There are many law firms that apply the Hippocratic oath to their public expressions–first do no harm. An in the course of "doing no harm," they become milquetoast and merge into background, just like elevator music. No one hears it. No one cares about it. But no one is harmed. Mission accomplished.
Those who have read this blog or visited Valorem’s website know that I don’t subscribe to this approach. I believe in expressing and debating ideas in a marketplace. And in a good marketplace, the best ideas will rise to the top and survive, until toppled by a better idea. The hard part is keeping on open mind to fairly judge the ideas that are better than your own. This approach runs the risk of offending or alienating some, but it also will attract those who value your ideas and expressions.
I have written before about my participation in various Legal On Ramp forums. Yesterday I noted that "[t]hese {LOR forums] include some of the most interesting, informed and insightful exchanges I regularly observe." I’d like to report a success story. Legal On Ramp really focuses on inhouse counsel: they are the intended beneficiaries. Well, one inhouse lawyer read some of the things I had written and, based on that, decided to take a look at Valorem’s website. There, he noticed some things he like and he started to read the partner bios. Taken with my partner Hugh’s reference to "two pizzas and a porno" in his bio, the client picked up the phone and called him. The end of this too long story is we were retained to handle a matter for this client.
So, even if one were inclined to dismiss the value of the learning that can occur in the marketplace of ideas (like LOR), there’s always the potential for pecuniary benefit. So, milquetoast or smart money?