Lauren Stiller Rikleen published an interesting piece on hbr.org last month, Law Firms Need to Take Care of Their Talent. Here’s the money quote:

A business dependent on the intellect of its workforce ought to invest heavily in talent management and leadership development. This includes understanding employee needs and putting in place policies and operating principles that maximize engagement.

Interesting. How many law firms embrace this?

Ken Adams posted recent email correspondence with a young in-house lawyer who wrote asking for practice tips. Fresh out of law school and assigned to a one-man legal office in a foreign country, he’s about as isolated and self-sufficient as the Curiosity on Mars.

Several seasoned commercial attorneys who are regular contributors to the discussions on Ken’s The Koncise Drafter blog, including Chris Lemens and Mark Anderson (the proprietor of IP Draughts), responded with excellent advice. I’d recommend clicking over to the post and taking a few minutes to read the comments.

I don’t feel that I can add much to the exceptional answers on Ken’s blog to the young lawyer’s specific questions, but here are a few tips I’d offer to any young corporate lawyer:

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Holmes v. Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners

Former police officer Danny Holmes sued the Kansas City police department under the Missouri Human Rights Act and on breach of contract and whistleblower claims for the termination of his employment by the police department. The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District reversed the trial court’s judgment for Mr. Holmes on the breach of contract claim. The appellate court held that, while R.S.Mo. § 84.600 gives police officers a property right in continued employment, it does not give them a contractual right to sue for damages for wrongful termination. The court stated, “The general rule is that there is no private right of action to enforce a statute or regulation through an action for damages … and [w]here administrative review of a denied property right is adequate, parties may not” sue for damages instead. Further, R.S.Mo. § 84.600 doesn’t create a contractual term binding the board of police commissioners and a police officer.

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Prof. Meredith Miller very kindly posted an interview piece on the ContractsProf Blog this evening featuring yours truly. To those of you who found my little piece of the Interwebs via her post, welcome.

Everyone wants to tidy things up a bit when they’re expecting company — trouble is, I’ve been pretty busy and I haven’t had much time to post lately. So allow me to give you a quick tour of a few posts from the archives.

Battle of the forms primer. By far the most widely-read piece on the blog is Battle of the Forms Explained (Using a Few Short Words). [continue reading…]

Here are some pieces from around the web that I’ve enjoyed reading recently.

Let’s talk about the green stuff. A lot of lawyers go into law to avoid sales. Others are in it to avoid business. Unfortunately for them, the good old days are gone, law firms are now businesses, and most lawyers need to spend time and energy developing new business. Still, it’s tough for a lot of us to talk frankly about money matters with our clients, but Pam Woldow makes the case in “Grubby Money” – Lawyers’ Reluctance to Talk About Fees that lawyers need to open the lines of communication and spend more time talking with our clients about money matters.

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River Oaks Home Association v. Lounce

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District reversed the trial court’s ruling that Zeria Lounce was individually liable for home association assessments where she had transferred her home’s title to her revocable living trust. Although Lounce didn’t inform the association of the transfer of her property to the trust, the home association and declaration of restrictions and covenants documents did not require her to notify the home association of the transfer.

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Here are some recent pieces from the web that I found interesting. Perhaps you will too.

How to read an online privacy policy. Does anyone really read privacy policies or website terms? Of course not. Who has the time? Well, that’s a bit of an overstatement, but as I noted in The E-Contracting Paradox: No One Reads Online Terms But Everyone Agrees to Them, very few people read online terms. But these terms often constitute binding contractual commitments, so it’s a good idea to know what you’re agreeing to. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse provides helpful hints in the Reading a Privacy Policy section of its Social Networking Privacy fact sheet as to what to look for when you read an online privacy policy.

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St. Francis Medical Center v. Reeves

St. Francis Medical Center sued Edward and Jennifer Reeves to collect unpaid medical bills incurred in the birth of the Reeves’s son alleging breach of express contract and action on account. The trial court entered a judgment in favor of the Reeves and St. Francis appealed. The Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District reversed, ruling that the the trial court erred in failing to admit the Reeves’s medical bills into evidence.

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C-H Building Associates, LLC v. Duffey

C-H Building Associates entered into a contract to purchase real estate from Joe and Mary Jane Duffey. At the time of the sale Liberty Homes, a third of which was owned by Joe Duffey, was renting the property. The sale contract contained the following clause relating to the lease:

[The Duffeys] agree[ ] to sell to [C-H] and [C-H] agrees to purchase from [the Duffeys] the real estate described in Exhibit A . . . together with any buildings and improvements thereon, and all personal property used in the operation of the buildings and improvements . . . and including the following: LEASE WITH LIBERTY HOMES TO BE 3 YEARS AT $3,000.00 PER MONTH TRIPLE NET ON THE NORTH APPROXIMATELY 2500 SQ FT OF BUILDING AT 100 CLAYVIEW DRIVE.

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