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  August 2007  
 

Welcome to The One Minute Manager. Our goal is to provide you with quick tips that will enhance the success of your practice. Within 60 seconds you will gain an idea that will increase your profitability or simply ease the burden of a difficult management issue. We hope you will find this a valuable resource.

The One Minute Manager . . . . .

The dilemma faced by all law firms is how to provide high quality service and yet meet the cost constraints that are expected by our clients. The largest cost component is professional salaries and there has always been a requirement to pay superior salaries to attract top talent.

A trend amongst European law firms may be the answer. They have developed a legal specialist role that is referred to as a Commercial Legal Executive. You can think of this position as a highly qualified law clerk that performs at a lawyer level within a specialist area. Often this person has a Masters of Law degree despite not being called to the Bar nor holding an LLB degree.

The profile of a Commercial Legal Executive seems understandable. This talented individual has a keen interest in commercial law, yet is unwilling to take on the onerous and broad based education commitment to become a lawyer. Consider what percentage of law school education is applied following your call to the Bar. In addition, the career demands and lifestyle sacrifices of a private practice lawyer is of little appeal.

The Commercial Legal Executive, however, can play a valuable role in both law firms and corporate legal departments. This high level specialist can undertake critical tasks, which are otherwise handled by lawyers, at a lower cost with equal competence. Law firms gain improved leverage since the position is not partner-tracked.

Canada is now being targeted for potential candidates and employer participants in the research thesis of the LLM program offered by the University of Stirling in Scotland. Fraser Davidson, the Dean of the Law School, will be providing a breakfast briefing at the St. Andrews Club in Toronto on September 17th. If you are interested in attending, you may contact John Kelly, the principal from Canada Law from Abroad, at (416) 367-1226.

Introducing a Commercial Legal Executive role into your firm may offer the competitive advantage of lower client fees while also increasing partner incomes with the improved leverage from a non-partner tracked legal professional.


Robert Hardie, Managing Director
Management Counsel Group

phone: (416) 402-0759