Legal directories in the Middle East

The 12th April is, apparently, the anniversary of the day that the first US colonists arrived at 'Cape Disappointment'.  This year that coincides with the publication of the EMEA Legal 500. How, I wonder, will you be feeling? Disappointed? Elated? Vindicated?...


Latin America: challenges and opportunities for law firms

As a fan of 1980s US TV exports, I'm worried that the five days I have planned in Miami won't include many encounters with people who wear shoes with no socks, or who sport a white blazer jacket with the...


Insurers everywhere, but where are the lawyers?

The Lord Chancellor's decision this week to cut the discount rate used to calculate lump-sum payouts in personal injury (PI) claims from 2.5 percent to minus 0.75 percent was bad news for insurers but good news for those injured through no fault...


How to humanise a corporate crisis – PwC at the Oscars

Ah the Oscars 2017. Emma Stone in fringed Givenchy, Jimmy Kimmel ribbing Matt Damon and – finally – an awards year that represents a real show of diversity. The Academy must feel so proud of everything that the 2017 awards...


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...