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April 08, 2011
Los Angeles
"Hollywood is the one place in the world where you can die of encouragement." --Dorothy Parker
Posted by JD Hull at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
April 06, 2011
Writing Well: The Rain Man v. The Boilerplate Vampires.
Our friend Ray Ward is a man any new hire--an ambitious law clerk, sought-after first-year associate, needy Teacup, stressed Tubbie, or flat-out Looter-in-Training--would be lucky to meet on the first day of work.
Unfortunately, most of us don't meet anyone like him. So we risk a quicker and more hideous transformation to the ranks of generic lawyers, mechanics, "legal professionals", law cattle and, in extreme cases, Crested Newts.
In this profession, bad Shapeshifting happens.
Ward, a writer, Renaissance man, and appellate lawyer with New Orleans-based powerhouse Adams and Reese LLP, can help you avoid these mutations. He's wary of legal forms, or templates, to do his own work. Indeed, any boilerplate gives him the willies. Read "An Editorial Against Boilerplate" and "The Vampires of Legal Writing" at his The (New) Legal Writer.
Generic New Orleans Forms-Vampire
Vampire-Killer Ray Ward
Posted by Holden Oliver (Kitzbühel Desk) at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)
April 04, 2011
Overheard in Brentwood.
Every time I listen to other people, everything just gets all f_cked up.
--Guy in a restaurant
Posted by JD Hull at 03:50 PM | Comments (0)
April 03, 2011
Confucius Said: Un-Friend Lames. Un-Follow Beavis/Butthead. Surround Yourself with Equals or Betters.
Have no friends not equal to yourself.
-- Confucius (551 BC–479 BC)
The unproductive Age of PC Nice of the last several decades is Over. Get a better standard. True, the virtues of Warmth, Charity and Civility are always important--and always will be. But Growth tops all three. And to grow, you'll need new skin. Hang with equals--and if at all possible with your "betters".
Learn more. Challenge yourself. Stop surrounding yourself and your employees with people who merely make you and yours feel "comfortable". And maybe even feel superior.
Un-friend and un-follow the "not growing" on your Social Media accounts: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. Dump bad clients. Phase out bad GCs.
Give marginal employees the old Heave-Ho. Fire bad employees. Do it now. Stretch yourself. Save your firm.
Play tennis with people who rarely double fault--but the ones with first serves which (at first) you can barely even see.
Grow. Advance. Get further down the road. It's either you or them, Jack. Sure, be "Nice". But do save yourself. Don't let people lacking your energy and drive hold you or yours back.
Confucius, by Wu Daozi (680–740)
Posted by JD Hull at 11:03 PM | Comments (0)