Friday, 30 October 2009
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
The need to whistleblow
Not once, I felt the need to whistle on a series of facts, procedures and actions occurring with my workplaces, prior or current, to unveil employment discrimination on social protection, workplace preferential rights, false representations, executive misconduct and so on.
Up to date in Romania no state or corporate whistleblower has came up front to divulge any information of which purpose would be protection of rights, be it of any nature, at least the right to be informed.
Whistleblowers according to Wikipedia
Stanley Adams, a former Hoffman – LaRoche’s executive, who discovered evidence of price fixing in 1973. He passed the evidence to the EU, who erroneously leaked Adams' name back to Hoffman-LaRoche. Adams was arrested for industrial espionage by the Swiss government and spent six months in jail. He fought for ten years to clear his name and receive compensation from the EEC.
Marta Andreasen, an Argentine-born Spanish accountant, employed in January 2002 by the EU as Chief Accountant, and notable for raising concerns about fraud potential within EU, neglected by the Commission.
Stephen Bolsin, a consultant anaesthetist at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, identified that too many babies were dying during heart surgery. He spent the next six years confirming the high mortality rates and attempting to improve the service. By doing this Dr Bolsin developed a higher ethical standard in health care.
Invgar Bratt, Bosfor engineer who revealed himself as the anonymous source in the Bosfor Scandal about illegal weapon exports. An act that led to a new law concerning company secrets which commonly is referred to as Lex Bratt.
Gerald W. Brown, a former firestop contractor and consultant, uncovered the Thermo-lag circuit integrity scandal and silicone foam scandals in US and Canadian nuclear power plants, which led to Congressional proceedings as well as Provincial proceedings in Canada.
Paul van Buitenen, who accused E uropean Commission members of corruption which led to resignation of the Santer Comission.
Peter Buxtun, a former employee of the US Public Helth Service, who expose the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment.
Shawn Carpenter, a former member of the technical staff at Sandia laboratories, who discovered that a sophisticated group of hackers were systematically penetrating hundreds of computer networks at major U.S. defense contractors, military installations and government agencies to access sensitive information. After informing his superiors at Sandia, he was directed not to share the information with anyone, because management cared only about Sandia's computers. He, however, went on to voluntarily work with the army and the FBI to address the problem. When Sandia discovered his actions, they terminated his employment and revoked his security clearance. On February 13, 2007, a New Mexico State Court awarded him $4.7 million in damages from Sandia Corporation for firing him. The jury found Sandia Corporation's handling of Mr. Carpenter's firing was "malicious, willful, reckless, wanton, fraudulent, or in bad faith."
Richard Convertino, a former federal prosecutor who obtained the first conviction of a defendant in a terrorism case post-9/11. After Convertino testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee in September 2003 about the lack of Bush Administration support of anti-terrorism prosecutions post-9/11, Convertino alleges the Justice Department leaked information and violated a court order to publicly smear him in retaliation for his whistleblowing. Additionally, the Justice Department indicted Convertino for obstruction of justice and lying, which Convertino alleges is further whistleblower retaliation.
Cynthia Cooper of Worldcom, and Sherron Watkins of Eron, who exposed corporate financial scandals, that led to corporates’ bankruptcy.
Collen Rowley the FBI, who later outlined the agency's slow action prior to the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Pascal Diethel and Jean-Charles Rielle, Swiss tobacco control advocates and alumni from the University of Geneva who revealed the secret ties of Ragnar Rylander, professor of environmental health, to the tobacco industry. In a public statement made in 2001, Pascal Diethelm and Jean-Charles Rielle accused Rylander of being "secretly employed by Philip Morris" and qualified of "scientific fraud without precedent" the concealment of his links with the tobacco industry for a period of 30 years, during which he publicly presented himself as an independent scientist, while obeying orders given by Philip Morris executives and lawyers, publishing articles and organizing symposia which denied or trivialized the toxicity of secondhand somke. After a long trial, which went up to the supreme court of Switzerland, all accusations were found to be true.
Satyendra Dubey, who accused employer NHAI of corruption in highway construction projects in India , in letter to Prime Minister Assassinated on November 27, 2003.
Henry Dunant, who in 1859 witnessed in Solferino the fate of wounded soldiers, left unattended after the battle. He first volunteered to assist them and organized medical and voluntary assistance. Later he wrote a report of his experience "Memoir of Solferino" .
