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"World's greatest law firm": Anyone know which firm Malcolm Gladwell is talking about?

Gladwell's newest book is coming out in November. In the publisher Little, Brown and Company's catalog (pdf) is this excerpt:

OUTLIERS is a book about success. It starts with a very simple question: what is the difference between those who do something special with their lives and everyone else? In OUTLIERS, we’re going to visit a genius who lives on a horse farm in Northern Missouri. We’re going to examine the bizarre histories of professional hockey and soccer players, and look into the peculiar childhood of Bill Gates, and spend time in a Chinese rice paddy, and investigate the world’s greatest law firm, and wonder about what distinguishes pilots who crash planes from those who don’t. And in examining the lives of the remarkable among us—the brilliant, the exceptional and the unusual—I want to convince you that the way we think about success is all wrong.

Any idea which firm Gladwell is calling "the world's greatest"?

More about the book from both Amazon and the publisher's catalog (p. 39):

In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band.
 
Brilliant and entertaining, OUTLIERS is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate.

I am looking forward to reading Outliers when it comes out.  And to learning the identity of the "world's greatest law firm"!

Hat tip to 800-CEO-READ Blog.

Note (added December 27, 2008, 12:19 PM Mountain): I read Outliers yesterday and would give it about a B-. Not much new in it but some good stories and interesting applications of old information. For example, he shows how Hofstede's research was applied to airline cockpit communications. As for the question asked above, the firm Gladwell says "is generally regarded as the finest in the world" is Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

Trying to choose your next book? You may want to read one on this list

Telegraph (UK) has published a fascinating list of what they are describing as cult books. From the article:

What is a cult book? We tried and failed to arrive at a definition: books often found in the pockets of murderers; books that you take very seriously when you are 17; books whose readers can be identified to all with the formula "<Author Name> whacko"; books our children just won’t get...
 
Some things crop up often: drugs, travel, philosophy, an implied two fingers to conventional wisdom, titanic self-absorption, a tendency to date fast and a paperback jacket everyone recognises with a faint wince. But these don’t begin to cover it.

Cult books include some of the most cringemaking collections of bilge ever collected between hard covers. But they also include many of the key texts of modern feminism; some of the best journalism and memoirs; some of the most entrancing and original novels in the canon.

The list of 50 cult books includes:

• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Slaughterhouse-Five
• The Beauty Myth
• The Bell Jar
• Catch-22
• The Catcher in the Rye
• Dianetics: the Modern Science of Mental Health
• The Sorrows of Young Werther
• The Stranger
• The Prophet
• The Magus
• The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

Any titles you think should be included?

New edition of THE COMPLETE LAWYER now online: The focus is "A sound mind in a sound body"

Another chock-full edition of The Complete Lawyer is up and awaiting your reading eyes and minds. Articles include one I wrote with Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz: "Exercise Mind Hygiene On A Daily Basis." Excerpt:

Do you ever have days when you describe your life as out of control?  Is your career going in an unintended direction? Do you feel as if you don’t have the time to assess whether your personal and professional trajectory is consistent or colliding with your goals and values, or if it’s aligned with your daily preferences? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, stop! For just a moment, step off the treadmill and join us on solid ground.

Do you want to take control? If so, you already have the necessary tool—your reflective mind. Unfortunately too few people use this life-correcting instrument. Instead, most lawyers operate in a reactive mode. Some are so governed by the billable hour that their brains are like metronomes, still keeping time even when they are away from work, preventing them from paying full attention to life outside the office. Others are so motivated by fear of not scaling the Mt. Everest heights of the legal profession, of not meeting elusive standards or not moving fast enough that they suffer self-induced workaholism. Sadly, some lawyers are so governed by their reactive brains that they become physically ill.

