Amazing Firms Amazing Practices : Gerry Riskin : Edge International

Thank you to Bruce Marcus of The Marcus Letter fame for publishing a review of my latest book, The Successful Lawyer. Look at his home page for heading

NEW IMPROVING THE BREED
How To Really Succeed At Practicing Law. Gerald Riskin tells you how in his new book.

It is an honour that he took time to include my new offering in his prized newsletter.

Contact the ABA to order The Successful Lawyer.

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Thank you Tom Peters for this most delicious story…

White House conducts ethics classes for staff

If the irony of this story appearing in a Chinese publication isn't obvious for you, you may need sensitivity training, or heaven forbid, ethics classes?

Can it be true that recent Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers was one of the first attendees? (PROTECT ME.)

Apologies for the delay in posting this… I had to stop rolling on the floor first. We can all rest easier knowing that there will be no more unethical behavior emanating from the White House.

Sweet Dreams!

(Disclaimer: This is not partisan — the story would be equally entertaining irrespective of the party affiliation of the sitting president.)

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If you already know the answer to this question, then you probably revere the man.

The humble answer to "Who is Bruce Marcus" can be found at his website.

You may know hime from his latest books:

Perhaps to best describe him, I might liken him to another mere mortal:

PUNCHLINE: Bruce has been around a while but unlike some much younger consultants for whom a birthday is just one more year of doing the same thing, for Bruce a year is more thinking, more creating , more challenging, more encouraging, and even more humanity.

Visit his newsletter regularly — you'll be glad you did! (The Marcus Letter)

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Instruction manual for winning bet after bet:

1) Print a wallet-sized copy of this photograph.

2) Laminate it - this has to look good after many many viewings.

3) Wait until a colleague from your law firm finishes their 2nd beer at your after-work watering hole.

4) Tell them if they can correctly guess the origin of the photograph you will give them $10 if they guess wrong, they give you $5.

5) Recite their choices:
a) An S & M porn site
b) A Lawyer's Bio in a major law firm
c) A Kidnap Victim

6) Listen to their guess. If they guess "b" laugh uncontrollably falling into but not hurting the person on the other side of you after a full 10 - 15 seconds of laughter, appearing to try to get control of your speech again, tell them you normally don't do this but you will give them another chance

7) As they guess "a" or "c", pull out this page (printed and in your pocket) and when they ask who the heck dwf is, show them this page.

8) Collect your $10

9) Repeat until wealthy.

(Thanks to Roll on Friday - they do have some good moments.)

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In his post today, Jury Duty Down; London Up, Bruce MacEwen (Adam Smith Esq.) references our invitation to have him join our Edge International meeting in London later this month. Apparently he narrowly escaped jury duty which may have deprived us of his presence and, I am certain, invaluable contributions. We will welcome any feedback that Bruce offers so, in a way, he will be serving jury duty after all, albeit for us.

What really has me worried is the last four words of his post:

Stay tuned for photos

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For you David Maister fans, and I will include myself in that category, David has given his site a lift complete with welcoming video. You can also sign up for a notification of his articles as he publishes them. There is a wealth of knowledge and materials there. Check it out!

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Patrick Lamb is New King of Blawgs

Patrick: You are quite deserving. Bravo!!

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Please Help New Orleans This Morning - no money, just send an email; Please

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Client service reaches new heights at Clifford Chance, which has obtained a 24-hour alcohol licence.

According to its spokes-woman, clients can get a refreshment (code for an "alcoholic beverage"?) at any time of the day or night.

Now in fairness, there are big deals that close in the wee hours and you would not want CC to be precluded from serving a little libation, would you?

See the full story in today's The Independent Online Edition: Lawyers drink in the last-Chance saloon

Just when the legal news starts looking a bit dull, some firm somewhere does something to capture our imagination — be grateful.

Credit to Transblawg (Margaret Marks) whose blawg alerted me to the story.