Sibel Edmonds, a former FBI translator, was fired in 2002 by the FBI for attempting to report coverups of security issues, potential espionage, and incompetence. She is now founder of the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (NSWBC) that is looking to lobby congress and help other whistleblowers with legal and other forms of assistance.
Daniel Ellsberg, a former State Department analyst who leaked in 1971, a secret account of the Vietnam War, which revealed endemic practices of deception by previous administrations, and contributed to the erosion of public support for the war.
Marlene Garcia Esperat, a former analytical, for the Philippines Department Agriculture who became a journalist to expose departmental corruption, and was murdered for it in 2005. Her assailants later surrendered to police, and have testified that they were hired by officials in the Department of Agriculture.
W. Mark Felt, an informant (secret until 2005) who in 1972 leaked information about United States President Richard Nixon’s involvement Watergate. The scandal would eventually lead to the resignation of the president, and prison terms for White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman, and presidential adviser John Ehrlichman.
A. Ernest Fitzgerald, a U.S. Department of Defense auditor who was fired in 1973 by President Richard M. Nixon for exposing to Congress the tidal wave of cost overruns associated with Lockheed's C-5A cargo plane. After protracted litigation he was reinstated to the civil service and continued to report cost overruns and military contractor fraud, including discovery in the 1980s that the Air Force was being charged $400 for hammers and $600 for toilet seats. Mr. Fitzgerald retired from the Defense Department in 2006.
David Franklin, a former Parke-Davis, employee who exposed illegal promotion of their epilepsy drug Neurontin for un-approved uses while withholding evidence that the drug was not effective for these conditions. Parke-Davis's new owners Pfizer eventually pleaded guilty and paid criminal and civil fines of $430 million. The case had widespread effects including: establishing a new standards for pharmaceutical marketing practices; broadening the use of the False Claims Act to make fraudulent marketing claims criminal violations; exposing complicity and active participation in fraud by renowned physicians; and demonstrating how medical literature had been systematically adulterated by the pharmaceutical industry and its paid clinical consultants. Under the False Claims Act Dr Franklin receives $24.6m as part of the settlement agreement.
Bunnatine H. GreenHouse, a fomers chief civilian contracting officer of US Army, who exposed illegality in the no-bid contracts for reconstruction in Iraq by a Halliburton subsidiary.
Joanna Gualtieri, a Canadian whistleblower, exposed lavish extravagance in the purchase of accommodation abroad for staff in Foreign Affairs. The Inspector General and Auditor General of Canada later supported her allegations. Gualtieri claimed the Bureau seemed not to care, that her bosses harassed her for raising the concerns and that she was a given dead-end job after coming forward. Ms. Gualtieri sued her former bosses for harassment. This lawsuit has been vigorously defended by government lawyers and has dragged in the courts for over 10 years.
Katrine Guna, former employee of Communication Headquarters of British Intelligence Agency, who in 2003 leaked top-secret information to the press concerning alleged illegal activities by the United States and the United Kingdom in their push for the 2003 Invasion in Iraq.
to be followed
Up to date in Romania no state or corporate whistleblower has came up front to divulge any information of which purpose would be protection of rights, be it of any nature, at least the right to be informed.
Whistleblowers according to Wikipedia
Stanley Adams, a former Hoffman – LaRoche’s executive, who discovered evidence of price fixing in 1973. He passed the evidence to the EU, who erroneously leaked Adams' name back to Hoffman-LaRoche. Adams was arrested for industrial espionage by the Swiss government and spent six months in jail. He fought for ten years to clear his name and receive compensation from the EEC.
Marta Andreasen, an Argentine-born Spanish accountant, employed in January 2002 by the EU as Chief Accountant, and notable for raising concerns about fraud potential within EU, neglected by the Commission.
Stephen Bolsin, a consultant anaesthetist at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, identified that too many babies were dying during heart surgery. He spent the next six years confirming the high mortality rates and attempting to improve the service. By doing this Dr Bolsin developed a higher ethical standard in health care.
Invgar Bratt, Bosfor engineer who revealed himself as the anonymous source in the Bosfor Scandal about illegal weapon exports. An act that led to a new law concerning company secrets which commonly is referred to as Lex Bratt.
