  Siri can’t analyze what tasks need to be done (or not done) for a client, and iPads don’t independently tailor project plans.  Software sits inert until some lawyer lights it up, infuses legal judgment and knowledge into matters and uses the software to reflect back the enhanced management skills being applied.

If your firm has invested (or is about to invest) in magnificent new software – that elegant integrated dashboard will sit on your computer screen and tie together project scope, phases, tasks, team members, timeframes and the all-important budget-to-actual comparison – but it can’t overcome inefficient or non-existent management of legal matters.  Only the lawyers can do that.  And, that requires extreme practical acceptance that clients today want excellent lawyers who also are accomplished managers that drive efficient work product.

Software tools support efficient lawyering, but it is extreme magical thinking to suppose that some push-button silver bullet can convert inefficient work into efficient work.

One of the most widely read blog post I’ve ever written deals with this very subject: Legal Project Management Tools:  Let Rube Goldberg Rest in Peace.

But, it is worth a reminder that LPM and its technological support tools are about how legal projects are planned and managed.  What is practiced and delivered will always remain up to the lawyer.  The core functions of being a lawyer and exercising professional acumen can’t be delegated to technology, and that won’t be changed by even the most sophisticated tools, templates and software.  As always, those decisions will be up to you.

Thanks Pam for a great article on how magical technology won’t replace the lawyer-manager who leads his or her team into action – you have to have the magic in you!

© 2012, Edge International US, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be copied or reproduced without advance written approval.

♬ we never say no
satisfaction guaranteed
superior quality
we innovate, never imitate
unrivalled, unparalleled
at your service
we aim to please
we never miss a trick…♬

Lyrics, music and recorded by CLIEИT.

This is another great guest post by Bob Denney.  In this post he is focusing on the importance of client service.  Years ago, Milton Zwicker, a good friend and colleague in Ontario wrote about ‘the client-centered law firm’. It is great to see Bob pick up on this idea and run with it. Accordingly, here is Bob’s post:

In today’s extremely competitive legal market, many firms talk about the importance of cross-selling – or cross-marketing if you prefer – their clients. The problem is that you must serve the client before you can cross-market the client. Too many firms fail to realize this. As a result, their cross-marketing efforts often fail. The first step in developing additional business with clients is client service. Here’s a brief list of some of the more important points to keep in mind in developing and implementing a successful client service program.

• The goal should be outstanding client service. “Satisfactory” or “good” isn’t good enough. Many clients can’t evaluate the quality of legal work. Therefore, the level and quality of service is often the only factor that distinguishes one firm from another. (more…)

♬ This is real, this is me
I’m exactly where I’m suppose to be, now
Gonna let the light, shine on me
Now I’ve found, who I am
There’s no way to hold it in
No more hiding who I want to be
This is me…♬

Lyrics and music by: Andy Dodd and Adam Watts, recorded by Demi Lovato.

This is a guest post from Beth Flynn’s Leadership Moments newsletter at the OSU Leadership Center. It continues the dialogue in the area that I believe is so important for lawyers today: Leadership. In particular, it discusses how to be authentic in a leadership role.

Dictionary.com defines Authentic (adjective) as: not false or copied; genuine; real: an authentic antique. I think this is the essence of leadership: you must find your own voice and style – copying someone’s else’s leadership style won’t work. Here is Beth’s post on being an authentic leader:

• Just do it.  Invest in yourself by doing the work you must do to truly know who you are – your life story, the things that shaped you, and your disappointments and failures.  Own yourself and who you really are.  This is what allows others to connect.  There is no one who can do this work for you.
• Trust the power of allowing others to know you.  Even though it can seem scary, and it requires the willingness to be vulnerable, it is the key to influence.  The real you – no imitations or role-playing – is what people want to know, and the real you is the person to whom they will commit.
• Find the courage to be yourself when the pressure of leadership tempts you otherwise.  There is nothing more comforting to others, especially in times of stress, than to realize that you know and trust yourself.
• Declare yourself worthy, adequate, and deserving of the job you have.  Don’t doubt yourself if you expect others not to.
• Be careful about “trying” too hard to be authentic.  Being yourself should feel easier than being the image you think others want of you.  Don’t be authentic in the same way someone else is – do it your way.
• Seek feedback from a wide group of your followers.  Try to use it diagnostically, to improve, not as a threat to your self-image, self-esteem, or self-worth.
• Stand on personal courage to create leaderships.  You will be rewarded with loyalty (Hamm, 2011, p. 29).

From:  Hamm, J. (2011).  Unusually excellent:  the necessary nine skills required for the practice of great leadership.  San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass.

