Why we think you should enter The Lawyer Awards 2017

The Lawyer is probably one of the best-known publications in the legal sector and every year they throw a rather glitzy awards ceremony where the best and brightest talents in the industry are recognised over a fancy dinner. At MD Communications...


My lunch date with a journalist and a cockroach

Throughout my career I have frequently had breakfast, lunch and dinner with journalists to build relationships. On one occasion my journo lunch date became an actual date and there was a short romance for a couple of months. Not that...


Feedback – sometimes it hurts but it’s essential

How do you feel about feedback? Honestly now. Does it fill you with horror? Do you instantly reject anything that seems remotely like a criticism? Don't worry, if you do then you're not alone. Of course, the thing about feedback is that it's not...


Phil Shiner’s fall from grace

Few lawyers would want to be in lawyer Phil Shiner's shoes right now. This paragraph from the Daily Telegraph is one of the more measured written about him since the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal struck him off the roll last week. 'Far...


Legal awards: what’s the point?

Could Bob Dylan's apparent ambivalence towards his Nobel prize for literature set the new standard for playing it cool around awards? Well, it doesn't seem to have dampened the enthusiasm of stars of screen, now midway through their awards ‘season'. As nominations...


Media training – can you afford to skip it?

In this social media age, we fire off a tweet – expressing sadness at the death of a pop star or concern about an incoming American president's views – hoping a few people will see it; knowing there's a chance it gets...


How to incorporate rankings into your marketing strategy

Legal directory rankings used to be seen as a ‘nice to have,’ a little ego boost once a year and a way of getting one up on your drinking buddies from other firms. Now, with the digital age increasingly making...


Should lawyers be ‘human’ on Twitter?

I've written before about how easy it is to make a social media faux pas these days - and how the strength of this fluid online world can inflate something small into a trending #fail in no time at all. As...


Why KWM’s collapse could threaten YOUR firm’s reputation

Today's headlines confirm the sad news that King & Wood Mallesons LLP is finally filing for administration. Remaining London staff at 10 Queen Street Place are currently being doorstopped by journalists whose colleagues back in the newsroom are phoning round banks,...


Protecting your firm’s reputation after a high-profile exit

If you take an interest in law and politics, then the first week back at work was a treat – Law Society chief executive Catherine Dixon resigned in a letter to Chancery Lane’s 100-strong governing council. The next day, Sir...