*"Going the Extra Mile" is a stated value of Clifford Chance

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For friends and clients in South Africa, here is a reminder of how you can register for my presentation, Rainmaking for Professional Service Firms, at The Gordon Institute of Business Science (University of Pretoria, Johannesburg Campus).

I look forward to seeing some old friends and aquaintances and making some new ones.

Date: Thursday 1 September 2005
Time: 8:00 - 16:30
Venue: GIBS Auditorium, 26 Melville Rd, Illovo Sandton

For information about other speaking engagements, including the World's Master's in Sydney on August 26th, check At The Podium at the Edge International web site.

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The techniques managers use to get through a tough agenda in a business context are completely useless in a deposition. To survive the deposition, managers are trained to avoid the tactics they would have used in a business situation. Those who lead law firms are often experiencing more of a deposition environment than a business environment. Perhaps this is why some lawyers want their firms to be more "corporate".

This insight arises from the analysis of Wall Street Journal writer, George Anders, in his July 26 article called Depositions Require A Skill Set Leaders Don't Use on the Job (subscription required) in the July 26 WSJ (page A17 if you haven't thrown out your hard copy yet). Anders nicely illuminates the contrast between the very different business and deposition contexts.

FASTFORWARD: Those who live in law firms know what I mean when I say that the law firm environment resembles a deposition more than it does a corporation. A partnership meeting can be as grueling as a deposition. Support professionals (like marketing directors) often feel devoured by the environment. I believe that the lawyers training, especially litigators, fosters the propensity to lawyer their way through meetings making the leader's job next to impossible.

Lawyers must be highly critical and analytical when creating or improving documents or winding their way through the strategy of litigation. These are essential behaviors for lawyering but lousy for managing or being managed. Therefore, unless attorneys become aware of their propensities, they will bring this mode of behavior into all they do, including how they react to management, whether firm-wide or at the practice-group, industry-group or client-team level. Support professionals like Chief Marketing Officers walk away from encounters bewildered and frustrated by these strange (to them) lawyering behaviors that people outside the profession rarely exhibit (especially in corporate settings).

PUNCHLINE: Leadership requires "followership" which means that the more an internal meeting resembles a deposition ("examination for discovery" in many jurisdictions) the less productive the business meeting will be.

GOODNEWS: I have found that lawyers who are briefed about these anti-business behavioral propensities can easily transcend them. Once they are aware of them, groups self-police those who mistake the management meeting for a deposition; the noticeable increase in progress achieved is the immediate and reinforcing reward.

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If you read blogs relating to Law, then you already know the "Adam Smith Esq.…an inquiry into the economics of law firms" offering by Bruce MacEwen.

Bruce has already blogged a comprehensive report on the lunch we shared on Wednesday and I have little to add except to reinforce that the food was great and the conversation better.

Bruce is a rare find in that he embodies blue ribbon credentials from law school through private practice through in house practice. His insights into the economics of the practice of law are invaluable.

It was fun to meet the man behind the blog… don't miss a single post!

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This Belgium firm not only issued a memo that would probably not be PC in the USA but appointed a "dress czar" to boot.

Visit Roll On Friday's full posting for a more complete story. You might want to circulate it in your own firm as a not-so-subtle hint to those who equate casual with grotesque.

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Now, imagine you have the best computer in the world, a 17" Apple G4 lap top.

Now imagine (I get chills as I type this) that you add a 23" Cinema Display by Apple:

Now imagine that both work seemlessly together so that you can move images from one to the other effortlessly, looking at multiple files, browser windows and images at the same time…

THANK YOU, APPLE!!

UPDATE: I was back at the Grove Apple Store in L.A. and ran into Jose who sold me the display… it reminded me how awesome he was — knowing I was taking it about 6,000 miles from the store, he insisted we plug it in and test drive it — went like a Ferrari — Thanks, Jose!!

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Because every human makes this mistake and I argue that lawyers are human, therefore…

OK, thank you ROCKETBOOM, July 6th edition, for this story and thank you MIT for being so brilliant (as usual) and humbling the rest of us by exposing our limited perceptions with this cool illustration.

