| November 2008 | e-Newsletter |
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Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law DVDs now available in TBH Games & Books Department
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Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, is part of the Adult Swim programming block on the Cartoon Network. The show, which originally ran for three seasons, features ex-superhero Harvey T. Birdman of Birdman and the Galaxy Trio as a lawyer working for the firm of Sebben & Sebben, alongside other cartoon stars from 1960s and 1970s Hanna-Barbera cartoon series. Other Hanna-Barbera characters of the same era play roles as Harvey's clients and opposing counsel. As lawyers who grew up during that era, we knew that we just had to add the edgy humor of the Harvey Birdman DVDs to our Books & Games Department.
Regular characters include Phil Ken Sebben, co-founder of Sebben & Sebben; his secretary, Avenger (who happens to be a large purple eagle); his 13-year-old paralegal, Peanut; Birdgirl, the costumed alter ego of Phil’s daughter, Judy Ken Sebben; purple, pompous colleague Peter Pottamus; stylish, suave and Spanish-accented Sebben & Sebben partner Blue Falcon; Harvey's most frequent courtroom adversary, Myron Reducto; and Judges Hiram Mightor and Mentok the Mind Taker, among others. Individual episodes feature such classic cartoon characters as Shaggy and Scooby; Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo; Fred Flintstone; the Jetsons; Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy; Jabberjaw; and more.
Each DVD features 13 episodes, plus tons of Special Features. Each volume is packaged in a textured slipcase that recalls a well-worn hornbook.
Volume 1 and Volume 3 are available separately; they are also available as part of a box set, along with Volume 2. (According to our distributor, Volume 2 is currently not available separately.)
For episode guides and a complete listing of the Special Features included in each volume, check out our Harvey Birdman product pages.
Top Delegation Mistakes
by Julie Fleming Brown
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All lawyers delegate; few lawyers delegate well. Here are the five top mistakes lawyers make when delegating.
1. Rushing. Making an assignment before thinking about the critical aspects of delegation (which are set forth in the next section) is almost a guarantee that you won’t get the end result that you want. Without sitting down to think about what the finished product should be, you may not even know what you really need. Rushing means that you may not select the best person to whom to delegate the task or that you don’t describe exactly what you need to know and/or how you want the results. When you rush, you’re highly likely not to get what you need. You end up frustrated and even more in the hole time-wise than you were when you started: now you have to do the work (or re-delegate it) and you’re starting late.
An example: Paula, a partner, asked Evan, a third-year associate, to draft a deposition outline. She told Evan that she didn’t want the outline to include questions, and that instead she wanted a subject matter outline. Evan took Paula’s direction literally and prepared an extensive outline organized by topic, with issues set out below each topic and supported by well-organized, highlighted, and flagged documents. Paula was livid, however, when she discovered that the outline didn’t include any questions. She had wanted Evan to skip the opening questions but to include questions that would get to the heart of the factual and legal issues - but because what she said was, "no questions," Evan misunderstood. Should he have clarified before completing the outline? Absolutely. Paula, however, bears responsibility as well for a problem that could have been avoided had she simply paused to think about how best to describe the work product she wanted to receive.
2. Delegating too little. Lawyers are highly skilled and self-reliant, and too many of us believe that we should be in control of every aspect of our practices. But here’s some news: you are not the lone ranger. Failing to delegate costs you time. What’s worse, if you don’t give your staff and junior colleagues stretch projects that challenge and engage them, they won’t advance professionally. They’ll get bored and probably move on to another position, or worse yet you’ll find yourself surrounded by "zombies" who show up to the office everyday but are completely disengaged from their work.
3. Delegating too much. The first problem with over-delegating is, of course, that it presents numerous ethical issues. You cannot delegate legal work to non-lawyers without adequate supervision, and you should not delegate legal work to other lawyers without appropriate supervision.
Even when you’re delegating administrative tasks only, over-delegation results in poor practice management. You should not perform the day-to-day administrative tasks required for your practice, but you must be able to do so if you find yourself short-staffed. This doesn’t mean that you should be as skilled as your assistants at everything from filing to document formatting to mail room procedures, but you should know enough to muddle your way through.
