
"The objective is to have only the most valuable people in London or New York, and the others in India, China or Columbus, Ohio,” said Robert Profusek, co-head of the mergers and acquisitions practice at Jones Day in New York, who sends low-end work to the cheapest locations and plans to open a document center
Gerry Riskin
Want competitive advantage? Use proper names!
If you want existing clients to like you as much as possible and even more so prospective clients then use proper names in conversation. Now there’s PROOF if you need it.
Most probable reasons you may not be using proper names in conversations:
- You are not completely certain you remember (or pronounce) the name right
…
Montreal’s legendary Desjardins Ducharme to close

It is with personal sadness that I post this news. In September, one of Canada’s most respected law firms will close its doors forever according to a story by lawyer/journalist Jim Middlemiss in today’s Financial Post: “Lawyer exodus shutters Desjardins”.
Jim starts his story:
An era will end for the 100-lawyer law firm Desjardins Ducharme
…
In Memory of the Billable Hour
“Ford & Harrison, a 190-attorney labor and employment firm, has tossed out billable-hour requirements for first-year associates. The program aims to close the practical-skills gap of law school education and increase value to clients. The firm also hopes it will enable associates to handle meatier matters more quickly.“ according to Leigh Jones of The National…
Office stress ruining women lawyers’ lives
“Women at modern-day law firms are so petrified of appearing unproductive that they sometimes conceal cancer or heart attacks to avoid being marginalized” according to Linda Robertson, a veteran Vancouver lawyer as reported in one of Canada’s top National Newspapers, The Globe and Mail, describing a session at The Canadian Bar Association annual meeting held…
Doom and Gloom for the legal profession – it’s coming

Many of my friends and clients know me as a very optimistic person so this post may surprise them. I feel like I am about to watch the next dot com crash only I am not talking about the internet or high tech.
I have held this belief for many months and I believe that…
Seduced by Success
Many great firms that I serve have a common enemy ”complacency” which Is indeed the result of decades of success. Managing Partners complain that they are unable to get their partners to pay attention to their future.
Read Jim Hassett’s blogpost, Have lawyers been seduced by success? In his fantastic blog: Legal…
ZEN and the art of lawyering

This is a San Francisco Chronicle article in which Chronicle Staff Writer Heidi Benson begins:
“Mary Mocine, a 63-year-old Zen priest and former litigator, teaches meditation to burned-out attorneys at weekend retreats at Tassajara in Big Sur and Green Gulch Farm at Muir Beach.”
Litigators may be comforted by this: "You can still…
BlawgWorld 2007 Launch

Congratulations to Blawgworld 2007 on today’s launch and may I express my deep gratitude for being included in the 77 featured blawgs.
Congratulations also to the other 76 included blawgers who are inspirations to me every day.
Send the downloadable Blawgworld 2007 eBook to lawyers you know who would benefit from an introduction to the…
7 Client Interaction Blunders That Blow It Every Time
I am asked frequently why some lawyers create such amazing rapport with their clients. Much of this stems from the art of the first impression . The first client interaction is more about not making a bad impression than it is making a good one.
Here are 7 first client interaction blunders that virtually guarantee…