The A square and the B square are the same shade of grey. Don't take my word for it, I'm a lawyer, too. Check it out!

Then, let's all stop jumping to conclusions.

P.S. A mistake I will never make again is failing to catch the Rocketboom's daily vlog

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Check out Michelle's Blog, Golden Practices.

I confess that I discovered Michell's blog when she was kind enough to reference one of my postings, "Commitment and Doubt". Thank you for that, Michelle.

Her "tag line" is:

Ideas, tips and best practices for and from professional service firms: CPAs, Lawyers and other business advisors.

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Holland & Hart lawyers meet the dictionary definition of heroes: "A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed…"

They are in good company. Allow me to excerpt my earlier post on another legal hero, second US President John Adams:

"Mr. Adams added honor to the profession by taking on the most extremely unpopular trial of his time - defending British soldiers in the Boston Massacre in the Fall of 1770."

I do not think I need to tell you that President Adams would do precisely what Holland & Hart is doing and would say so in no uncertain terms. I hope this President Adams story will encourage Holland & Hart as it faces those who would criticize their initiative. (My full post Law's Heroes)

The U.S. Supreme Court made a ruling that suggests that detainees at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay have certain rights. The easy thing to do would be to look the other way or let someone else worry about such things. After all, there are many who will not be sensitive to the fact that love of country and constitutions means complying with the judgments of the US Supreme Court, not disobeying them. (If you require authority for this proposition, see this commentary on the case of Rasul v. Bush.)

Anne Castle, former Holland and Hart Chairman, and Water Law specialist, sought volunteers for a pro bono initiative throughout the 12 offices of the 300+ lawyer firm sprawling over six states. I don't know how her invitation read, but this initiative clearly has absolutely nothing to do with the innocence or guilt of the prisoners. It has everything to do with ensuring they have the benefit of due process because the US Supreme Court decided they were entitled. Anne's request for volunteers was itself a heroic act.

According to Holland and Hart Lawyer, J. Triplett "Trip" Mackintosh, the objective for volunteering is "…seeing that the application of these laws is done fairly and in a non-discriminatory fashion". Tripp is one of the team leaders and an interview subject for the press on this issue. His specialties include the firm's newly featured Space Law practice group.

What a delicious offer (seeking volunteers): sign up for the most politically sensitive matter in present history and get ready for the hate mail and anti-American accusations. Risk your relationships with existing and prospective clients — have the courage to risk like John Adams did. Many less courageous lawyers would sit silently. Not at Holland & Hart. The firm has exhibited a unique spirit over many years winning awards for client service and paying tribute to its own senior people at its retreats. This firm has a soul.

Not one or two but thirty-three wonderful lawyers at Holland & Hart volunteered to do the right thing. According to Holland & Hart marketing director, Mark Beese, the volunteers came from across the political spectrum ("red and blue") and across most of the firm's offices, including a former JAG counsel. So this was not at all political — it was about preserving constitutional rights in accordance with the ruling of the highest court in the USA.

The entire firm supports this new initiative and that makes every single member of the firm a hero in my book. They share the risk of negative feedback they are already receiving from some. They also underwrite the financial cost of the pro bono effort as well as sacrifice potential lost revenue from legal work that may not come or clients who might leave.

But, undaunted and courageous, like John Adams, these 33 volunteers in five teams press on through this most difficult process.

Background: Some readers may not be familiar with the term "Habeas Corpus" which, in essence, is the proceeding that can be brought before a court if someone is imprisoned without being charged in order to force the authorities either to show why the imprisonment is warranted or to release that prisoner. If you want a more formal definition, look at Habeas Corpus The Most Extraordinary Writ, by: Joseph Dale Robertson. (Incidentally, Robertson confirms that: "The history of Habeas Corpus is ancient. It appears to be predominately of Anglo-Saxon common law origin. Clearly, it precedes Magna Carta in 1215".)