4. Micromanaging. Micromanaging produces problems similar to those encountered with under-delegating, though the problems arise even more quickly and tend to be more acute. Micromanagement undermines the confidence and/or morale of the person to whom you’ve delegated because it sends the message that you don’t trust their judgment. That person may leave or become a zombie as previously described, but more likely he or she will become frustrated and resentful. Micromanagers often have a reputation as being impossible to please, and those who cannot be pleased often find that those who work with them quit trying.
Equally troublesome, micromanagement prevents the person doing the work from exercising his or her own judgment and expanding his or her professional development. Those who are micromanaged don’t have the opportunity to bring their perspective and ideas to the table, which means that the micromanager doesn’t have the chance to be wowed by what those who’ve been assigned the work could do if only they had the freedom.
5. Not managing enough. Failure to manage results in the same problems that rushing and over-delegation can produce. You may encounter ethical issues that could have been avoided with proper supervision, and you may not receive the work product that you wanted and expected.
You can learn some delegation tips here. Delegation is also covered extensively in 5 Foundations of Time Mastery for Attorneys —check it out at www.FiveFoundations.com.
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Julie Fleming Brown, J.D., A.C.C. provides attorney development coaching and consulting to law firm associates and partners, focusing on topics such as leadership, client, and professional development; career strategy; and work/life integration. A certified leadership coach (Georgetown University), Julie publishes the weekly email newsletter Leadership Matters for Lawyers and posts often on the Life at the Bar Blog. Learn more at www.LifeAtTheBar.com or by contacting Julie by telephone at 800.758.6214 or by email to jfb@lifeatthebar.com. |
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Greetings from TBH: How to Order Your Personalized Holiday Cards from The Billable Hour Card Store
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As the calendar moves inexorably forward towards Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year's, lawyers' thoughts turn to sending out holiday greeting cards. Here are the answers to some common questions about ordering from The Billable Hour Card Store.
What kinds of cards do you carry?
The Billable Hour Card Store features over 325 humorous law-related greeting cards, covering a wide range of topics. We featured some of our brand new holiday cards in last month's Timesheet; more new cards are featured at the end of this article, along with the most popular images from our large selection of more "traditional" greeting cards for the holiday season (featuring images of snowflakes, ornaments, menorahs, Christmas trees and the like).
Our humorous legal cards are organized by occasion, practice area, topic, intended recipient (lawyers, judges, law students, court reporters and paralegals) and collection. All of our traditional cards are under the Especially For>Clients category; the category is further subdivided by occasion. So, even though there are hundreds of cards to choose from, the clear organization of cards on the website lets you quickly find the cards that are just right for you.
Are these e-cards or real paper cards?
Our cards are not e-cards: they are printed cards on 5"x7" heavy glossy stock. The store uses print-on-demand technology that allows you to send highly personalized cards to your clients, colleagues, prospects and friends.
How much do the cards cost?
Single cards are $2.99 each, and bulk discounts are available for purchases of 10 cards or more. Here is the bulk pricing chart:
| Quantity | Price Per Card | Discount $ | Discount % |
| 1-9 | $2.99 | $0.00 | 0% |
| 10-19 | $2.70 | $0.29 | 10% |
| 20-49 | $2.54 | $0.45 | 15% |
| 50-99 | $2.24 | $0.75 | 25% |
| 100-199 | $1.94 | $1.05 | 35% |
| 200-499 | $1.79 | $1.20 | 40% |
| 500+ | $1.64 | $1.35 | 45% |
Remember, the bulk discount is based on the total number of cards in your cart. So, for example, if you want to order 50 cards in one design, and your partner wants to order 50 cards in a different design, you will be entitled to the discount applicable to 100 cards (as long as all the cards are in the shopping cart at the time of checkout). Therefore, each card in your order would be priced at $1.94.
Sales tax is added for California orders only.
How does the ordering process work?
Creating a customized card is easy. At each stage, you can preview the card on the screen before proceeding.
First, choose your cover image.
Next, personalize your card. You can include any message at all on the inside of the card (or you can leave the inside blank). There are eight different fonts and 131 ink colors to choose from. (View some suggested holiday verses)
You can also upload a signature or logo to appear underneath the message. To make the card even more personal, you may even upload a photograph, which will be printed on the card’s inside left panel. There is no additional charge for these features, which are completely optional.
Can you mail my cards directly to the recipients?
