Risk Management Strategies
Inside the Lawyer’s Mind Part 3: Urgency
In our previous two posts we learned that good lawyers score in the top 10th percentile on measures of skepticism and autonomy. A third trait that lawyers score high on is urgency, which measures a lawyer’s need to get things done and degree of impatience. Consultant Dr. Larry Richard states in his LAWPRO article that… Read More »
Categories: Career Management, Law Practice Management, Diversity, Risk Management StrategiesInside the Lawyer’s Mind Part 2: Autonomy
Following up on my previous post on lawyers’ personality traits, we discuss autonomy, a trait that helps lawyers do their job but makes them poor bedfellows in a law firm environment. Dr. Larry Richard states in our LAWPRO magazine article “Herding Cats: The Lawyer Personality Revealed” that studies suggest high achieving lawyers score in the 89th… Read More »
Categories: Risk Management Strategies, Practice Aids, Career Management, Wellness and Balance, Law Practice Management, DiversityWhen You Find Yourself Needing A Mentor, It’s Too Late
The other day I received a call from a lawyer I didn’t know seeking help regarding a legal issue I had no expertise in. He was in court, had stepped out for a bit, and called me wanting emergency legal advice on an issue he was going to speak to in 5 minutes. Unfortunately, despite… Read More »
Categories: Risk Management Strategies, Career ManagementDon’t Let Fear Take Over Your Practice
Recently I experienced a night of cold sweats, anxiety, and dread. It all began with a family ski trip to Radium, Alberta. We were looking forward to enjoying the hot springs, the bighorn sheep, and the majesty of the Canadian Rockies. While there we planned to spend some time at the local ski resort. When… Read More »
Categories: Wellness and Balance, Law Practice Management, Biggest Claims Risks, Communication Errors, Risk Management Strategies, Practice Aids, Civil Litigation, Limitations ClaimsWhen taking instructions isn’t taking instructions
How does a diverse population and profession affect our ability as lawyers to settle files, facilitate the purchase of homes, and help businesses grow? It turns out that a number of claims have arisen in recent years where either lawyers have made bad assumptions about their racialized clients, or where racialized lawyers have been taken… Read More »
Categories: Risk Management Strategies, Civil Litigation, DiversityReliance on cultural norms leads lawyer to act without full instructions
In his article “Manage Malpractice Risk by Recognizing Cultural Diversity“, Lorne Shelson (Litigation Director & Counsel in the Specialty Claims Department at LAWPRO) gives five ‘culturally-based’ claims scenarios loosely based on real LAWPRO claims. Here is one scenario: A man retained a lawyer to commence a medical malpractice lawsuit. The man believed that his wife… Read More »
Categories: Risk Management StrategiesIncivility: Practical Consequences for You and Your Client
Debate about lawyers’ incivility – whether it’s on the increase, whether it’s worthy of concern, how it should be handled – caught the attention of many of us in 2012. The subject continues to be discussed, and we can expect to hear more about it in the coming months and years. But high-profile cases aside,… Read More »
Categories: Risk Management Strategies