Regardless how today happened, the real problem is that Big Boss could even take the position in the first instance or craft a contract which aspired to such a result. The problem is using client money as leverage in negotiations. The real problem is attempting to leverage my firms cash flow to obtain unearned money. The real problem is failing to spend one second reviewing the ethics rules or thinking of the client’s interest during the entirety of the process. The problem is another partner telling one client she had no choice between counsel because the they signed a retainer contract with his firm. The problem is telling telling staff to stop working on cases during representation because Big Boss thinks the cases might be leaving with me or knows they are not leaving and does not want to risk any more hours or money on the case. The problem is telling attorneys and paralegals to start billing on hourly fee cases because they are about to settle. The problem is demanding huge trial retainers from clients one week before stepping into court for trial under threat of withdrawal. The problem is that these men who run our proefesion somehow have convinced themselves that they always deserve the windfall they claimed from others whose work made it possible. The problem is that they see clients, associates and partners only as money and profit. The problem is that their egos preclude them from ever seeing anything except their own interest…

The problem … will never be resolved if someone does not step up and do something to stop it.

Read more here and let me know what you think…

Regardless how today happened, the real problem is that Big Boss could even take the position in the first instance or craft a contract which aspired to such a result. The problem is using client money as leverage in negotiations. The real problem is attempting to leverage my firms cash flow to obtain unearned money. The real problem is failing to spend one second reviewing the ethics rules or thinking of the client’s interest during the entirety of the process. The problem is another partner telling one client she had no choice between counsel because the they signed a retainer contract with his firm. The problem is telling telling staff to stop working on cases during representation because Big Boss thinks the cases might be leaving with me or knows they are not leaving and does not want to risk any more hours or money on the case. The problem is telling attorneys and paralegals to start billing on hourly fee cases because they are about to settle. The problem is demanding huge trial retainers from clients one week before stepping into court for trial under threat of withdrawal. The problem is that these men who run our proefesion somehow have convinced themselves that they always deserve the windfall they claimed from others whose work made it possible. The problem is that they see clients, associates and partners only as money and profit. The problem is that their egos preclude them from ever seeing anything except their own interest…

The problem … will never be resolved if someone does not step up and do something to stop it.

Read more here and let me know what you think…

Thanks, David. As I have expressed in email to you, it is a pleasure to be joining you (and the brain trust over at the Legal Ethics Forum) here in the legal ethics dimension of the blogosphere. I encourage others to poke around in the “EthicalEsq Resources” section of your blog to see how much material you have generated and assembled over the past two years. By the way, isn’t it almost your blog’s two-year old birthday?

Thanks, David. As I have expressed in email to you, it is a pleasure to be joining you (and the brain trust over at the Legal Ethics Forum) here in the legal ethics dimension of the blogosphere. I encourage others to poke around in the “EthicalEsq Resources” section of your blog to see how much material you have generated and assembled over the past two years. By the way, isn’t it almost your blog’s two-year old birthday?

David: See what you started? It just took everyone a while to catch on. We’ve already posted a hello to Ben at our site.

David: See what you started? It just took everyone a while to catch on. We’ve already posted a hello to Ben at our site.