It is difficult to imagine a worst case scenario than United Airlines’ now infamous conduct on April 9, 2017, that permitted a 69 year old doctor named David Dao – under United Airlines care and control as a boarded and seated passenger – to be assaulted, bloodied, and dragged from its overbooked airplane with a…
The legal profession around the world is in a period of major – even transformational – change.[1] The global market for corporate legal services has become increasingly competitive. In this legal environment we are seeing the world’s largest accounting firms offering legal services (outside of the U.S.) to mid to large, national, and multinational corporate…
Worldwide, corporations across business sectors are under pressure to reduce the overall costs of legal services without compromising on either quality or service. Corporations are looking for and expecting from their legal counsel greater efficiency, predictability, and cost-effectiveness in the legal services they contract for and receive. As noted by one legal commentator, this basic…
Populism may be the most important force in global politics today. Within this new geopolitical environment, leaders in Canada, the U.S., the UK, Europe, and Australia, among others, face challenges of extraordinary scale and complexity, and confront some of society’s most critical issues both at home and abroad – the economy (economic insecurity, globalization, technology…
The challenges companies face domestically and internationally demand a General Counsel or Chief Legal Officer with a steady hand, a cool head, the ability to think carefully, and the competence to act timely and in an appropriate manner as the circumstances require. Effective General Counsel or Chief Legal Officers (hereinafter referred to as General Counsel)[1]…
What we do as lawyers can be life affirming, helping our clients, and potentially shaping society for the public good. A career as a lawyer is an extraordinary calling, and to be a lawyer in the legal profession is a privilege. Nevertheless, the profession of law today is more challenging today than ever before. The…
It is important to understand that just because someone holds a position of leadership, does not mean they should. Not all leaders are created equal. The problem that is sometimes encountered is a “recognition problem” – we don’t always recognize good leaders from bad leaders, those that may have the necessary skill and ability, but…
In recent years, the number of news stories regarding ethical lapses at many leading organizations reminds us of the critical importance of a strong ethical culture. Regulators and enforcement authorities around the world are progressively of the view that an ethical and compliant business culture is one of the most important tasks for corporate boards…
The legal profession in Canada is in a period of major change. Once insulated, law has become one of the most competitive markets in the new normal.[1] In today’s evolving legal market, lawyers will require a new type of training to develop the skill set required to seize and participate confidently in this ‘new normal’…
If there is one unfortunate corporate theme for defining the first 16 years of this Century, it may well be corporate greed, negligence and malfeasance[1]. Many of the biggest corporate scandals in history happened during this time period, including: Enron (2001), HIH Insurance (2001), WorldCom (2002), Freddie Mac mortgage scandal (2003), AIG accounting scandal (2005),…
