[Ailist] Legal Firms that have moved from I to WE

Mon Dec 24 06:16:10 MST 2007

Dear John:

Thank you for this helpful perspective. You've just widened the frame of  
reference for this research. 

The original inquiry that the firm was seeking to focus on was:

    1.  How can the lawyers work together more collaboratively  amongst each 
other 
    2.  How to bring each other into engagements and client work so  that 
more lawyers from their firm are working to satisfy their clients growing  legal 
needs (rather than go outside to other firms). 
    3.  How to work together as partners - feeling good about  bringing each 
other into engagements.
You've just added an additional prism we can look at - which  is:
    1.  How to bring the "collaborative mindset" into client  work. 
    2.  How to move from a litigious approach to a  reconciliation-without 
dispute approach 
    3.  How to create a win/win.
Thank you for broadening this project focus .... I would be  interested to 
see if your colleague in Sydney, Australia has additional thoughts  about the 
partner to partner collaborations ...

Thank you so much,

Judith

Judith,

It has been some years since I practiced law (as  a
barrister/Arbitrator/Mediator)but having spent a life time in that area  and
a personal bias in favour of the "win win" approach I am interested  in
developments that go in the direction of "we".

Recently I came  into contact with another lawyer here in Sydney (interested
in learning  more about Appreciative Inquiry) who introduced me to the fact
that there  is a fast growing body of lawyers and other professionals who
practice and  hold themselves out to be "collaborative lawyers" or
collaborative  professionals.

I have copied her (lorraine Lopich) into this email as a  bcc so as to give
her the choice of responding to you directly with more  information about
lawyers that practice "collaborative  law".

Extracted from one of the google links the following gives you a  better idea
of what "collaborative law" means in this neck of the woods:  

"Collaborative law is a way of solving legal disputes, or  family
separations, by avoiding court. In fact, collaborative lawyers agree  to be
sacked from the case, if they can't negotiate a settlement which  pleases
both sides of the dispute...."

I understand that there are  other "collaborative lawyers" in Canada and the
US. I am told that at least  one of these is quite involved in AI.
I will send you her contact details  when I can.

Have you read "NONZERO" by Graeme Wright - using game  theory it is all about
how civilization has made progress basically because  it (the people in it, I
mean) has made its decisions based on feeling good.  (a very rough summary to
an excellent book that former President Clinton  described as "brilliant".

Cheers

John Loty

AI Advocate  and Facilitator 

"What we focus on grows" 

Learning to improve  by building on what works - our strengths.
Find out more about Strength  based approaches to improvement 

The Appreciative Inquiry  Network

Visit www.appreciativeinquiry.net.au 

PO Box 60 Croydon  NSW 2132
129 Edwin St. North, Croydon NSW 2132
Telephone 61 2 9799  2214
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Our other online  courses and training services can be accessed at:

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-----Original  Message-----
From:  ailist-bounces at lists.business.utah.edu
[mailto:ailist-bounces at lists.business.utah.edu]  On Behalf Of
Benchcomm at aol.com
Sent: Friday, 21 December 2007 2:12  AM
To: ailist at lists.business.utah.edu
Subject: [Ailist] Legal Firms that  have moved from I to WE

Dear AI Colleagues:

Law firms are  notorious for their entrepreneurial, individual  contributor
model,  yet there is interest among some firms to strengthen their   brand
presence by becoming more we-centric.

I am currently doing  some benchmarking research on law firms  who have been
able to shift  their culture from I to WE. 

My interest covers a few areas and I  wondered if anyone can  share case
studies of this evolution. I'd be  glad to package it all up and share  it
back. 
Here are some of my  questions...

LAW FIRMS: I to WE
1.  Do you have  any examples (case studies) of law firms who have
created a WE culture  where there is collaboration, partnering, bringing
colleagues in to work on  servicing client needs beyond what the originator
was  able to do -  and other we-centric behaviors? 
2.  If so, can you  provide some details about: 
1.  The size of the firm,  practice areas, geographic location 
2.  Compensation  structure - all for one/one for all or individual
contributor 
3.  What did they do to create a "we-culture" 
4.  What are their best practices to sustain this orientation? 
5.  What has been the impact - on clients, or their culture,  or
partnering  and on profitability 
6.  Other  things that were important in this story/case

Thank you so much in  advance for helping shape this bigger story. I would
be glad to send  something back to all of you with this research  compiled.

Judith

Judith E. Glaser, CEO
Benchmark  Communications,   Inc.

www.creatingwe.com
jeglaser at creatingwe.com

Author:  Creating We & The DNA of  Leadership Liminal Faculty & Board  Member

116 Central Park  South 9-D
New York, NY 10019
212  307 4386
212 307 0699 (fax)
917 864  8466 (cell)

5  Shorehaven Road
Norwalk, CT 06855
203 838 6982
203  838 7166  (fax)

"We must welcome the future, remembering that soon it  will  be the past; and
we must respect the past remembering that once it was  all  that was humanly
possible." - George Santayana  

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Judith E. Glaser, CEO
Benchmark Communications,  Inc.

www.creatingwe.com  
jeglaser at creatingwe.com

Author: Creating We & The DNA of  Leadership
Liminal Faculty & Board Member

116 Central Park  South 9-D
New York, NY 10019
212 307 4386
212 307 0699 (fax)
917 864  8466 (cell)

5 Shorehaven Road
Norwalk, CT 06855
203 838 6982
203  838 7166 (fax)

"We must welcome the future, remembering that soon it  will be the past; and 
we must respect the past remembering that once it was all  that was humanly 
possible." - George Santayana 

**************************************See AOL's top rated recipes 
(http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop00030000000004)