Leonard Cohen and Tesco have much to teach us about later life and Lawyers.



My latest Opinion article in The Journal of The Law Society of Scotland explores the increasing number of business leaders that are of a pensionable age. By the end of the decade, these “Boomerpreneurs”, as Future Laboratory calls them, will top 2 million. A life consisting of Saga cruises, golf, bridge and Antiques Roadshow is emphatically not for them.

Read the article in full here.

It is neither a failure nor a betrayal for a Scottish law firm to choose to merge with a larger practice from elsewhere.



My latest Opinion article in The Journal of The Law Society of Scotland explores the hot topic of Scottish law firms merging with larger practices from elsewhere, particularly with English law firms, and looks at the strategic reasons for such mergers.

Read the article in full here and read more about law firm mergers on my website here.

When clients complain about the unpredictability of fees, lawyers often chide them that the law is not like a can of beans. But the recent travails of one beans baron hold lessons for us all.

My latest Opinion article in The Journal of The Law Society of Scotland explores the hot topic of law firm pricing, serving up analogies from the supermarket industry.

Read more here.

The days of the generalist lawyer are well behind us. When I first started down the primrose path of private practice, the profession was full of polymaths who would think nothing of drafting a will, a title and a shareholders’ agreement in the morning, before heading off to court in pursuit of an interdict or a not guilty.

Today, the specialists rule, their fields narrowing by the day.

My latest Opinion article in The Journal of The Law Society of Scotland explores the trend towards greater specialisation in legal services, but highlighting the risks of ignoring the world beyond.

Read more here.

“Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who will argue with you.” (John Wooden, the most successful US basketball coach, ever)

In my latest Opinion article in The Journal of The Law Society of Scotland, I explain why dissent within professional firms is crucial for their success.

Read more here.