Other don't-miss articles:

• "The Inextricable Link Between The Body And Mind" by Richard Strozzi-Heckler
• "What Are Your Options?" by Anne Whitaker
• "Find Gratitude, Be A Better Lawyer" by Joe Shaub
• "Your Next Presentation Can Be A Hit If You Follow The Rules" by Mark Johnson
• "Do You Think Like A Solo Practitioner?" by Susan Cartier Liebel
• "Hourly Billing Is The Opiate Of The Profession" by Ronald J. Baker
• "Live in Your Head and Your Heart" by Susan Daicoff
• "Use The Elements Of Fiction To Tell The Client’s Story" by Karen J. Sneddon

And much, much more! This edition includes the second column written by my sisters in the ADR 'hood (Vickie Pynchon, Diane Levin, and Gini Nelson) and me; click to read the new installment of our "The Human Factor."

Something for everyone in The Complete Lawyer. Enjoy.

Note (added May 2, 2008, 12:04 PM Mountain): From one of my favorite blogs (because it is smart, sharp, short, sassy, and even once in a while silly), an announcement of this edition of TCL. Do NOT miss how What About Clients? heralded this The Complete Lawyer; what they did is good for your mind and your body. Get moving! Love that crew of bloggers—Holden Oliver, Brooke Powell, Tom Welshonce and Dan Hull. Kind of a hybrid of Miley Cyrus, Benjamin Franklin, Britney Spears, George Washington, Robin Williams, and Angelina Jolie. (Maybe throw in a teaspoon of the Dalai Lama and Starhawk, too.)

A month of playful picks from YouTube

Need some play in your day? Spirituality & Practice has created a Play Month. For each day of April, they have chosen a YouTube video selected especially for its playfulness. Play selections are mainly songs from the 50s: "Purple People Eater," "YMCA," "Dizzy," "Great Balls of Fire," "Splish Splash," "Louie Louie" and more. Do not miss "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"! Click on over; I bet at least a couple will make you smile, if not stand up and dance. Hey, play!

It is a happy talent to know how to play.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I count that day lost when I am not moved to laughter or tears, but even more if I have not played.
- George Sheehan

Image credit: Piney at flickr

Law review article "Happy Law Students, Happy Lawyers" looks at control, connections, creative challenge, and comparisons

From the abstract of the article "Happy Law Students, Happy Lawyers" (Syracuse Law Review) by Nancy Levit and Douglas Linder:

This article draws on research into the science of happiness and asks a series of interrelated questions: Whether law schools can make law students happier? Whether making happier law students will translate into making them happier lawyers, and the accompanying question of whether making law students happier would create better lawyers? After covering the limitations of genetic determinants of happiness and happiness set-points, the article addresses those qualities that happiness research indicates are paramount in creating satisfaction: control, connections, creative challenge (or flow), and comparisons (preferably downward). Those qualities are then applied to legal education, while addressing the larger philosophical question, What if happiness were a goal of law schools?

The authors believe that making law students happier does translate, at least in part, into making them both happier and better lawyers because there is an interplay among happiness, collaboration and professionalism.  . . .

The article concludes with some concrete suggestions about maximizing student happiness, through addressing some of the career reasons why law students become unhappy lawyers.  . . .

Download "Happy Law Students, Happy Lawyers" here.

A Sunday kind of post: Wintley Phipps tells the story of "Amazing Grace" and then sings it with unforgettable beauty

A must watch. Click to hear the story of "Amazing Grace" and Wintley Phipps's, well, amazing rendition.

An article about Wentley Phipps (Adventist Review).

April, 2008 edition of LAW PRACTICE TODAY now online

Click to read the April edition of Law Practice Today. Some of the included articles:

• Beyond Diversity: Inclusion In the Legal Workforce by Janet Ellen Raasch

  Law firms are falling behind other professions in hiring diverse workforces. How can the legal community create an atmosphere of inclusiveness and attract diverse employees? Janet Allen Raasch outlines the steps law firms. Law schools, and universities must take to catch up.

• The Power of Storytelling in Your Legal Practice by Paramjit L. Mahli

  How do attorneys connect with their audience without losing themselves in legal-speak? The art of story telling can help lawyers communicate in a way that is captivating and easily understood.

