The vote to depose Managing Partner Jessica Pearson of Pearson Hardman, the fictitious law firm in USA Network’s legal drama series Suits, was moments away. She was going to lose. But then star associate Mike Ross barged into the meeting, threw a folder onto the...
Here’s part two of my annual list of lessons learned and a reminder to put these strategies into practice in 2024. You won’t get better results if you don’t implement them. Almost all negotiations involve the weighing and prioritizing of interests along with...
Here’s part one of my annual list of lessons learned and a reminder to put these strategies into practice in 2024. You won’t get better results if you don’t implement them. Each also has a link to my column with more detail. Part two will be next week’s column. This...
I recently read mega movie star and former California Governor and Mr. Universe Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book “Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life.” Interestingly, I found a lot of negotiation nuggets in it, all of which were couched as life lessons. Of course, negotiation...
Republican Members of Congress Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Tim Burchett (R-TN) were two of the eight Republican Members of Congress who ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week. One of their chief stated complaints, if not the primary one, was their inability to...
What did we do? We pulled everyone in on Saturday and worked all weekend to get the job done. Frankly, we could have charged them a ton as we had strong leverage. But we didn’t. They were a good customer. And they’ve been a great and loyal customer ever since, even...
Our kids tend to be rule-followers, which is perhaps not surprising as my wife and I tend to be more rule-breakers. Not big ones, but I do have a lead foot. I was reminded of this recently when I rewatched the classic movie To Kill a Mockingbird with Gregory Peck,...
My son starts college at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois next week. Time flies! As the son of an author, he recently bought a book for my wife and me entitled “The Naked Roommate [For Parents Only]: A Parent’s Guide to the New College Experience.” I...
I met my wife over 20 years ago when one of my former law students introduced us. When I learned she grew up in Wisconsin, I immediately felt a connection. After all, I grew up in Minnesota and sensed a “Midwestern” thing going on. She felt it, too. This feeling was...