Unusually Excellent is available from the OSU Leadership Center. Click here to borrow this resource or any other resource.  Once you are on the OSU website, click on the Spectrum icon. Learn how the Ohio State University Leadership Center is inspiring others to take a leadership role that empowers the world.

To begin receiving Leadership Moments newsletter, please click on Join Our Mailing List.

Thanks Beth for another great leadership post on how we can be an authentic  leader.

♬ Skeleton we have been friends for years
…
And you, you’ve got me standing in an awkward position
With unwanted attention and a need for explanation…♬

Lyrics and music by Katie Nash & Alejandro Tovar, recorded by Katie Nash.

This a guest post by Sharon Nelson, Esq and John Simek.  Along with the fact that Sharon and John are very good friends, Sharon is also a fellow past-Chair of ABA TECHSHOW.  Sharon and John are life-partners as well as business partners in the legal and forensic information technology worlds. So here is their excellent article on managing legacy data:

Lawyers and their clients are looking for expert advice on how to manage legacy data. Law firm leaders and managers have a responsibility to their firms, and to their clients, to be informed about how to properly store and steward electronic data. Traditionally, many law firms and their clients have simply “kept everything.” After all, storage is cheap – and many businesses have not wanted to spend adequate time, money and other resources to figure out what to do with all of the old data.

The concerns and responsibilities surrounding historic files and e-mails have expanded beyond e-discovery advice into proactive information governance policies and procedures. Law firms and business organizations alike tend to keep data storage devices such as backup tapes, old CDs, thumb drives, cell phones, and other media etc. well beyond what their compliance requirements or business needs dictate. These so-called “skeletons in the closet” pose a major problem when the organization gets sued or subpoenaed because all that dusty, forgotten data is suddenly potentially discoverable. If a company has thousands or millions of backup tapes, the problem is greatly magnified. By being advised about, and recommending proactive management of legacy data, law firms will be saving themselves and their clients distress and major expense down the road. (more…)

♬ If you wish to be the first you must seek
To be a servant, to be a servant of all…♬

Lyrics, music and recorded by David Haas.

This is a guest post from Beth Flynn’s Leadership Moments newsletter at the OSU Leadership Center.  It deals with a concept that I personally see offering a great deal of personal growth and possibility for real change:  servant leadership.

Wikipedia defines servant leadership as follows:

Servant leadership is a philosophy and practice of leadership, coined and defined by Robert K. Greenleaf (Born 1904 in Terre Haute, Indiana; died in 1990) and supported by many leadership and management writers such as James Autry, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Peter Block, Peter Senge, Max DePree, Scott Greenberg, Larry Spears, Margaret Wheatley, James C. Hunter, Kent Keith, Ken Jennings, Don Frick and others. Servant-leaders achieve results for their organizations by giving priority attention to the needs of their colleagues and those they serve. Servant-leaders are often seen as humble stewards of their organization’s resources: human, financial and physical.

Accordingly, here is Beth’s post on servant leadership:

• All growth and most good things come from paying attention.
• Use every experience.
• Never think of employees as “labor,” as a commodity.
• Avoid the tyranny of technocracy.
• Abandon the career planning traps.
• Avoid “building” a resume.
• Expect the unexpected and be ready to embrace change.
• Take the work seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously.
• Do not use long-term solutions to short-term problems.
• Never run away from anything (Ray Ferch & Spears, 2011, p. 133-134).

From:  Ray Ferch, S. & Spears, L.C. eds. (2011).  The Spirit of Servant-Leadership.  Mahwah, NJ:  Paulist Press.

The Spirit of Servant-Leadership is available from the OSU Leadership Center.  Click here to borrow this resource or any other resource.  Once you are on the OSU website, click on the Spectrum icon. Learn how the Ohio State University Leadership Center is inspiring others to take a leadership role that empowers the world.

To begin receiving Leadership Moments newsletter, please click on Join Our Mailing List.

Thanks Beth for another great leadership post on how we can be a leader by exercising servant stewardship of our organization’s resources.

♬  And now, the end is here
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain

I’ve lived a life that’s full.
I’ve traveled each and ev’ry highway;
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way

Regrets, I’ve had a few
But then again, too few to mention…♬

Lyrics by Paul Anka and set to music based on the French song “Comme d’habitude” composed in 1967 by Claude François and Jacques Revaux, recorded by Frank Sinatra, “My Way“.