• April-May Marketing Brief by Bob Weiss

  Your logo may be more important than you think. Bob Weiss explains how your company’s brand can make you stand out.

• Is the Check REALLY in the Mail? Only If You Bill the Right Way! by Edward Poll

  Don’t let worrying about payments stress you out. Here are some tips on how to manage billing so that you and your clients are happy.

Famous Trials Web site: Some great storytelling

Professor Douglas O. Linder of University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law has created a Web site Famous Trials which presents one intriguing story after another. From Professor Linder's faculty page:

The Famous Trials website, the Web's largest and most visited collection of original essays, images, and primary documents pertaining to great trials, has been an ongoing project of Professor Linder's since 1996.  Professor Linder has contributed book chapters, participated in video projects, and presented public speeches on the subject of historic trials.

I learned of Famous Trials in "Calling for Stories" (UMKC Law Review) by Nancy Levit & Allen Rostron.

Image credit: Jonathunder at Wikimedia

False memories play a role in the ongoing accuracy of living wills: Should living wills have an expiration date?

Given what we know about the plasticity of memory, the findings from this study about living wills are not surprising. Should living will practices be updated in light of the findings?

From "False Memories Of Living Will Complicate End-of-life Treatment Decisions" (Science Daily):

Advance directives, or living wills, may not effectively honor end-of-life wishes because life-sustaining treatment preferences often change over time without people being aware of the changes, according to a new study co-authored by UC Irvine researchers Peter Ditto and Elizabeth Loftus.

False memories can play a significant role in the discrepancy between an individual’s true preferences for end-of-life treatment and what is instructed in their living will.  . . .

“Living wills are a noble idea and can often be very helpful in decisions that must be made near the end of life. But the notion that you can just fill out a document and all your troubles will be solved, a notion that is frequently reinforced in the popular media, is seriously misguided,” said Peter Ditto, professor of psychology and social behavior at UCI.

In research reported in the current issue of the American Psychological Association journal Health Psychology, a sample of 401 adults older than 65 were interviewed about which life-sustaining treatments they would want if they were seriously ill. They were interviewed again 12 months later to test their recall of earlier decisions. About one-third of participants changed their wishes regarding medical treatment such as CPR and “tube feeding” over the course of the year, and in 75 percent of these cases, participants falsely remembered that their original views on the issues matched their new ones.

. . .

“On a policy level, these results suggest that living wills should have an ‘expiration date.’ People can’t be counted upon to update their directives as their wishes change because they often have no awareness that their wishes have changed,” Ditto said.  “On a more personal level, our research stresses the importance of maintaining an ongoing dialogue among individuals, their families and their physicians about end-of-life treatment options,” he continued.

12 ways to get smarter

From Wired: "Get Smarter: 12 Hacks That Will Amp Up Your Brainpower." Here are a few of the tips. Take a look at all 12 by clicking over to the article.

1) Max Your Mind's Performance by Distracting Yourself
Excerpt:

Desperate to memorize a crucial fact?. . .The trick is to distract yourself by studying stuff that's slightly different from whatever you're trying to learn. Your brain will then work harder to permanently store the original information.

4) Think Positive, and You Will Get Smarter
Excerpt:

Learning new things actually strengthens your brain — especially when you believe you can learn new things. It's a virtuous circle: When you think you're getting smarter, you study harder, making more nerve-cell connections, which in turn makes you ... smarter. This effect shows up consistently among experimental subjects, from seventh graders to college students to businesspeople.

7) Thalamus, Cortex, Amygdala ... Pick Apart the Brain
Clever graphic to help you learn about the parts of your brain and their functions

8) Embracing Chaos Could Bring Order to Your Memory
Excerpt:

One way to learn Better: Mix yourself up. That's advice from Robert Bjork, chair of UCLA's psychology department and a leading expert in memory and learning. Volunteers in his experiments exhibited superior recall when they learned information in randomly ordered chunks.

11) Up Your Intelligence by Choosing Your Exercise Wisely
Excerpt:

Can exercise make you think better? In some cases, yes. Here's what works best.