Monthly Archive for July, 2009

We try very hard to inform our clients of relevant major developments in the business and legal worlds. In addition to periodic updates, I think it is equally important that you have an ongoing dialogue with your clients. You need to meet with them as often as you can – which is probably going to [...]

Whether negotiating documents or resolving a dispute, the way to succeed is to have an early, thoughtful conversation with key client decision-makers. When you go into a negotiation, you must have a result in mind. You should start the negotiation at a place that you believe will get you to the end result. I think [...]

As I look back over 40 years of practice, and also try to look forward, I think that there are long trends. The pendulum swings back and forth . . . usually too far in one direction and then too far in the other direction. I have seen stock market booms and busts, periods of [...]

My primary advice to a young lawyer is to find your personal strengths and build on them. You can also work on your weaknesses, but your strengths are what are really going to make you successful. You should think about what they are, figure out how to make the best use of them and build [...]

To be a great corporate lawyer, you must listen to what your clients and others say. I remember somebody telling me, “You don’t learn very much by talking. You already know what you’re going to say, but you can learn a lot by listening to others.” Taking the time to listen also lets you take [...]

Good judgment and problem-solving skills are related to creativity, and some people are just better at that than others. I see many brilliant young lawyers come out of the best law schools in the country. If you look at their academic records and test scores and talk to them, they’re as smart as whips – [...]

Creativity is another critical aspect of helping the client achieve its business goals. To be truly successful, you must be creative . . . to think “out of the box.” One of my partners, Ron Wilder, has been extremely successful in doing that. I recall a situation in which a big corporate client had a [...]