Fast Forward: Those amazing lawyers at Holland & Hart are not alone - there are other good firms who have stepped up to bat… what is important here is that so many have not for the simple reason that standing up for this task comes at a price. It could annoy clients both existing and prospective. It would not exactly ingratiate you with members of the current Federal Government. This could and probably will cost. And, that is why I am so proud to call these 33 lawyers at Holland & Hart (and the firm for supporting their efforts) "HEROES". They are not sacrificing for the freedom of Guantanamo inmates - but by ensuring the ruling of the Supreme Court is carried out fairly and without discrimination, Holland & Hart is protecting the Rule of Law and the freedom of all who are protected by such laws including most who are reading this.

Punchline: When you are next chatting with a Holland and Hart lawyer, balance the hate mail with a heart-felt "thank you". And next time you hear someone make a snide remark about the greed or bad conduct or even image of lawyers, ask them to take a moment and thank their stars that there are lawyers like those at Holland & Hart around.

Acknowledgement: Thanks to Stephanie Ann West who alerted me to a the source story in the Rocky Mountain News today: Law firm assists five held in Cuba. Much appreciated.

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Brian Faloney is a very special man and marketing genius. He is responsible for his accounting firm's advertising program designed to:

position [Atlanta accounting firm, Habif, Arogeti & Wynne] as a good local alternative to the national accounting firms

Brian is a NASA fanatic - he knows all the missions to date, inside and out, and he can probably tell you more about future ones than NASA itself. Perhaps that is why he is so imaginative. He had the courage to involve clients:

"I wanted to change the theme of our ads from talking about what we did to letting our clients tell the story of what it was like to work with us," explained Brian Falony, Director of Marketing at [Habif, Arogeti & Wynne]. "I presented the concept to the partners and they liked it. We then identified clients who would be well-known in the community and solicited their participation."

You can read the full article about Brian Faloney at PM Forum's professional Marketing USA magazine article.

FAST FORWARD: I can not think of a law firm that would not benefit from Brian's formula and Brian is the kind or personally generous individual and lover of marketing to spend a few minutes with you and walk you through the process.

PUNCHLINE: As the sign in my doctor's office reads: "Well Done is far more important than Well Said". And that's why this post congratulates Brian with a "Well Done!" Can you get past the debates in your firm to achieve action like Brian did?

Disclaimer: Obey the advertising rules applicable to your jurisdiction.

BONUS: Inspired by Brian's interest in NASA, here's an animation of the impact planned for July 4th between Deep Impact and comet Tempel 1 - AWESOME!!

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Congratulations to Atchley, Russell, Waldrop and Hlavinka LLP; Mercy, Carter and Tidwell LLP; Nix, Patterson and Roach; Patton, Roberts, McWilliams and Capshaw LLP; Patton, Tidwell and Schroeder LLP; and Young, Pickett and Lee who dug into their own pockets to fund an application that may see the Texarkana Homeless Coalition get as much as $300,000.

This is another example of a few lawyers just quietly getting on with social responsibility adding to the esteem in which our profession is held. They deserve thanks from every lawyer for contrasting the usual negative lawyer stories.

Here'a a quote from the Texarcana Gazette Article:

The Coalition received some invaluable help from local lawyers. The reason the law firms came together to support the Homeless Coalition is simple.

"We felt like it was a very worthwhile cause," said local attorney Kelly Tidwell. "It's a great plan and it's worth trying to have this grant put together."

PUNCHLINE: I just love catching lawyers doing the right thing.

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Commitment does not require the absence of doubt; often commitment means acting despite your doubt.

From Larry Anderson's One Sentence Journal June 17 entry.

FAST FORWARD: I believe this insight can be extremely powerful in managing law firms, or any professional service firms for that matter. Bright people are constantly analyzing because that is what they do to perform their work. As a result, they always see "the other side". No firm initiative can be free from second guessing. Therefore when we ask for a commitment, we either get a feint-hearted one or some level of resistance (from individuals who believe the initiative is flawed.)

