I’ll Tell You What He Didn’t Do
By Murray Gottheil | June 13, 2024 Those of you who read my stuff from time to time know that when I retired, I moved to the country, bought a pick-up truck, and started listening to country music. One song I like is by Carly Pearce, and it has the following lyrics: … Everybody’s asking what […]
Career Quiz for Law Students and Young Lawyers
Photos by Ingo Joseph at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | June 12, 2024 So you went to law school and participated in the legal clinic at the University of Toronto’s Fasken Building or won a scholarship from Davies at Osgoode Hall. Somehow your law school experience gave you the impression that if a Big Law firm […]
To All the Law Students Who I have Loved (or Just Liked a Bit)
Photo by Luana Freitas at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | June 11, 2024 I write a lot about work/life balance, mental health, and the pursuit of things other than money in the legal profession. My wife (and lawyer) Maureen McKay has laughed at me about this (among other things). “Murray, if any of the young people […]
My Journey To the Land of Setting Expectations
Photo by Panos and Marenia Stavrinos from Pexels By Murray Gottheil | June 5, 2024 Back in the good old days, I billed by the hour, just like every other lawyer. I had a simple retainer agreement with my clients by which they agreed to pay my hourly rate for the hours I spent on their […]
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 […]
Money, Money, Money
Photo by Karolina Grabowska at Pexels By Murray Gottheil | May 20, 2024 I love money. I love everything about it. I bought some pretty good stuff. Got me a $300 pair of socks. Got a fur sink. An electric dog polisher. A gasoline powered turtleneck sweater. And, of course, I bought some dumb stuff, too. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]