Where'd February go??
Its a funny month February. For me this year Feb's key moments involved:
Half term
Valentines Day
Barack Obama
The earthquake
I almost failed to blog for a whole month as well for the first time in 2 years (and this is a piss poor effort)
Funniest moment was when the wife woke me to announce the arrival of the earthquake - to which i replied dont be so bleeding ridiculous - then the photo frame hanging over the bed fell on my pillow narrowly missing an artery.
Never doubt the word of a good woman - however ridiculous it sounds - she's probably right
A man is incomplete until he's married -
then he's finished
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
A new broom sweeps cleanest - but and old one gets into the corners!
10 reasons why age & experience count for an awful lot in LAW
Im bigging up the forty-somethings here because we are sometimes in need of a little luvvin. The young pups walk away with plaudits just for chewing a bone the right way so occasionally you have to remind yourselves just why older is better when it comes to law.
1) Long memories
Its an obvious one but lets face it - when your good at the job and always willing to learn - a mature lawyer will generally pee all over a youngster. There is nothing better in a meeting than unearthing a gem of a case law buried in the dark recesses of your mind whilst the yoof tries flicking thru his / her text books to locate it.
2) Patience
You learn that fast isnt always good. Speed can sometimes slow you down in the long game and cause errors that you may never recover from. Oldies dont rush - time is money, remember?
3) Status & Gravitas
The yoof have no status or gravitas - Fact. You cant buy it off the shelf let me tell ya. Well maybe occasionally.
4) Politics
Its a fact that to get on in law you really have to be a smart politician. That means you keep an eye on the power base in the practice, say the right thing at the right time and make key decisions at key moments. Dont work hard all year round at this game only to end up shagging the office pirhana round the back of the nightclub at Christmas. The older the lawyer - the better the politician - guaranteed.
5) The real world
Oldies live in the real world. Weve been kicked a few times and survived. Weve had our bits chewed and yet we remain resoloute. We know bullshit when we hear it and we know where to draw the line in terms of our abilities. Yoofs understandly are like toddlers who have yet to touch something hot or taste something nasty. Staying with the toddler analogy - just because youve managed to pee straight into the potty a few times doesnt mean you wont piss on the floor once in a while. Stay grounded and keep it real kids
6) Kids suck up
Oldies dont suck up to management. There's no point you see - weve either reached the level at which you get sucked up to or weve dropped down below to the level where you dont need to bother sucking up any longer. Life when sucking up is no longer a necessity - can be very sweet indeed.
7) Clients love an oldie to handle their case - Fact
They really do - clients love gravitas when it comes to who handles their cases. They dont mess oldies around either. On the other side of the coin however, one glimpse of a pimply yoofs mugshot on the firms website can be enough to turn many a clients stomach. You often hear "he looks much younger than he sounds" which is client code for "youve landed me with a bleeding hoodie"
8) Oldies bill more £££ - Fact
Bit harsh but a truism nonetheless.
9) Oldies dont do lunch
Or to put it another way we dont see the need to spend every second of the allotted hour doing lunch just because its in the contract. We dont mess around reading tabloids or looking at Youtube (maybe the odd blawg though?). As soon as our ass hits the seat - we work. We do have the occasional power lunch though - they are worth the effort. See 4)
10) The older you are - the more you appreciate 21st century LAW
Law is better - bigger - smarter - more accessible - more focused - more progressive today than it has ever been before. Its the truth kids ------- BELIEVE!
That last bit relates of course to CIVIL law. Everyone knows criminal law has gone to the dogs thanks to the reformers.
If this post dont get some of those pesky kids yapping and snapping - I dont know what will!
10 reasons why age & experience count for an awful lot in LAW
Im bigging up the forty-somethings here because we are sometimes in need of a little luvvin. The young pups walk away with plaudits just for chewing a bone the right way so occasionally you have to remind yourselves just why older is better when it comes to law.
1) Long memories
Its an obvious one but lets face it - when your good at the job and always willing to learn - a mature lawyer will generally pee all over a youngster. There is nothing better in a meeting than unearthing a gem of a case law buried in the dark recesses of your mind whilst the yoof tries flicking thru his / her text books to locate it.
2) Patience
You learn that fast isnt always good. Speed can sometimes slow you down in the long game and cause errors that you may never recover from. Oldies dont rush - time is money, remember?
3) Status & Gravitas
The yoof have no status or gravitas - Fact. You cant buy it off the shelf let me tell ya. Well maybe occasionally.