Yes! Forget running envelopes through your printer or peeling hundreds of labels from their backing: when you order from The Billable Hour Card Store, you can have your cards mailed directly to the recipients (U.S. destinations only) on the date of your choice. Envelopes are stamped, not metered. Your own return address appears on cards mailed directly to the recipient: in effect, you receive free envelope imprinting. Addresses can be uploaded from Microsoft Outlook as well as other CRM programs.
Of course, if you prefer to hand-sign your cards, you can have the cards shipped to you, along with blank envelopes.
This year, Thanksgiving is on November 27, the first night of Hanukkah is Monday, December 22 and Kwanzaa runs from December 26 through January 1. Don't delay: visit The Billable Hour Card Store now.
Bonus: you can customize the text on the front of the two cards above, in addition to including your personal message inside!
Cartoon: Stu's Views
by Stu Rees
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©Stu Rees. All rights reserved.
Like this cartoon? Send it to friends, clients or colleagues on greeting cards. To order, visit The Billable Hour Card Store.
Did you know that Stu also licenses his artwork for use in newsletters, presentations, print publications and on websites? He even offers special rates for student and teacher use.
You can also purchase original artwork and custom prints (framed or unframed) from Stu.
Timesheet readers get 15% off all licensing orders, original artwork and custom prints (use coupon code BILLHOUR). Click here for information on licensing or purchasing one one of Stu's judge cartoons, dumb criminal cartoons, or any of the hundreds of images Stu offers. For more information on original artwork and custom prints, click here.
101 Reasons to Kill All the Lawyers: #43 They Don't Always Return Telephone Calls Promptly
by Paul Brennan
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Last year, I attended a speech by one of Australia's funniest business speakers, Martin Grunstein. During his speech, completely out of the blue, his eyes rolled back in their sockets and he said that lawyers were "very arrogant and never returned phone calls."
I took immediate exception to his use of the word "very."
When I first started I knew one lawyer who did not even use a telephone, so in some cases there may be a reasonable excuse. In any event, telephone calls are so over: we now focus on not returning emails.
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Paul Brennan is a legal cartoonist, author and speaker. He is the author of We Have the Time if You Have the Money: How to Promote Your Legal Practice, A Legal Guide to Dying: Baby Boomer Edition, The 10 Greatest Legal Mistakes in Business . . . and How to Avoid Them, and The Law is an Ass—Make Sure it Doesn’t Bite Yours, which are intended for a worldwide audience. He blogs at www.101reasonstokillallthelawyers.com. In his day job, he is the principal of Brennans Solicitors, a law firm located in Mooloolaba, a Queensland, Australia seaside town, where he practices in the areas of business law (including franchising), intellectual property, trusts and estates, immigration and real estate. For more information on booking Paul as a speaker, visit www.lawanddisorder.com.au. |
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Cartoons by Dan
by Dan Roasndich
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©Dan Rosandich. All rights reserved.
Like this cartoon? Send it to friends, clients or colleagues on greeting cards. To order, visit The Billable Hour Card Store.
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Video of the Month: What a Wonderful Choice for VP
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A timely song by our own Bob Noone & the Well Hung Jury:
You can find Bob's albums, Wingtips Optional and Second Helping of Chicken Suit for the Lawyer's Soul, in our Music Department
To watch more hilarious videos from around the web, join us at The Video Venue!
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Fine Art Lithographs Featuring Warner Bros. Cartoon Characters in Legal Scenes Make Extra-Special Holiday Gifts
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Here at The Billable Hour Company, we’re all about legal humor. So, when we learned about the law-related animation art available from Broadman Fine Arts, we knew we had to find a way to bring it to our customers and Timesheet subscribers.
Broadman, in association with the Warner Bros. animation art studio, is now offering custom-framed fine art lithographs of four hilarious Warner Bros. cartoon scenes with legal themes. In Court Order, Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam stand before a judge as they battle for the property rights to Bugs’s rabbit hole. In Law and Disorder, Lawyer Daffy Duck points accusingly at Elmer Fudd on the witness stand, while Judge Bugs wields his sledgehammer . . . uh, gavel . . . over Elmer’s head, before a jury comprised of Porky Pig, Pepe Le Pew, and other well-known Warner Bros. characters. In Legal Alien, Bugs is an immigration judge, peering down from the bench at Marvin the Martian and his dog, K-9. And in Acme on Trial, Wile E. Coyote pleads his case against ACME, with the Road Runner poking his head from behind the bench. You can view all of these images at http://www.broadmanfinearts.com/corporategifts/legal.html#grid (Internet Explorer required). Each lithograph is museum-quality framed and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity,
For corporate orders, the lithographs are $295 each (Law and Disorder, which is larger, is $395).