Gerald W. Brown, a former firestop contractor and consultant, uncovered the Thermo-lag circuit integrity scandal and silicone foam scandals in US and Canadian nuclear power plants, which led to Congressional proceedings as well as Provincial proceedings in Canada.
Paul van Buitenen, who accused E uropean Commission members of corruption which led to resignation of the Santer Comission.
Peter Buxtun, a former employee of the US Public Helth Service, who expose the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment.
Shawn Carpenter, a former member of the technical staff at Sandia laboratories, who discovered that a sophisticated group of hackers were systematically penetrating hundreds of computer networks at major U.S. defense contractors, military installations and government agencies to access sensitive information. After informing his superiors at Sandia, he was directed not to share the information with anyone, because management cared only about Sandia's computers. He, however, went on to voluntarily work with the army and the FBI to address the problem. When Sandia discovered his actions, they terminated his employment and revoked his security clearance. On February 13, 2007, a New Mexico State Court awarded him $4.7 million in damages from Sandia Corporation for firing him. The jury found Sandia Corporation's handling of Mr. Carpenter's firing was "malicious, willful, reckless, wanton, fraudulent, or in bad faith."
Richard Convertino, a former federal prosecutor who obtained the first conviction of a defendant in a terrorism case post-9/11. After Convertino testified before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee in September 2003 about the lack of Bush Administration support of anti-terrorism prosecutions post-9/11, Convertino alleges the Justice Department leaked information and violated a court order to publicly smear him in retaliation for his whistleblowing. Additionally, the Justice Department indicted Convertino for obstruction of justice and lying, which Convertino alleges is further whistleblower retaliation.
Cynthia Cooper of Worldcom, and Sherron Watkins of Eron, who exposed corporate financial scandals, that led to corporates’ bankruptcy.
Collen Rowley the FBI, who later outlined the agency's slow action prior to the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Pascal Diethel and Jean-Charles Rielle, Swiss tobacco control advocates and alumni from the University of Geneva who revealed the secret ties of Ragnar Rylander, professor of environmental health, to the tobacco industry. In a public statement made in 2001, Pascal Diethelm and Jean-Charles Rielle accused Rylander of being "secretly employed by Philip Morris" and qualified of "scientific fraud without precedent" the concealment of his links with the tobacco industry for a period of 30 years, during which he publicly presented himself as an independent scientist, while obeying orders given by Philip Morris executives and lawyers, publishing articles and organizing symposia which denied or trivialized the toxicity of secondhand somke. After a long trial, which went up to the supreme court of Switzerland, all accusations were found to be true.
Satyendra Dubey, who accused employer NHAI of corruption in highway construction projects in India , in letter to Prime Minister Assassinated on November 27, 2003.
Henry Dunant, who in 1859 witnessed in Solferino the fate of wounded soldiers, left unattended after the battle. He first volunteered to assist them and organized medical and voluntary assistance. Later he wrote a report of his experience "Memoir of Solferino" .
Sibel Edmonds, a former FBI translator, was fired in 2002 by the FBI for attempting to report coverups of security issues, potential espionage, and incompetence. She is now founder of the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (NSWBC) that is looking to lobby congress and help other whistleblowers with legal and other forms of assistance.
Daniel Ellsberg, a former State Department analyst who leaked in 1971, a secret account of the Vietnam War, which revealed endemic practices of deception by previous administrations, and contributed to the erosion of public support for the war.
Marlene Garcia Esperat, a former analytical, for the Philippines Department Agriculture who became a journalist to expose departmental corruption, and was murdered for it in 2005. Her assailants later surrendered to police, and have testified that they were hired by officials in the Department of Agriculture.
W. Mark Felt, an informant (secret until 2005) who in 1972 leaked information about United States President Richard Nixon’s involvement Watergate. The scandal would eventually lead to the resignation of the president, and prison terms for White House Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman, and presidential adviser John Ehrlichman.
A. Ernest Fitzgerald, a U.S. Department of Defense auditor who was fired in 1973 by President Richard M. Nixon for exposing to Congress the tidal wave of cost overruns associated with Lockheed's C-5A cargo plane. After protracted litigation he was reinstated to the civil service and continued to report cost overruns and military contractor fraud, including discovery in the 1980s that the Air Force was being charged $400 for hammers and $600 for toilet seats. Mr. Fitzgerald retired from the Defense Department in 2006.
