As we approach another Christmas I was thinking about the skills that each of us really and truly brings to our job.
Santa Claus or Father Christmas or Saint Nicholas has a remarkable skill - the ability to deliver presents to every child in the world in one night.
However for us more mundane mortals in our professional life what is it that we are paid for, why do people use us, what is it that we can provide that is not available on the ubiquitous Internet in a few clicks?
I have been involved in the completion of two transactions simultaneously over the last few weeks and have been trying to distill where I have added most value. It is not in producing a first draft of the contract - actually that is relatively easy using model forms and precedents. It is also not in organising or managing the deal or the documents. My commercial and project and bid management colleagues can do all of that. Nor is it always in unique legal knowledge though of course that helps.
No what it really is I think on reflection my true skill set as a transaction lawyer is recognising a problem, articulating it so everybody on both sides agrees and then coming up with a solution and creative drafting that solves the issue.
This is where my skills set really resides. Many of the other things I do can perhaps be delegated and will eventually be performed by a computer or an avatar. But I do, like Santa, have a unique skill set as do we all if we can only work it out and identify it.
My parting thought before Christmas is that as the way we carry out our roles as professionals evolves through the advent of irresistible and exponential technology change, it is more and more critical to recognise and build on our true core skills, whatever they may be.
I wish all of those who have been kind enough to read these weekly thoughts a very merry Christmas where I hope our skill sets will be more about being with our family, eating and drinking and celebrating this festival time.
Santa Claus or Father Christmas or Saint Nicholas has a remarkable skill - the ability to deliver presents to every child in the world in one night.
However for us more mundane mortals in our professional life what is it that we are paid for, why do people use us, what is it that we can provide that is not available on the ubiquitous Internet in a few clicks?
I have been involved in the completion of two transactions simultaneously over the last few weeks and have been trying to distill where I have added most value. It is not in producing a first draft of the contract - actually that is relatively easy using model forms and precedents. It is also not in organising or managing the deal or the documents. My commercial and project and bid management colleagues can do all of that. Nor is it always in unique legal knowledge though of course that helps.
No what it really is I think on reflection my true skill set as a transaction lawyer is recognising a problem, articulating it so everybody on both sides agrees and then coming up with a solution and creative drafting that solves the issue.
This is where my skills set really resides. Many of the other things I do can perhaps be delegated and will eventually be performed by a computer or an avatar. But I do, like Santa, have a unique skill set as do we all if we can only work it out and identify it.
My parting thought before Christmas is that as the way we carry out our roles as professionals evolves through the advent of irresistible and exponential technology change, it is more and more critical to recognise and build on our true core skills, whatever they may be.
I wish all of those who have been kind enough to read these weekly thoughts a very merry Christmas where I hope our skill sets will be more about being with our family, eating and drinking and celebrating this festival time.
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