lawyer-wisdom and happy lawyer book update
Time for me to bring forward some of the earliest lawyer wisdom I have to my life right now. 🦉🦉 When I was a first year lawyer just finishing my first BIG deal that I'd quarterbacked (with just me and the senior partner), he sat me down days before closing.
"Paul, I've got a piece of advice for you."
His eyebrows raised, as if trying to drive home the import of his words. "It looks like this is going to close in three days. This is the perfect time to sit down and review the agreement front to back. Look at all the details, the cross-references, the values - especially the dollar values - and make sure they make sense. I'll be doing it. I think it's a good idea if you do it too."
📃 Waving the agreement in front of me, he continued.
"After this thing gets signed, trust me, you'll be constantly second-guessing yourself. Running back to the agreement and scrambling to see whether we did things right. But then you won't be able to fix it." He turned to go but stopped in the doorway. "Plus, you won't be able to bill for it."
It sounds like common sense (and it is), but it can be hard to remember in the moment when you're tired and you just want the deal to close:
THE BEST TIME FOR A REVIEW IS BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE. 💙🧡
My manuscript for The Happy Lawyer book, is very nearly, almost, totally complete. So it's time for one last cover-to-cover to make sure I caught everything.
Much love,
Paul
PS. In our review, we found one mistake. It benefited our side, but it wasn't the business deal. My partner shot the other side (just the lawyers, no clients) a note letting them know. Classy.
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