David Franklin, a former Parke-Davis, employee who exposed illegal promotion of their epilepsy drug Neurontin for un-approved uses while withholding evidence that the drug was not effective for these conditions. Parke-Davis's new owners Pfizer eventually pleaded guilty and paid criminal and civil fines of $430 million. The case had widespread effects including: establishing a new standards for pharmaceutical marketing practices; broadening the use of the False Claims Act to make fraudulent marketing claims criminal violations; exposing complicity and active participation in fraud by renowned physicians; and demonstrating how medical literature had been systematically adulterated by the pharmaceutical industry and its paid clinical consultants. Under the False Claims Act Dr Franklin receives $24.6m as part of the settlement agreement.
Bunnatine H. GreenHouse, a fomers chief civilian contracting officer of US Army, who exposed illegality in the no-bid contracts for reconstruction in Iraq by a Halliburton subsidiary.
Joanna Gualtieri, a Canadian whistleblower, exposed lavish extravagance in the purchase of accommodation abroad for staff in Foreign Affairs. The Inspector General and Auditor General of Canada later supported her allegations. Gualtieri claimed the Bureau seemed not to care, that her bosses harassed her for raising the concerns and that she was a given dead-end job after coming forward. Ms. Gualtieri sued her former bosses for harassment. This lawsuit has been vigorously defended by government lawyers and has dragged in the courts for over 10 years.
Katrine Guna, former employee of Communication Headquarters of British Intelligence Agency, who in 2003 leaked top-secret information to the press concerning alleged illegal activities by the United States and the United Kingdom in their push for the 2003 Invasion in Iraq.
to be followed
Monday, 26 October 2009
The satisfaction of being insufficient
Yesterday I have passively assisted at an employee declared satisfaction of being insufficient.
The office manager in question was relatively satisfied with her role of being insufficient, at work of course, and more than happy to adjust this type of condition to new recruits. It was not important to recruit well-educated, prepared and skilled persons, but it was essential to recruit someone adapted to a low level of work satisfaction, unprepared and hopefully uneducated, so as not to exceed the existing poor benchmarking.
The party was to start that a leaving lawyer, experienced and expert in various field, is to be replaced with low standard' requirements, adapted not to the firm’s necessity but to the level of OM. Beside the self-sufficiency attitude not so ever sustained by any work quality or educational credentials, it stroked me that need to ask for poor lawyer with bad payment: we need to give less and ask for even lesser, was the sufficient condition for being insufficient.
The office manager in question was relatively satisfied with her role of being insufficient, at work of course, and more than happy to adjust this type of condition to new recruits. It was not important to recruit well-educated, prepared and skilled persons, but it was essential to recruit someone adapted to a low level of work satisfaction, unprepared and hopefully uneducated, so as not to exceed the existing poor benchmarking.
The party was to start that a leaving lawyer, experienced and expert in various field, is to be replaced with low standard' requirements, adapted not to the firm’s necessity but to the level of OM. Beside the self-sufficiency attitude not so ever sustained by any work quality or educational credentials, it stroked me that need to ask for poor lawyer with bad payment: we need to give less and ask for even lesser, was the sufficient condition for being insufficient.
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Unlucky 13 - the legend of a fall
source : DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
Tuesday October 13th, 2009 Romanian Government has been dismissed by the parliament. This is the first time after the fall of comunism in 1989 that the government collapsed after such a measure.
Romania's government fell Tuesday as a parliament no-confidence vote in Bucharest triggered a political void in another struggling Eastern European economy.
Prime Minister Emil Boc's cabinet mustered only 176 votes from the 471-seat legislative chamber.
The collapse was expected because the coalition of Boc's Liberal Democratic Party with rival Social Democrats - the product of a virtual tie in last year's national elections - had struggled from the outset. Last week, the Social Democrats quit the coalition, paving the way for Tuesday's vote.
One of the coalition's first acts was to negotiate a EUR20 billion rescue loan from the International Monetary Fund and European Union. The government collapse puts the IMF loan at risk because a caretaker government will struggle to pass important legislation the IMF demanded, said Elizabeth Andreew, an analyst for Nordea in Copenhagen.
Whatever government is installed will be a lame-duck cabinet ahead of Romania's presidential election, the first round of which is scheduled for Nov. 22.
"Politics continues to remain the one main Achilles heel of Romania," said Simon Quijano-Evans, a strategist at Cheuvreux in Vienna.
