Congratulations to our Firm Administrator Karen D. Lee on being elected President of the Association for Legal Administrators Capital Chapter! Additionally, Karen was appointed to the 2024 ALA National Intellectual Property Conference Planning Committee. We are so proud of Karen and congratulate her on her new roles in ALA.
Every Minnesota licensed lawyer is required by the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct to “aspire” to provide 50 hours of pro bono service each year:
“Rule 6.1
Voluntary Pro Bono Publico Service
Every lawyer has a professional responsibility to provide legal services to those unable to pay. A lawyer should aspire to render at least 50 hours of pro bono publico legal services per year. In fulfilling this responsibility, the lawyer should:”
If you are a licensed Minnesota lawyer, are you aspiring to reach that goal?
Having learned last week that around 10,000 documents were not disclosed by legal departments that had a legal professional duty to do so in the Post Office scandal, it seems all the more poignant to have listened to some lesser-known insights that were eloquently shared by Kathleen Donnelly KC, who was part of the claimants’ legal team in civil action against the Post Office, yesterday at the Eagles GC Symposium.
The galling fact remains that the legal departments of both Fujitsu and the Post Office, including external legal advisors, have yet to be held to account; nevermind, addressing a clear indication of the endemic and pernicious corporate culture that fostered such an avoidable scandal to occur. Her talk makes clear that scapegoating the few names we now know mainly from Netflix (let’s face it as the case was decided December 2019) hardly scratch the surface of those responsible.
Lawyers are held to a higher ethical standard for good reason as gatekeepers of the rule of law and administration of justice. It is clear there is more to be done in making sure in-house counsel and external legal advisors who assist and indeed perpetrate corporate misdeeds and abuse of the legal system are held to account.
Where are the lawyers who prosecuted so many of these sub-postmasters based on flimsy or nonexistent evidence and instructed/used intimidation tactics to obtain pleas? Why wasn’t the sudden increase in actions against sub-postmasters noticed as suspect? (Or was it?) Where are the lawyers now that prepared those bundles to instruct counsel in those matters? Have any been challenged or faced consequences?
Not only lessons need to be learned here but further professional and legal reprimand is needed for justice in this matter to be properly metered.
We need to do better and clearly Lesley Wan and all those involved with pulling off a fabulous senior in-house counsel Eagle event are doing to their part to help achieve that change. Thank you!
#theeagleclub#generalcounsel#inhouse#knowledgesharing#inspirationalleadership#legaleagles#ruleoflaw#postofficescandal#justice
General Counsel & Company Secretary | Leading Legal Professional & Innovator | Founder & CEO, The Eagle Club
WHO IS KATHLEEN DONNELLY KC?
Yesterday, the Eagle Club were so fortunate to have the brilliant & inspiring Kathleen Donnelly KC from Henderson Chambers (their first female SILK) as our Keynote speaker.
For the first time, we were able to hear directly from counsel who was part of the great legal team that brought justice to Alan Bates & the 555 sub-postmasters in civil litigation against the Post Office, which led to the unravelling of the largest miscarriage of justice in UK history.
Kathleen Donnelly KC shared her insights on what lessons the general counsel community could learn from the scandal & how we could all be more thoughtful about our actions & the ethical decisions we make as legal advisors. The fact that she is described as a “phenomenal barrister” in Chambers & Partners was quite apparent in her presentation as the entire Eagle Club GCs present were mesmerised by her presence. Thankyou.
Notably, there were in fact 7 brilliant women in this legal team in the photo below … Kathleen Donnelly KCReanne M.Imogen RandallChloe OramAngélique RichardsonStephanie JamesonSiobhan Forster We applaud your amazing legal talent 🌺
Thanks to Ian MoylerJason HousdenDaniel Kemp for the incredible introduction to this formidable barrister. Yes, I’m a fan, and so is the Eagle Club. ❤️
1. While I am not one for accolades and awards (I’d rather just get the win/accomplish the goal and enjoy the process along the way), thank you to those that nominated and supported me to be recognized as a Rising Star in this year’s Super Lawyers List. You are too kind and thoughtful, and I appreciate your words and actions. this includes you Ken Nim. I am looking forward to continuing to build and help others accomplish their goals.
2. I spend a lot of time reflecting on the legal industry and its role in business and with people. Whether you are a solo practitioner, boutique law firm, medium sized law firm, big law, or in-house, we all can contribute in meaningful, different ways to businesses and the people who help them.
Accordingly, I ask you: what are some of the top traits that you like in an attorney? Conversely, what are some of the top traits that you dislike in an attorney?
Happy Fourth!!!
Cole-Frieman & Mallon is delighted to announce the selection of Counsel Brett Bunnell to the 2024 Super Lawyers Northern California Rising Stars list. Super Lawyers is a research-driven, peer-influenced rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Attorneys selected have a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement in one of more than 70 practice areas.
Well, everyone has seen that 2025 Best Lawyers is out. I've seen posts ranging from the "I'm honored, humbled, grateful, [insert all the grateful-sounding words here], etc. . . . " to "don't worry if you didn't make the list; these lists don't mean anything." If you weren't nominated, know that you have value!!
How you work with people, your work product, and your client service is more important than being on a list. Also, funny story about these lists . . .
I have been recognized as One to Watch for construction, corporate, and tax law. Corporate and tax law make sense, but at some point in my career, at least one of my peers nominated me for construction law. Here's the thing: I do NOT practice construction law. I've worked on deals in the construction space, but I'm not a construction lawyer.
Nevertheless, thank you to my peers and colleagues who have nominated me over the years!! May we celebrate and be thankful but continue to focus on providing excellent client service and work product.
Steptoe & Johnson PLLC is proud to have more than 145 lawyers recognized in the 2025 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® and the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America.
View the full list here: https://lnkd.in/eBkN6SiC
Discover the accolades of Anne B. Jorgensen as she secures her place on the esteemed 2024 Super Lawyers list. Explore her outstanding achievements and dedication to legal excellence. Read more!
https://lnkd.in/gHwui4Q5
We are proud to announce the selection of one of our attorneys, Elizabeth Nicholson, to the 2024 South Carolina Rising Stars list. This is an exclusive list recognizing no more than 2.5 percent of attorneys in South Carolina.
You can read more about the selection process in this blog post: https://lnkd.in/ehsEMZ-h#charlestonlawyers#charlestonlawfirm
Some unsolicited advice for the young attorneys out there:
Find a mentor. Preferably one like Carl Lanfear. Someone whose ability you respect, whose personality meshes with yours, and who is willing to take the time to help you grow.
You'll have a lot of questions. A good mentor will answer all of them. Once. (As long as your question could not have been answered with a google search or a glance at the court rules).
Mistakes will be made along the way. A good mentor will help you fix them. (As long as you bring possible solutions to the table.) *Side note. If a mistake is made, address it immediately and head-on. Bad news never ages well with partners or clients.
As you gain more experience, offers will come from recruiters or other law firms. A good mentor will be your reason to stay put.
I was lucky enough to start working with Carl Lanfear 15 years ago. He's not only one of the "Best Lawyers" in America. He has been one of the best mentors.
Carl doesn't have a personal Linkedin (yet), so nobody show him this. He'd probably hate it.
In the world of legal malpractice litigation, it's very easy to point fingers at the actions (or inactions) of another attorney. David M. Saperstein (he/him) explores how successor counsel often has an opportunity to remedy any alleged malpractice. https://bit.ly/3x9tqW7
Congratulations, and the ALA is lucky to have you leading the chapter!