I really hate it when someone comes in to raise new issues after there has been protracted negotiations, or things are supposed to be close to final. Worse still, these are often people who are either higher up, or gatekeeper departments. They are either so swamped they only come in at the last moment, feel they are so high up that it ...

Legal counsel often say they merely point out the risks, and the business makes a decision to proceed. We remove ourselves from the responsibility of making decisions. This is unrealistic, and reduces the value of legal advice. Lawyers don't just point out risks, we have a hand in guiding decision makers to the right decisions, or even...

Vanity amendments are those which improve a text only in terms of appearance. They do nothing to change the meaning or to improve clarity by reducing the possibility of a false interpretation. Vanity amendments are not bad in and of themselves. Improving appearance is still an improvement. There are times when we need documents to look...

The practice of law is disconnected from reality. This is causing lawyers to lose relevance and value. Laws and legal documents are too complex. Legal documents are lengthy, poorly structured, and difficult to read. Statutes contain a maze of cross-references and technical language. The average person lacks the time, energy, and attent...