I believe Larry's sentence is the mantra for amazing firms…because there, the troops understand that leadership requires their commitment notwithstanding doubt. For many firms this is a shift in mindset from , "I'll do it only if I personally have a profound belief in the initiative," to "I will trust my leaders enough to follow through on committments even if they might be flawed.

PUNCHLINE: This doesn't mean that we can't strenuously argue with leaders as plans are formulated — it means, once the decision is made by a properly constituted leadership team, we will follow through notwithstanding our doubt.

See the Links heading at Larry Anderson's One Sentence Journal site for his new RSS feeds.

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Just have a look at Seth's post today: "Thirty seconds"

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A HUGE thank you to Tom Peters for reviewing my upcoming book, The Successful Lawyer: Powerful Strategies for Transforming Your Practice and providing a commentary that will appear on the back cover. Candidly, my thank you was going to be strictly private but he generously mentioned my book in his June 9th post entitled Fall Reading Preview so I think it is quite appropriate that I express my gratitude here.

Tom Peters has been one of my serious heroes since his first masterpiece, In Search of Excellence. His work inspired my partners and me as we built Edge International into a global consultancy. It is not uncommon for us to informally discuss his ideas at our internal meetings.

I know many lawyers do not read business books, even a significant number of Managing Partners don't, but to tempt you into exploring the mind of the person who likely has had more impact on business than any other thinker of our era, read this recent short bio on Tom Peters prepared for a leaders conference in London.

Tom Peters is the world's leading management guru. His first book, In Search of Excellence, co-written with Bob Waterman, launched a management revolution and was ranked in a recent poll carried out by Bloomsbury Press as the "greatest business book of all time". Since then, he has remained at the forefront of the movement to radically change organisations and how they are led in the face of new consumer, global and technological realities. His books, including his latest work, Re-imagine! Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age, have topped sales charts for over twenty years, with Peters becoming the best-selling business author of all time. Fortune calls him the Ur-guru (guru of gurus) of management, while the Economist tags him the Uber-guru. Business Week describes him as business' "best friend and worst nightmare." Tom, meanwhile, describes himself as "a prince of disorder, champion of bold failures, maestro of zest, professional loudmouth, corporate cheerleader, lover of markets and capitalist pig."

Apologies to those in the legal profession who are also business graduates and cannot comprehend the possibility that there is any literate person who is not already familiar with Tom's work. The sad truth is that far too many in the legal profession are not — to their detriment, in my view. While law is first a profession and second a business, in order for a larger firm to thrive it is going to have to maintain its stellar ethical base but then compete as a business with zest and imagination.

Note the reference in his bio to the effect that "he has remained at the forefront of the movement to radically change organisations and how they are led in the face of new consumer, global and technological realities". The major law firms (as well as the not-so-major) are facing the same challenges as business — after all, they serve business. I believe competitive advantage belongs to those who listen to Tom, think about what he is saying, and then creatively apply his ideas where appropriate and with courage.

If you don't have time to read all his books, check out his blog and wire service.

By the way, I am delighted to see that the content from his book Re-Imagine! has been used to create four small-format books: Leadership, Talent, Design, and Trends. They're called the Essentials Series. Trusting Tom's marketing savvy, this will get the message to a lot more people (including, I suggest, those in the legal profession for whom the larger tome seems like too big a distraction from the "billable hour").

Thank you again, Tom — your taking the time means a great deal to me.

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At Edge International, we are very proud of our Innovaction Awards that we produce in concert with The College of Law Practice Management.

A HUGE thank you to Prism Legal Consulting for their reminder of the approaching deadline (June 14)

Awards (by firm size) will be presented in four categories:

Client Service Virtuosos
Sponsored by ABA Law Practice Management Section
Those evidencing the best innovation in client service or delivery.

