Every good writer strives to say something important with an economy of words. On this score, today’s guest contributor, Anthony Kearns, sets a Legal Evolution record, relying upon a hand-drawn image and 300 words to say something profoundly important about how lawyers interact in groups, particularly with other lawyers. See Post 230.
Though Anthony lives and works halfway around the world, it’s hard for me to overstate the impact that he’s had on my thinking on law firms and lawyer development. When Anthony and I first met at a Georgetown Law conference back in 2008, I was a pure academic researcher, having just submitted my tenure file at Indiana Law. All my output was in the form of articles. In contrast, Anthony fit the mold of applied researcher—someone who’s deft at using theory and data (including some of my articles) to solve difficult problems in the field.
Suffice to say, I was fascinated by this prospect. Indeed, whenever I re-read Post 001 of Legal Evolution, it’s impossible not to see Anthony Kearns as a primary source of inspiration.
Anthony’s core skill set is growing people and organizations. In fact, he’s so good at it, he’s cast his lot with the toughest clientele of all–lawyers and law firms, in most cases, winning their confidence in 15 minutes or less. Sure, Anthony is a lawyer by training. And he’s got a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Melbourne. But his success with lawyers has less to do with his credentials than his consummate ability to curate and share information of immediate practical value, always done without engendering shame or embarrassment.
Having learned so much from Anthony, I’m thrilled to share his insights with Legal Evolution readers. Enjoy Post 230. Hopefully, there’s more to come.