All posts by Patrick Dransfield

Patrick M. Dransfield is Client Relations Director at Alsuwaidi & Company, Principal of Clearway Communications and Co-Founder of the Managing Partners’ Club.

“Thinking about thinking.” What Daniel Kahneman’s 2 modes of ‘Thinking’ can teach us about the value perceived by clients of senior lawyers’ advice

Two recent articles on the international business of law published in the Financial Times took my eye recently, as they seemed at first glance mutually contradictory but on further reflection, that very inherent contradiction belies a broader truth.  On the one hand, London-based correspondent Kate Beioley […]

The 7 Steps

A coherent business development and marketing strategy for law firms and particularly for the business development and marketing professionals within the legal industry.

Remembering Christopher Hunter BA, 1964– 2021   

Christopher Hunter, publisher, journalist, scholar of Chinese, father of Jessica and son of Gillian and Frederic, passed away at home in Berkhamsted, England on Sunday, 21 November, 2021.  Chris, who lived in Hong Kong from 1987 to 2016, had been suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for […]

‘The Thing About……Nishith Desai’  

Nishith Desai, founder of the eponymous firm Nishith Desai Associates, talks to Patrick Dransfield about strategy, technology and people management.

‘The Thing About……John B Quinn’

Biography of John B Quinn For thirty years John B. Quinn continues to enjoy a unique, dual status in the legal profession.  Widely regarded as one of the top trial lawyers in the world, he is equally well-known as the founder of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & […]

‘The Thing About……Titus Rahiri’

KorumLegal celebrates it’s 5th anniversary this month.  Five years on from it’s inception, Founder and CEO Titus Rahiri talks with Patrick Dransfield. Photographs by Patrick Dransfield Patrick: What does the name ‘Korum’ signify?  Tell us about the KorumLegal story so far – from its founding in […]

“How to become clairvoyant?”

“We had dreams when the night was young We were believers when the night was young We could change the world stop the war Never seen nothing like this before…’ Robbie Robertson, from the album ‘How to become clairvoyant?’ The two rock concerts that define the […]

Asia Pacific M&A and Corporate Strategy amidst Global Market Dislocation

By Ken Koo, Managing Director at Citigroup and Deputy General Manager at Orient Securities Investment Banking Co.; with an introduction by Patrick Dransfield, Consultant at Asia Law Portal I first met Ken Koo when he delivered the Key Note Address at the ABA Section of International […]

Beyond Black Swan: Positioning the law firm for the new normal

Please find a link to the White Paper: “Beyond Black Swan: Positioning the law firm for the new normal”.  From the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” to WAR’s “You’ve got the POWER!” via two-time Oscar winning actress Sally Fields, a White Paper on legal practice change has never […]

Comment: My educated mother had the audacity to work

Writing in the Financial Times in May 2019 the English novelist Jeanette Winterson reflected on 100 years of feminism. She wrote: “Exposing the craziness behind (sex) discrimination really matters because once any kind of discrimination is both accepted and acceptable every other kind gets the run of the road: […]

Women In Law Dialogue series: Is COVID-19 taking Women Lawyers’ careers back to the 1950’s?

“The current crisis has brought existing inequalities to the fore. It also risks exacerbating them”, Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS). Just as the Covid-19 crisis has brutally exposed the fault-lines in the political and cultural mores in various countries and various world leaders, thus the crisis will […]

Knowledge is Power and Information is the Key to Survival

 “What I am looking for from external counsel is assistance in areas of risk anticipation, industry-specific discussion and also lobbying.”  Head of Legal, Singapore, SOURCE: In-House Community, June 2020 The quote above is one opinion of sixty recently convey to the In-House Community by a senior […]

“Beyond Black Swan: Positioning the law firm for the ‘New Normal’ – a dialogue with General Counsel” Webinar, June 30th, 2020

I am delighted to invite you to a vital webinar on law firm management. It will provide you with crucial guidance for the present and immediate future of your law firm. Those firms that have leaders who are the quick to adjust are the most likely […]

Webcast: Proactive management of COVID 19 related risks and disputes

On 31st March, 2020, In-House Community, together with LC Lawyers LLP (Hong Kong law firm member of the global EY network), hosted a webinar for over 270 in-house counsel. The webinar covers Proactive management of COVID 19 related risks and disputes. And  Kareena Teh present it, […]

Black Swan Alert! – Covid-19 and what senior partners should be doing right now to survive

As a senior leader in the industry I hope you will find the article below helpful. It is by Paul Smith, former Chairman of Eversheds Sutherland and co-author. Its intention is to assist law firm executives at a time of crisis with some tried and tested […]

A book review of “The Real Deal: Law Firm Leadership That Works” by Paul Smith and Sally Dyson

Lawyers generally have an inbuilt scepticism regarding any form of coaching. Which imposes a high bar on authors targeting an audience of busy managing partners. The Real Deal: Law Firm Leadership That Works by Paul Smith and Sally Dyson. It vaults over that bar with consummate […]

Implications of the New China Foreign Investment Law

A discussion of the new China Foreign Investment Law and the creation of an Expert Committee to produce template documents for in-house counsel. By Robert Lewis of docQbot, with an introduction by Patrick Dransfield of the In-House Community.

Whither private practice?

Smarter Law: Transforming Busy Lawyers into Business Leaders by Trevor Faure Book Review (Part 2) Forgive me for starting on a negative note but the chances are that many of you are unlikely to get beyond the third paragraph of this article, less likely still to pull […]

Bringing It All Back Home – Asia and The City of London – A legal and business conference – at The Law Society, 3 June, 2019

The legal and business conference “Bringing It All Back Home – Asia and The City of London”, will take place 3 June, 2019, at The Law Society of England & Wales Head Quarters in the City of London.  “Bringing It All Back Home”, supported by the Law […]

In-House Community Awards HK: Charity – Children’s Cancer Therapy Development Institute.

The official charity for the In-House Community Awards is the Children’s Cancer Therapy Development Institute (cc-TDI). The mission of the cc-TDI is to translate scientific discovery into clinical trials by understanding and proving new disease-specific treatment options for children with cancer. Based in Portland, Oregon, but providing cures […]

Book Review: “SMARTER Law: Transforming busy lawyers into business leaders” – by Trevor Faure

“I cannot say this too strongly: Do not compare yourself to others. Be true to who you are, and continue to learn with all your might.”  Daisaku Ikeda, Buddhist Philosopher, as quoted by Trevor Faure. Trevor Faure, self-defined as ‘part-translator-part-interlocutor’ between the legal and performance improvement […]

Lawyers are from Mars: Marketing People are from Mercury OR the importance of cognitive diversity in law firms

“We always did feel the same we just saw it from a different point of view. Tangled up in blue.” Bob Dylan In preparation for taking on a new marketing and business development role at an international law firm (this was after I accepted the position […]

Patrick dransfield

When will the legal industry have its Napster moment?

“I like to think (it has to be!), Of a cybemetric ecology, Where we are free of our labors, And joined back to nature, Returned to our mammal brothers and sisters, And all watched over By machines of loving grace.” Thus wrote the beat poet Richard Brautigan in 1967.  He was definitely […]