Market Disruptors
Sponsored by Greenfield/Belser Ltd.
Those who have displayed the best innovation in the creation of an entirely new revenue stream or market development.

Knowledge Stars
Sponsored by Baker Robbins & Company
Those who have made the most innovative advances in skill-building or knowledge-sharing initiatives.

Leader Ships
Sponsored by Astin Tarlton
Those who have taken the most innovative action toward improving their internal management or firm efficiency.

If you have any questions about the awards, kindly contact my Edge International colleague, Patrick McKenna, by email or phone him at 780.428.1052.

If you are curious, you can read about last year's winners here.

I understand that for many it's too late for this year, so why not find out how to enter and get a headstart on next year.

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Yes, police can pepper spray you... because what they do to the least of us , they do to all of us... I hope you feel a little uncomfortable - we all should... Want to see what I am talking about? Look at this: A rough ride

He showed them the receipt! It is sickening...

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Andersen was the best of the best - training, growth, strategy - they were the role model - and then the scapegoat hunt happened in that great country with the best constitution in the world... that country that threw tea in the harbor... the country where people are innocent until proven guilty... that country stepped on them as if they were ants... tinier ants than they really were... and now, like the rapists DNA - they are exonerated - SHAME ON THE ZEALOTS WHO CRUSHED THEM

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OK - now it's getting funny (whew). See post below that horrified even me (about P.E.I., a Canadian province, reducing its suicide line from 24 hours to 9AM to 5PM - RIDICULOUS).

In reversing the cut, P.E.I. Health Minister Chester Gillan said his department was responding to concerns expressed by Islanders. He also said the province would consider expanding the service to help people with gambling problems. (I am not making this up - please have a glance.)

Good grief... we go from abandoning suicidal people for the 16 hours every day when they are most likley to need help to tossing gamblers into the 24 hour system.

I think I will stop reading Canadian news for a couple of days. I can't take the excitement.

(Thank goodness the earlier decision was reversed - Oh Canada)

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An extremely embarrassing moment for every Canadian:

TORONTO (Reuters) - A Canadian province will shut its 24-hour suicide hotline and replace it with one that operates only during business hours. Prince Edward Island, a small province on Canada's East Coast, says it is too expensive to operate the hotline around the clock. Starting June 1, it will be open only between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

I post this with trepidation - take a look.

If this were not shocking - it would be funny... but it is not funny at all.

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How wonderful that my well deserved compliment of Heather Arthur came to the attention of her husband, Jonathan, (on their second anniversary no less). How extremely wonderful that he validated that compliment and then some - see for yourself - it warms the heart: My Wife; The Secret Weapon

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Is The [Non] Billable blogger, Matthew Homann, in horrible violation of blogger ethics?

I say "NO" because of the full and candid disclosure (and after all, he is not an elected official spending the money of innocent victims - tax payers)

Check out his blog Legalmatch and Me and see if you agree with me.

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A picture is worth a thousand sermons. So Monica Bay hits another one out of the park.

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Law.Com boasts '40 Under 40': Achievements and Influence.

What would you expect from Cravath other than their 39 year old entrant, Faiza Saeed, boasting Mergers and acquisitions in the "billions" with a "B".

When it comes to handling transactions, don't talk to Faiza Saeed in millions of dollars, or even billions. Talk in hundreds of billions.

Saeed has been with New York-based Cravath since graduating from Harvard Law School in 1991, first as a summer associate, then working her way up to equity partner.

Did you notice the "her" in that quote? I hope so. Bravo Faiza!

More on Faiza Saeed

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Exhibit One:

Count out 70,000 of your crispest $50 bills for me - I need you to have $3.5 million in cash ready by the time you finish reading this so you will know first hand how big a briefcase you'd need and how heavy that briefcase would be... so you'll know whether you could sneak it through customs for one of your best buddies. You would do that for a buddy, wouldn't you?