The outcome of Tuesday's no-confidence vote was expected and had only a modest impact on markets, briefly pushing the leu down 0.4% to 4.24 against the euro, its lowest level since March, but the currency rebounded later as the day wore on.
Earlier Tuesday, Romania reported that its budget deficit rose to 5% of gross domestic product in the first nine months of the year. That is higher than the IMF was originally willing to allow, although the multilateral lender has raised its deficit cap to 7% of GDP.
However, a drastic economic slowdown - Romania's economy grew more than 8% last year but is expected to contract by more than 8% in 2009, marking one of the biggest turnarounds in Europe - has curbed the country's need for external funding. The current-account deficit in the first eight months of the year narrowed by 79%, the National Bank of Romania said earlier Tuesday.
That, along with ample foreign-exchange reserves boosted by the IMF package, may help insulate Romania from an Icelandic chill.
But the leu's resilience "unfortunately provides the wrong message to politicians," said Cheuvreux's Quijano-Evans. A ratings downgrade - which Fitch and Standard & Poor's have both warned is likely if pledges to the IMF aren't kept - is likely to be needed to focus politicians on the needs of the economy, he added.
The spread on Romanian credit-default swaps, a proxy for sovereign risk, were little changed at around 225 basis points in Tuesday trading.
Still, it may prove hard to go forward with Romania's planned Eurobond, which had initially been slated for this month. "It's unlikely to go ahead now the political situation is clearly shaky," said Elisabeth Gruie, an emerging-markets currency strategist at BNP Paribas in London.
But the main question is how the country will implement broad-brush reforms demanded by the IMF, such as a sharp cut in public-sector personnel spending, already in direct contradiction to what the two main political parties promised only a year ago.
Apart from a prospective 15% cut in the civil-servant payroll, other reforms on the table are a hike in the 19% value-added tax rate and possibly in the 16% flat income tax rate as well.
Incumbent President Traian Basescu is ahead in opinion polls but well short of a majority, according to a survey by CSOP, a Bucharest research institute, published this week. Without a majority winner, the vote will go to a second round in early December.
It is unclear whether Basescu, who brokered the Boc government, will be able to stitch together a new cabinet with a parliamentary majority, raising the prospects of snap parliamentary elections early next year.
The same CSOP poll also found that 60% of Romanians said their personal standard of living is much worse this year than in 2008.
Tuesday October 13th, 2009 Romanian Government has been dismissed by the parliament. This is the first time after the fall of comunism in 1989 that the government collapsed after such a measure.
Romania's government fell Tuesday as a parliament no-confidence vote in Bucharest triggered a political void in another struggling Eastern European economy.
Prime Minister Emil Boc's cabinet mustered only 176 votes from the 471-seat legislative chamber.
The collapse was expected because the coalition of Boc's Liberal Democratic Party with rival Social Democrats - the product of a virtual tie in last year's national elections - had struggled from the outset. Last week, the Social Democrats quit the coalition, paving the way for Tuesday's vote.
One of the coalition's first acts was to negotiate a EUR20 billion rescue loan from the International Monetary Fund and European Union. The government collapse puts the IMF loan at risk because a caretaker government will struggle to pass important legislation the IMF demanded, said Elizabeth Andreew, an analyst for Nordea in Copenhagen.
Whatever government is installed will be a lame-duck cabinet ahead of Romania's presidential election, the first round of which is scheduled for Nov. 22.
"Politics continues to remain the one main Achilles heel of Romania," said Simon Quijano-Evans, a strategist at Cheuvreux in Vienna.
The outcome of Tuesday's no-confidence vote was expected and had only a modest impact on markets, briefly pushing the leu down 0.4% to 4.24 against the euro, its lowest level since March, but the currency rebounded later as the day wore on.
Earlier Tuesday, Romania reported that its budget deficit rose to 5% of gross domestic product in the first nine months of the year. That is higher than the IMF was originally willing to allow, although the multilateral lender has raised its deficit cap to 7% of GDP.
However, a drastic economic slowdown - Romania's economy grew more than 8% last year but is expected to contract by more than 8% in 2009, marking one of the biggest turnarounds in Europe - has curbed the country's need for external funding. The current-account deficit in the first eight months of the year narrowed by 79%, the National Bank of Romania said earlier Tuesday.
That, along with ample foreign-exchange reserves boosted by the IMF package, may help insulate Romania from an Icelandic chill.
