Reflections on M&A, Musical Chairs, and Mental Health
By Murray Gottheil | May 28, 2024 People of my vintage remember playing musical chairs at birthday parties, back before the days when money was so plentiful that it seemed important to impress neighbours by hiring clowns and musicians or renting bouncy castles to entertain five-year-olds. For those of you who did not have the pleasure […]
Gratitude and The Appreciation Deficit
Photo by Wewe Yang at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | May 22, 2024 I am happy because I’m grateful. I choose to be grateful. That gratitude allows me to be happy — Will Arnett The other day I received a private message from a lawyer whom I have never met in person. She expressed her appreciation […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Trump judges, citing university’s failure to condemn antisemitic acts, won’t hire Columbia grads | European Human Rights Court opens floodgates for climate change litigation | Kielburgers’ mother can proceed with defamation claim | Federal Court certifies class action for “mental illness stigmatization” by Canadian Armed Forces | Bennett Jones appoints new office managing partners
By Julius Melnitzer | May 21, 2024 TRUMP APPOINTEES BOYCOTT COLUMBIA GRADS NBC reports that 13 federal judges appointed by Donald Trump chose Holocaust Remembrance Day to announce that they would not hire students who graduated from Columbia University, which they called “an incubator of bigotry” in which “professors and administrators are on the front […]
Be Wrong, Confidently!
Photo by Rene Asmussen at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | May 7, 2024 I came across a lawyer the other day who makes mistakes in his communications with clients and the other side. None of the errors will likely land him in too much trouble. They may even be excusable based on the theory that spending […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: Climate disruption and natural asset management: perfect legal storm? | Neurodivergent lawyers stay under the radar for fear of discrimination
By Julius Melnitzer | May 6, 2024 NATURAL ASSETS INITIATIVES’S LEGAL PRIMER EXPOSES RISKS IN NATURAL ASSETS MANAGEMENT The growing frequency of climate disruption with its associated impacts in costs, combined with the steady growth of climate and nature-related litigation will doubtless increase the legal risk associated with natural asset management, the process of inventorying […]
Living in Different Worlds
Photo by Pixabay at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | May 3, 2024 I believe that lawyers should not compete based on price. I tell this to my mentees, and sometimes they respond, “That is easy for you to say from a cruise ship in the Pacific. I’m struggling to get files in the door and pay […]
BARE BONES BRIEFS: 60-year-old lawyer seeks Miss Universe crown | OCA to trial judges: don’t call parties’ testimony ‘self-serving’ | No correlation between ‘attack dog’ counsel and success | AI legal robot sued: lacks license to practice
By Julius Melnitzer | May 2, 2024 SEXAGENARIAN IN-HOUSE COUNSEL CROWNED MISS BUENOS AIRES Alejandra Rodriguez, a 60-year old Argentinian hospital lawyer, pictured above, has won the Miss Buenos Aires contest. If she wins the next round in the Miss Universe competition by becoming Miss Argentina, she will enter the final, international round as the […]
Ordering Off Menu
By Murray Gottheil | April 30, 2024 I like eating out, but I don’t always like what is on the menu. I have been known to explain to the server that I consider a menu to be merely an indication of which ingredients the chef has in the kitchen, together with samples of some of the […]
Feminists – Honesty Is Not Always The Best Policy
Photo by Markus Spiske at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | April 28, 2024 I was speaking to a newbie lawyer the other day. I am going to call her Sue, which is definitely not her real name. Sue is an intelligent young woman, but like many of us when we are starting out, is perhaps just a […]
Figures Don’t Lie…
Photo by Markus Winkler at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | April 24, 2024 The following recent headline in Law360 caught my attention: “Law360 Canada Pulse survey shows strong satisfaction among lawyers with their jobs.” Although I love Law360 and think very highly of its writers, the headline took me aback because it does not ring true […]