Exhibit Two: a very famous deceased man, may he rest in peace - helps if he was the best male singer in the 20th century - yup, Frank Sinatra, Chairman of the Board, Old Blue Eyes himself

Exhibit Three: an unauthorized biography by two individuals, namely Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan - now given how much bigger Summer's name is on the cover, below, I checked him out - he likes writing about dead people who can't fight back - check his previous titles:

The File on the Tsar, on the fate of the Romanovs;

Conspiracy, on the assassination of President Kennedy;

Official and Confidential, on J. Edgar Hoover;

The Arrogance of Power, on Richard Nixon;

Goddess : and The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe.

By the way, it helps that the Sinatra unauthorized biography isn't available yet - otherwise we could actually examine it (it will be available May 16th),

Exhibit Four: a generous helping of hearsay evidence from one of the funniest men of the 20th century (namely Jerry Lewis). Reuters: reports that: "According to Vanity Fair, the authors do not claim that Lewis witnessed the customs incident but rather related the account "as a fact of which he had knowledge." But alas, we understand Jerry's motivation - he finished his own biography at his own web site with these words:

"I shall pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again!"

So gather up your exhibits and judge for yourself. Here's my take on this. I have no idea what the veracity of the about-to-be-published unauthorized biography is. Here's my point - neither does the press. Yet the press is arrogant enough and greedy enough to smear one of the greatest legends of all time with a preposterous and implausible story based on hearsay evidence that no court would accept. Why? Because someone sent them a press release? How is that responsible.

OK, now I will confess where I got the idea of how improbable having 70,000 bills in a briefcase is - In the CNN.com publication of Reuter's story, The CNN Editor credits CNN.com readers with the basis for pointing out how ridiculous this story is. The CNN Editor does not pull the story, but slips these words in parentheses at the end:

(Editor's note: Several CNN.com readers have pointed out that Sinatra's briefcase would not only have to have been very large -- $3.5 million is 70,000 bills -- but would weigh about 150 pounds. CNN.com spoke to the publisher, who confirmed the Lewis quotation is accurate.)

(Yeah - the Lewis hearsay quotation is accurate.)

So the CNN.com Editor is suspicious enough to include the paranthetical remarks but still floats the story... why?

I wonder where Mr. Lewis' knowledge came from. From the same place as his knowledge that skinny Mr. Sinatra (as he then was) could carry the world's largest and heaviest briefcase through customs, risking his fame, wealth and liberty for his questionable buddies. Oh and the authorities were so inept, that having opened this briefcase, and with $3.5 Million in front of them, Sinatra's adoring fans were just too distracting to allow them to notice the 70,000 bills. Great story, Jerry. Great knowledge.

Would someone out there please join me in telling Reuters, CNN and others who repeat this story that not everyone who looks at the news is inert enough to simply accept whatever tripe is loaded onto our screens... SHAME on Reuters and everyone who picked up the story for victimizing the defenseless deceased on such a shallow foundation - ask yourself one simple question - if Sinatra were alive, how big would his punitive damage award ultimately be.

What has this to do with this blog, "Amazing Firms, Amazing Practices,"? Not much but I am a Sinatra fan and choose not to sit idly by while the lazy press participates in the postumous execution of his reputation. If there were the fragrance of proof, I would like to see it. I am afraid the knowledge of Jerry Lewis who heard about this second hand is way too little... and the press should be embarrassed to base a story on it.

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Stress in the legal profession is off the Richter scale - many great lawyers are turning to unhealthy ways to find inner calm. If you need a daily dose of sanity to help you stay (or get) centered, look at the One Sentence Journal.

It's author, Larry Anderson, was my client when I was in active practice and continues to be a dear friend but neither warrants this recommendation. I recommend his One Sentence Journal because Larry is truly amazing: a financial success, a model husband and father, a revered community leader, a voracious reader, an intellectual, a philanthropist, a gifted communicator, and, I think you will soon agree, a man of great wisdom. Check out his daily dose of advice and insight.

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Whales are dancing in front of our home so there will be no blogs today... (from Anguilla, B.W.I.)

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