But the leu's resilience "unfortunately provides the wrong message to politicians," said Cheuvreux's Quijano-Evans. A ratings downgrade - which Fitch and Standard & Poor's have both warned is likely if pledges to the IMF aren't kept - is likely to be needed to focus politicians on the needs of the economy, he added.
The spread on Romanian credit-default swaps, a proxy for sovereign risk, were little changed at around 225 basis points in Tuesday trading.
Still, it may prove hard to go forward with Romania's planned Eurobond, which had initially been slated for this month. "It's unlikely to go ahead now the political situation is clearly shaky," said Elisabeth Gruie, an emerging-markets currency strategist at BNP Paribas in London.
But the main question is how the country will implement broad-brush reforms demanded by the IMF, such as a sharp cut in public-sector personnel spending, already in direct contradiction to what the two main political parties promised only a year ago.
Apart from a prospective 15% cut in the civil-servant payroll, other reforms on the table are a hike in the 19% value-added tax rate and possibly in the 16% flat income tax rate as well.
Incumbent President Traian Basescu is ahead in opinion polls but well short of a majority, according to a survey by CSOP, a Bucharest research institute, published this week. Without a majority winner, the vote will go to a second round in early December.
It is unclear whether Basescu, who brokered the Boc government, will be able to stitch together a new cabinet with a parliamentary majority, raising the prospects of snap parliamentary elections early next year.
The same CSOP poll also found that 60% of Romanians said their personal standard of living is much worse this year than in 2008.
Mona "Luiza" Smile
„Top law firm is looking for legal secretary/assistant. Main responsibilities of the job include: - Providing assistance to lawyers, including business correspondence, maintaining appointment schedule, answering and transferring telephone calls, maintaining files, binding documents;- Formatting/ copying/ scanning documents and reports according to firm's standards;- Organizing business travels;- Updating databases (lists, client contacts)”
Does it sound familiar? I have seen dozens of adverts similar to the one above, some polished with more details, like these:
- fluency in English, other foreign language would be a plus (preferably ….
- strong computer skills (Microsoft Office, Excel, Power Point)
- very good communication skills; team player; organized; problem-solving; able to handle multiple tasks; professional look
- experience is an advantage
- solid CV, etc. etc.
So what does a law firm actually look for when using these phrases? In a nutshell: to find someone who can type, is accurate in both native and foreign language, will proofread and has knowledge of office procedures and stationeries.
A year ago, after recently joining a top ten law firm, I noticed among the front office staff, a smart, motivated and devoted girl. Besides performing a mix of tasks, not even included in her job description, she was resolving things within the most conservative and unskilled administrative department ever perceived. None of the secretaries have ever been tested or trained in typing, formatting and accurate writing. None have been trained in properly greeting and handling stationery, neither ever involved in any project standing for drafting or writing whatsoever. They were happily stereotyping coordinated with limited skills and language by an office manager professional only by appearance.
Instead of being likewise, Luiza (she had a name), was able to deal with entire department workload, proving energy and enthusiasm, being organized and supportive for the legal staff. It was obvious that she was enjoying this field and somehow she was expecting a change in role from the management. Pretty expected, within the lack of the change, she left the firm: “I need to learn more”. Enrolling with different sector, she did not lost interest in legal area, being challenged to find a job with a law firm, a real one this time. Despite the economic downturn she succeeded with good outlines: higher salary, professional environment and continuing education program. Next week Luiza shall start her new and promising legal assistant job.
She will be fine!
Saturday, 3 October 2009
We really like
http://www.legalrebels.com
"Legal Rebels Manifesto
Do you have what it takes to be a Legal Rebel?
On July 21, we posted the Legal Rebels Manifesto in the form of a wiki. Over the following month, our community of readers edited the document more than 65 times. The final draft is below.
If you're as committed to innovation in your corner of the profession as are the Legal Rebels we're profiling in this project, we invite you to register and sign the Manifesto. Your name, city and state will be listed.
I am a proud member of America's essential profession. Without lawyers and the rule of law, a free, fair and open society is not sustainable.
I recognize that the legal profession's traditions - the world's most respected legal education system, most successful law firms and fairest court system - were once radical innovations.
In this time of economic crisis, I am committed to improving those institutions and creating innovation in the practice of law. I will question and, when appropriate, change the status quo. And I will use technology to serve my clients and society.
