@beej777
February 11th, 2010
Today we’re tweeting with corporate solicitor, social media enthusiast & the 1st 22 Tweets interviewee from the Wirral, UK
- @beej777 thank you for joining us today on Twitter. Tell us: who is @beej777?
My pleasure…Corporate lawyer, husband & father, Apple geek, real ale fan & outdoors enthusiast (not necc. in that order)
– - Tell us about your law practice.
I help my clients buy, sell and invest in businesses and companies and advise them on company law and commercial contracts.
– - What type of clients do you represent?
I act for a wide range of business clients from sole traders to listed companies, but mainly Wirral and Merseyside based
– - What is the single most important legal issue affecting those clients?
Managing tension between a seller (who wants a clean break) and a buyer (who wants seller to underwrite their legal risk)
– - What do you tell every new client before you start working for them?
the exact scope of the work I will do and what it will cost them. Sounds obvious, but many solicitors don’t.
– - That certainly makes sense. Tell us about one of the more significant client representations you’ve had.
To me they are all significant – for the clients I represent their deal is usually a huge (or once in a lifetime) event
– - Good point…. Why do your clients hire you?
According to their feedback because I am “personable, trustworthy and cost effective” & give “professional, creative” advice
– - You spent several years at a top global firm before joining a small regional firm. What led you to make that change?
At @LeesLLP we focus on <£5m transactions so my clients are owner managers, not acquisitions directors. It’s more rewarding…
… and it is easier as a smaller firm to embrace social media & web 2.0. The big firms over here frankly don’t understand it.
– - Interesting. How is the economy affecting your clients? Are you seeing any signs of recovery?
Instructions are up, but lack of credit from banks is stifling transaction volumes and forcing more creative deal structures
– - What’s the most active area of your practice at the current time? Is that typical?
Web 2.0 st/ups (Wirral = silicon peninsula?!) and businesses sold 2 management instd of trade buyer. V diff fr 24 months ago
– - How do you describe what you do to people you meet at a cocktail party?
I usually say that I am a corporate solicitor. Most people don’t know what I mean and we move on to something more exciting!
– - Another good point…. You blog at Peninsulawyer (http://bit.ly/cbqPp). Who do you write it for? Why should they read it?
Hopefully not just lawyers! For inside view of how social media & tech are changing legal practice (& my sparkling prose!)
– - Besides Twitter and your blogs, what other Web 2.0 tools do you regularly use?
LinkedIn, Facebook, FourSquare, StumbleUpon and Delicious mainly. Can’t see Google Buzz making the list at the moment!
– - What specific impact on referrals and/or client engagements, if any, have you realized from Web 2.0 activities?
We have gained new clients from Twitter and LinkedIn, but the biggest benefit is in relationships, authority and reputation
– - Indeed. How much time do you spend each day developing / enhancing your brand?
At least an hour, but much of it slots into spare moments throughout the day and evening. More than that today!
– - And we greatly appreciate that! What is the most significant issue currently facing the legal profession?
in UK, a perfect storm:- recession, 2012 deregulation under LSA (http://bit.ly/bzHg2X) and enterprise 2.0 / legal tech
– - What will the legal landscape look like in 10 years?
To answer that I will (loosely) paraphrase Bill Gates:- …
in 10 yrs the way solicitors work now will be obsolete. Only question is whether we make it obsolete or if someone else will
– - What would you do if you weren’t a lawyer?
I nearly became a soil scientist b4 I chose law, but if money was no object ski bum in winter, liveaboard sailor in summer!
– - How do you want to be remembered?
Not necessarily for my legal career or as first Wirral solicitor on Twitter! Hopefully as a good father
– - What do you do when you’re not working?
Try and spend time with Leo (our little boy), run & sail when I can (but promised my wife no marathons this year!)
– - What advice can you pass along to lawyers currently under- or unemployed due to the economic crisis?
Focus on relationships w/ clients and other lawyers – when the market improves those networks will be critical
– - And our final question for you: what advice do you have for people going to law school today?
You have to call where the profession will be in 10 years and how you will fit. Focus on this as much as your law books.
Very valuable advice. Thanks very much for tweeting with me today.
thank you – it’s been great fun. First interview I have done with a beer in one hand!
Filed under Twitterviews | Tags: Blawger, Corporate Law, Wirral UK | Comments Off on @beej777