4) Politics
Its a fact that to get on in law you really have to be a smart politician. That means you keep an eye on the power base in the practice, say the right thing at the right time and make key decisions at key moments. Dont work hard all year round at this game only to end up shagging the office pirhana round the back of the nightclub at Christmas. The older the lawyer - the better the politician - guaranteed.
5) The real world
Oldies live in the real world. Weve been kicked a few times and survived. Weve had our bits chewed and yet we remain resoloute. We know bullshit when we hear it and we know where to draw the line in terms of our abilities. Yoofs understandly are like toddlers who have yet to touch something hot or taste something nasty. Staying with the toddler analogy - just because youve managed to pee straight into the potty a few times doesnt mean you wont piss on the floor once in a while. Stay grounded and keep it real kids
6) Kids suck up
Oldies dont suck up to management. There's no point you see - weve either reached the level at which you get sucked up to or weve dropped down below to the level where you dont need to bother sucking up any longer. Life when sucking up is no longer a necessity - can be very sweet indeed.
7) Clients love an oldie to handle their case - Fact
They really do - clients love gravitas when it comes to who handles their cases. They dont mess oldies around either. On the other side of the coin however, one glimpse of a pimply yoofs mugshot on the firms website can be enough to turn many a clients stomach. You often hear "he looks much younger than he sounds" which is client code for "youve landed me with a bleeding hoodie"
8) Oldies bill more £££ - Fact
Bit harsh but a truism nonetheless.
9) Oldies dont do lunch
Or to put it another way we dont see the need to spend every second of the allotted hour doing lunch just because its in the contract. We dont mess around reading tabloids or looking at Youtube (maybe the odd blawg though?). As soon as our ass hits the seat - we work. We do have the occasional power lunch though - they are worth the effort. See 4)
10) The older you are - the more you appreciate 21st century LAW
Law is better - bigger - smarter - more accessible - more focused - more progressive today than it has ever been before. Its the truth kids ------- BELIEVE!
That last bit relates of course to CIVIL law. Everyone knows criminal law has gone to the dogs thanks to the reformers.
If this post dont get some of those pesky kids yapping and snapping - I dont know what will!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
The party season is upon us!
My role at these events is always one of crowd control. It comes with the territory nowadays and this is a burden shared by many of my contemporaries. You simply cant let your hair down any more at these events.
That said, you do get to stay scandal free which can be very useful during the coming year.
Here is the scorecard for the night (despite our best efforts)
Sadly there is one possible sacking following a grope that went badly wrong. The groper thought his actions were appropriate, the victim most certainly did not. Discussions are ongoing but he's got to go in my opinion, it was borderline re police involvement.
In addition to the above there were two quite shocking trysts.
One involving a married partner (a common event) and the other two chaps caught in a cubicle.
The fact that the two chaps were caught at it would not be such a big deal but they were discovered by a senior partner who went for a pee and heard them on the job. "Im not having that sort of thing going on in this practice" came the response. Oh dear..... if only he knew what else was happening on the night!
Have a merry one everybody..... and dont forget, at the xmas party you are always being watched. Take my advice and have your fun elsewhere!!
Every year I provide a snapshot of the goings on at our xmas bash. One thing that can always be guaranteed is that there will be a SCANDAL of some kind involving two people you normally wouldnt expect to misbehave. This year didnt disappoint
But more of that later
My role at these events is always one of crowd control. It comes with the territory nowadays and this is a burden shared by many of my contemporaries. You simply cant let your hair down any more at these events.
That said, you do get to stay scandal free which can be very useful during the coming year.
Here is the scorecard for the night (despite our best efforts)
- 3 vomiting trainees
- 1 fight (well alright a minor scuffle between two aspiring associates)
- 4 very open and steamy snogging sessions
- 2 people making complete asses of themselves trying to paw members of the opposite sex (with an unsuccessful outcome)
- 5 people remonstrated with for abuse of the extremely shortlived "FREE" bar (major no-no)
- 9 people late for work the next day
- 2 stripteases when Sex bomb by Tom Jones came on
Sadly there is one possible sacking following a grope that went badly wrong. The groper thought his actions were appropriate, the victim most certainly did not. Discussions are ongoing but he's got to go in my opinion, it was borderline re police involvement.
In addition to the above there were two quite shocking trysts.
One involving a married partner (a common event) and the other two chaps caught in a cubicle.
