In Defense of the Billable Hour
Photo by Victoria Rain at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | June 29, 2023 The other day I heard a story about a furniture store in Toronto known to cater to the wealthy. The owner purchased an unusual item in Vietnam for twenty dollars. He brought it back to his store and promoted it as a one-of-a-kind […]
Shifting in-house from cost centres to strategic centres should be consultants’ consuming objective
Mark Le Blanc says leaders must expand their teams’ skill sets and approach management anew By Julius Melnitzer | June 28, 2023 Shifting legal departments from cost centres to strategic centres should be consultants’ consuming objective in advising in-house leaders, says Marc Le Blanc, a former general counsel turned consultant at Toronto-based Simplex Legal LLP, affiliated […]
Yoga, Mental Health, and Law Firms
Photo by Antoni Shkraba at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | June 27, 2003 If any among you have not yet happened upon the writings of H.L. Mencken, you should correct that. Among his many pithy quotes are the following gems: One of H.L. Mencken’s quotes that seems particularly apt for law firm management is this one: […]
Sheila Ritson-Bennett says a creative mindset at Corus Entertainment bodes well for her ESG program
Sheila Ritson-Bennett says Corus culture has a level of courage about new ideas By Julius Melnitzer | June 26, 2023 The creative and entrepreneurial mindset at Corus Entertainment Inc., says Sheila Ritson-Bennett, the company’s first head of environment and sustainability, governance, bodes well for the goals she is striving to achieve. “People are very open and […]
Call ME, Maybe!
Photo by Brett Sayles at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | June 22, 2023 There once was a law firm which marketed itself as lawyers with deep expertise in different areas of the law who worked together seamlessly to deliver the best possible outcomes for their clients. Let’s call them “Super Team Lawyers.” Super Team compensated its […]
Mastercard’s Marvin Mikhail: good in-house counsel are ‘sponges’ who soak up business from inside
When in-house teams are doing their job properly, legal services are not a commodity, says Marvin Mikhail By Julius Melnitzer | June 21, 2023 Marvin Mikhail, vice president and senior managing counsel for Mastercard in Canada, likens his role to that of a sponge. “Successful in-house lawyers are most valuable when they advise their companies from […]
Welcome to the World of Clients
Photo by Alex Green at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | June 19, 2023 When I practiced law, drummed into my head was the notion that every mistake was a potential catastrophe and a source of shame. I was a perfectionist and proud of it. I was also a little bit intense and not particularly healthy. […]
Stepping out of her comfort zone is the key to success for Isabelle Durand, CLO at iA Financial
Isabelle Durand had much to learn when she moved to the highly regulated financial services sector By Julius Melnitzer | June 16, 2023 When Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. asked Isabelle Durand to step out of her comfort zone and become the company’s vice president and chief legal officer, she jumped at the opportunity: […]
A Retirement Primer for Slow Partners
Photo by Magda Ehlers at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | June 15, 2023 I recently wrote an article titled You are Old. We are Greedy. Get the Hell Out! In that article, I lamented the fact that law firms often nudge (or push, or shove) lawyers out of their firms when they hit their sixties. If […]
WorkSafeNB’s GC David Luther cleared a 9-month, 400-case backlog in six weeks
By Julius Melnitzer | June 14, 2023 Within six weeks of implementing general counsel David Luther’s recommendations in June 2022, the Decision Review Office of WorkSafeNB, the New Brunswick crown corporation charged with administering the province’s workers’ compensation regime, had eliminated its 400-case, 9-month wait backlog, implemented core service standards and automation, and lowered operational costs. […]