I'll help remake the profession I hold dear so it can continue to deliver on America's promise.
I'm an innovator. A maverick. A pathfinder.
I am a Legal Rebel."
"Legal Rebels Manifesto
Do you have what it takes to be a Legal Rebel?
On July 21, we posted the Legal Rebels Manifesto in the form of a wiki. Over the following month, our community of readers edited the document more than 65 times. The final draft is below.
If you're as committed to innovation in your corner of the profession as are the Legal Rebels we're profiling in this project, we invite you to register and sign the Manifesto. Your name, city and state will be listed.
I am a proud member of America's essential profession. Without lawyers and the rule of law, a free, fair and open society is not sustainable.
I recognize that the legal profession's traditions - the world's most respected legal education system, most successful law firms and fairest court system - were once radical innovations.
In this time of economic crisis, I am committed to improving those institutions and creating innovation in the practice of law. I will question and, when appropriate, change the status quo. And I will use technology to serve my clients and society.
I'll help remake the profession I hold dear so it can continue to deliver on America's promise.
I'm an innovator. A maverick. A pathfinder.
I am a Legal Rebel."
Friday, 2 October 2009
the successful story of the pessimistic boat
Once upon a time there was a large and supposedly wealthy law firm. The firm was fishing on calm sea in a magnificent masking and colorful boat. The crew was blending skilful sailors who pumped constantly and caught lots of fish and restful sailors who thought that are on a crosier boat. The firm occasionally lost sailors, but it didn’t matter that those who were left were good at their jobs. It was annoying but as long as it could, at a price, lure fresh sailors from academies and from others, they continue sailing. Trying to avoid the mutiny on the bounty once it had the guts to drop the part of the restful sailors on the unemployment island.
Suddenly a fearsome storm came upon and the calm sea became rough and turbulent. They had seen before storms but passed over. Part of the sailors became afraid and called out that the world was ending and that, anyway, their boat was leaking and they would be all drowned.
After many years of sailing, the captain had seasick and get on land. Without their captain the officers avoid to take immediate action. Part of the sailors was embarked with another firm boat along with their cargo and big steak of their fishing tackle. After a while this boat was heavy and they threw the new sailors, preserving the cargo. Other officers took different approach and get their own patched fishing boats, but the stormy weather was continuing. They had to work with will finding ways to fix the leaks and to devise new fishing gears.
Eventually the storm abated and the sun came out. Now, there are more boats fishing on the same sea. The question remains: Which boat will catch more fish?
Suddenly a fearsome storm came upon and the calm sea became rough and turbulent. They had seen before storms but passed over. Part of the sailors became afraid and called out that the world was ending and that, anyway, their boat was leaking and they would be all drowned.
After many years of sailing, the captain had seasick and get on land. Without their captain the officers avoid to take immediate action. Part of the sailors was embarked with another firm boat along with their cargo and big steak of their fishing tackle. After a while this boat was heavy and they threw the new sailors, preserving the cargo. Other officers took different approach and get their own patched fishing boats, but the stormy weather was continuing. They had to work with will finding ways to fix the leaks and to devise new fishing gears.
Eventually the storm abated and the sun came out. Now, there are more boats fishing on the same sea. The question remains: Which boat will catch more fish?
Thursday, 1 October 2009
The talent of being tempted to work
Upon passing the childhood period when no particular, unique, special or any talent whatsoever was found belonging to me (I was just a typical kid with average intelligence and skills) I assumed that life will no longer offer me the change to fail in the talent pageant.
Being tempted to work does not mean that we are actually working seriously on the grounds of achieved competences, it’s a constant image provided to the general public that we might do something some day, that they should expect hard work and great results, but not now. The motivation of this talent originates with an external source of tolerance, manipulated circumstances and unrealistic image of ourselves.
So, I failed with this talent of being tempted to work by choosing either to work or to rest. And lately, it seems that I am most talented with resting, a lot! It is nice!
Being tempted to work does not mean that we are actually working seriously on the grounds of achieved competences, it’s a constant image provided to the general public that we might do something some day, that they should expect hard work and great results, but not now. The motivation of this talent originates with an external source of tolerance, manipulated circumstances and unrealistic image of ourselves.
So, I failed with this talent of being tempted to work by choosing either to work or to rest. And lately, it seems that I am most talented with resting, a lot! It is nice!
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