The fact that the two chaps were caught at it would not be such a big deal but they were discovered by a senior partner who went for a pee and heard them on the job. "Im not having that sort of thing going on in this practice" came the response. Oh dear..... if only he knew what else was happening on the night!
Id better keep my little scorecard to myself
Have a merry one everybody..... and dont forget, at the xmas party you are always being watched. Take my advice and have your fun elsewhere!!
Saturday, December 01, 2007
If this doesnt make you laugh.......
From Tim Kevans blog - the funniest cat clip ever:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nVM4fB6td9o
From Tim Kevans blog - the funniest cat clip ever:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nVM4fB6td9o
Friday, November 16, 2007
How much do solicitors get paid?
Now here's a subject you wont see written about often, if ever on the blawg circuit.
PAY!
Bit vulgar for some but lets face it - you aint in this game for the love.
How much is a 2 year qualified solicitor paid nowadays?
We are recruiting right now and weve got the usual discussions going on with senior staff. We all read the Gazette and see the salaries on offer. Remuneration will generally be based on a few key factors:
Location
Candidates experience
Specialism
The firm's policy
Now we had a good discussion this week about commission versus nailed on salary. My view is that we should offer low to mid range salary packages with good commission so that the successful candidates can earn good money if they work hard and get results. Equally if you mess about you will get very little above your salary.
Regular readers (I have around 5) will know that I dont like shirkers or trainees who think the world owes them a living. Im old school and proud of it.
People in our senior team seem to favour mid level salary with little or no commission. The package is enhanced after 2 years etc.
For a 2 year qualified solicitor in the personal injury field:
With commission - good people will earn around £40k
Without - it will be in the low 30s
We dont offer any extra benefits - its a lean mean machine that we run here Im afraid. But my view is commission works every time over guaranteed salary.
Here's some useful info on salaries in the industry
Oh and by the way - I earn £65k plus bonuses, private healthcover, fuel allowance, life cover and I also get free coffee - in case your wondering
Our top men earn around £80k plus the extras and equity share
The top man clears £120k plus his bonuses and of course the largest slice of equity
When you get to this level - the job definitely does pay well.
Told you this was a vulgar subject - but why the hell shouldnt we discuss it on the blogosphere?
Now here's a subject you wont see written about often, if ever on the blawg circuit.
PAY!
Bit vulgar for some but lets face it - you aint in this game for the love.
How much is a 2 year qualified solicitor paid nowadays?
We are recruiting right now and weve got the usual discussions going on with senior staff. We all read the Gazette and see the salaries on offer. Remuneration will generally be based on a few key factors:
Location
Candidates experience
Specialism
The firm's policy
Now we had a good discussion this week about commission versus nailed on salary. My view is that we should offer low to mid range salary packages with good commission so that the successful candidates can earn good money if they work hard and get results. Equally if you mess about you will get very little above your salary.
Regular readers (I have around 5) will know that I dont like shirkers or trainees who think the world owes them a living. Im old school and proud of it.
People in our senior team seem to favour mid level salary with little or no commission. The package is enhanced after 2 years etc.
For a 2 year qualified solicitor in the personal injury field:
With commission - good people will earn around £40k
Without - it will be in the low 30s
We dont offer any extra benefits - its a lean mean machine that we run here Im afraid. But my view is commission works every time over guaranteed salary.
Here's some useful info on salaries in the industry
Oh and by the way - I earn £65k plus bonuses, private healthcover, fuel allowance, life cover and I also get free coffee - in case your wondering
Our top men earn around £80k plus the extras and equity share
The top man clears £120k plus his bonuses and of course the largest slice of equity
When you get to this level - the job definitely does pay well.
Told you this was a vulgar subject - but why the hell shouldnt we discuss it on the blogosphere?
Friday, November 09, 2007
New legal blogs
Not had a look around for fresh blood for some time. In the last 12 months that I have been blogging there has been a surge of new blawgs coming online.
Here is a few that caught my eye:
Pupillage and how to get it
Law Minx
Liadnan
Law Actually
Oh how I pray for an insurer based blogger (or blawgger) to publish something - surely they must have something to say on that side of the fence?
Not had a look around for fresh blood for some time. In the last 12 months that I have been blogging there has been a surge of new blawgs coming online.
Here is a few that caught my eye:
Pupillage and how to get it
Law Minx
Liadnan
Law Actually
Oh how I pray for an insurer based blogger (or blawgger) to publish something - surely they must have something to say on that side of the fence?
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