Who will be the new CEO of LexisNexis Australia?

Image by Bettina Tizzy via Flickr

House Of Butter is reporting that Max Piper, CEO of LexisNexis Australia is departing - No indication as yet of the reason - probably "to pursue other interests", which as we know is corporate code for "he wasn't working out". As mentioned in the article, it will be interesting whether LN decides on someone from the region, with detailed knowledge of the Australian legal industry or if it will be another Andy Prozes lackey, brought in to enforce the big red deathstar mentality.

The effect of recession on blogging?

My first post of 2009 on this blog and it's about the lack of post on the blog! Why is this? Well i find myself spending most of my creative writing skills justifying my services, my 'product', why you need to take me over someone else, why you need to keep me and not the usurper! Well in the words of The Highlander, these days "there can be only one". Justification, USPs, savings, efficiencies are the name of the game ... but it's actually quite entertaining, it's actually a serious challenge, why am i the best, what do i really save you? Previously it was why should we take you, the answer being, 'because we're pretty good and can probably save you something or other'. Now it's prove to me why we should take you, the answer being ... well obviously i'm not going to tell you that in a free forum ... work it out for yourself whilst i become the "one and only".

Focus on Legal History Blog

Image by The Loopweaver via FlickrStarting from this month, I'm going to attempt to focus on a particular blog in the legal arena that I think deserves special mention.

First up this month is the Legal History Blog, a blog that highlights and comments on articles, books and ideas surrounding legal history. The contributers are Dan Ernst, of Georgeand Mary L. Dudziak the Judge Edward J. and Ruey L. Guirado Professor of Law, History and Political Science at the University of Southern California Law School (longest job title award goes to...). Both of whom are well respected legal historians.

I'm not exactly the most qualified in law (as in not at all), but many of the articles are fascinating from a purely historical point of view. An example being a recent post regarding an article on Basil Montague QC, apparently well reknowned in the insolvecy area. The article explains how Montague was friends with famous literary figures from the 19th Century (Wordsworth among others). The paper is by David Graham and John Paul Tribe of Kingston Law School (UK).

Some of the articles are a little dry from a non-legal experts point of view, but it's wonderful to see peoeple high-lighting this specialty knowledge, especially when it doesn't have a purely US focus.

Give it a read.

Depiction of British vs American Lawyers

Image via WikipediaVery nice article on the BBC regarding how the depictions in the media of British lawyers and their American counterparts differ. Not to spoil it too much it comes down to American glamour of Calaista Flockhart in Ally McBeal versus the eccentric Rumpole played by Leo McKearn.
Give me the wigs and robes over the powersuits anyday!
The article can be found here.