Plus, we’ve arranged for a special bonus exclusively for Timesheet subscribers: if you mention The Billable Hour Company when you place your order, you’ll get personalized plaques at no additional charge with any corporate gift order.
For more information, visit Broadman's website, or call Jessica Cheney at 805-230-1393 or email her at jessica@broadmanfinearts.com.
Lawtoons
by Suzan Charlton, Esq.
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click here to enlarge (large file; please be patient)
©Suzan Charlton. All rights reserved.
Like this cartoon? Send it to friends, clients or colleagues on greeting cards. To order, visit The Billable Hour Card Store.
Suzan Charlton is a professional cartoonist who is rumored to practice insurance coverage law as a hobby for a major Washington D.C. law firm. Her cartoons cover a wide range of law-related topics, from law school grades to law firm romance.
Song of the Month: I Dreamed I Saw Santa Workin' in the Library
by Lawrence Savell
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(sample)
Available on The Lawyer's Holiday Humor Album
I was workin' in the library at Chadbourne & Parke
On December 24, it was way past dark
Writin' up a brief, that's how I make my living
But then again this one had been due back on Thanksgiving
Below my window tourists yelled with glee
Like a bunch of anxious dogs lookin' for that special tree
I was sittin' in the back of the New York section
Like the West books I was up to my Supp. second
Between the Gilberts and the Nutshells piled next to me
Was some moo shu and a ham on rye from Carnegie
I must have dozed from the load I ate
'Cause what happened after that I'm afraid to relate.
I dreamed I saw Santa in the pale moonlight
Workin' on a memo in his red pinstripes
My Yuppie life-style took its toll on me
'Cause I dreamed I saw Santa workin' in the library.
I must have woke up when my head hit the wall
So I reached for a handful of my Tylenol
But I heard a funny sound from near the Tax CCH
So I bravely got up and went to investigate
I saw him reading a list of names in blue
He said "Son, I'm just doing my annual review."
I saw Santa in the pale moonlight
Workin' on a memo in his red pinstripes
My Yuppie life-style took its toll on me
'Cause I thought I saw Santa workin' in the library.
So I said "Tell me Santa, from your legal pad"
"In past fiscal year was I good or bad?"
He turned to his list and said "You're in a fix"
"It says here that one Thursday you left at six"
He said "I'm sorry but que sera sera"
"I gave your bonus to a seventh-year at Skadden Arps."
I saw Santa in the pale moonlight
Workin' on a memo in his red pinstripes
My Yuppie life-style took its toll on me
'Cause I thought I saw Santa workin' in the library.
I thought I saw Santa in the pale moonlight
Workin' on a memo in his red pinstripes
My Yuppie life-style took its toll on me
'Cause I thought I saw Santa workin' in the library.
Then he packed up his papers in a red lit bag
And he filled out a voucher to Dial-A-Stag
And he faded off downtown and out of sight
Yelling "Merry billings to all and to all a good night"
I woke up that morning and to my dismay
Under my tree was fifty copies of my resume.
I saw Santa in the pale moonlight
Workin' on a memo in his red pinstripes
My Yuppie life-style took its toll on me
'Cause I dreamed I saw Santa workin' in the library.
Just one of the hilarious songs on
Cartoon: Law and Disorder
by Paul Brennan
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Like this cartoon? Send it to friends, clients or colleagues on greeting cards. To order, visit The Billable Hour Card Store.
Poeticus Lex: Legal Limerick
by Fred C. Russcol, Esq.
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A lawyer took dieting potions
To further weight-reducing notions;
He considered it wise
To increase exercise,
So he made many vigorous motions
Fred C. Russcol, Esq. is Of Counsel to Castro & Remer, P.C. in Ossining, New York. This poem was originally printed in the Westchester Bar Journal and is reprinted with the permission of the Westchester County Bar Association.
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