This is a guest post by Bronnie Ware.  I read it this weekend and immediately asked for permission to post it as a guest post, as I think this article has an important message that is particularly meaningful for lawyers and their families.  So in Bonnie’s words:

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five: (more…)

♬  Now, you got it, you’re wow, wow, wow, wow
You got it; you’re wow, wow, wow, wow…♬

Lyrics and music by: Kylie Minogue, Greg Kurstin and Karen Poole, recorded by Kylie Minogue.

This is another great guest post from Drago Adams from his Adams Ad Group Monday Morning Motivator email newsletter.  I loved the message in this post and thought of sharing it with all.  It is contagious.  I hope you enjoy it.

This week we share a message from Tomas Lydalh. Tomas’s message will not only help you in business, but will also make you the kind of person that people will just naturally gravitate to.

We’ve all heard about how important attitude is and how it affects us. I am sure you’ve heard of how much better you will feel when you look at the positive side of things… when you think positive thoughts, you will become a positive person. It is not always easy, however, to just change your attitude by trying to think positive thoughts. What if you did certain things, instead, that created positive feelings inside you?

Here is a short story that shows how certain actions will ensure a YES! Attitude - even if your day doesn’t start with a WOW! (more…)

♬ It would sure do me good, to do you good. Let me help …♬

Music, Lyrics and recorded by Billy Swan.

Dave and Lauren hiking in Banff

The Canadian Health Measures Survey, the most comprehensive survey ever conducted in Canada has recently found:

“That fitness levels of children and youth have declined significantly since 1981, regardless of age or sex. Fitness levels of adults have also declined, particularly among younger adults.”

A prominent Canadian researcher on obesity has stated that the figures in the CHMS study point to a country in crisis:

“Well, if you look at those numbers I’d be very surprised to see what actually qualifies as a national crisis if this does not,” said Dr. Arya Sharma, Chair of Obesity Studies at the University of Alberta and scientific director of the Canadian Obesity Network.

Further, the Canadian Press, reporting on this survey, stated:

“The survey suggests the proportion of Canadians with dangerously large waists went to 21 per cent from five per cent among men, and to 31 per cent from six per cent among women.” (more…)

♬ I get the urge to know you better
To make our spirits one
I want to see us be together
As close as we can come
I get the urge to merge
I get the urge to merge with you…♬

Music and lyrics by: Pam Reswick, Steve Werfel, recorded by Natalie Cole.

Merge Ahead

This is a guest post of an article originally appearing in the October, 2011 issue of Law Firm Partnership & Benefits Report. It is reprinted with permission of Robert W. Denney.

There isn’t a great deal written on the details of merging two law firms, and as such I thought this overview by my friend Bob was a great article to post – regardless if the two firms being merged are 3 partners each or 300. The issues will be the same.

Challenges and Adjustments In A Merger

Both the Smaller Firm and the Larger One Have Roles

They Must Play If the Marriage is to Be Successful

Author’s Note: This article first appeared in this publication in March, 2005. Although the legal profession has been undergoing considerable change since then, the issues that arise after firms merge are still the same as they were over seven years ago. Therefore, we thoughts a review was in order.

There is a drama that is acted out every day on the stages of hundreds of law firms throughout the world. Firm A, which may have been a local, regional or even national firm, has recently merged into (read “acquired by”) Firm B, a larger national or international firm, and the partners from Firm A are adjusting to being part of such a huge firm. (more…)

♬ Seize the day or die regretting the time you lost…♬

Lyrics and music by: M. Shadows, The Rev, recorded by Avenged Sevenfold.

Seize the Day

This is another “Leadership Moments” guest post by Beth Flynn of the Ohio Leadership Center.

Roman leaders coined the phrase, Carpe diem, which translates to seize the day.  Skilled leaders know the necessity of proactivity.  They understand and appreciate that every moment in each day holds opportunities.  Individuals with clear mind, who focus on the present moment, can envision, create, serve and produce with grace and skill.

An old Buddhist proverb states that each day is a miniature version of your entire life.  Each day will hold opportunities, gains, obstacles, and perhaps frustration.  People’s perspective determines how they view these events.  Individuals determine how they may use their time, energy, and focus (Schantz, p. 96).

From: Schantz, M. (2008).  75 principles of conscious leadership: inspired skills for 21st century business. Bandon, OR: Robert D. Reed Publishers.

75 Principles of Conscious Leadership is available from the OSU Leadership Center.  Click here to borrow this resource or any other resource.  Once you are on the OSU website, click on the Spectrum icon. Learn how the Ohio State University Leadership Center is inspiring others to take a leadership role that empowers the world.

To begin receiving Leadership Moments please click on Join Our Mailing List.

Thanks Beth for another great leadership post on how we can make the most of the day by focusing on the moment!