Tips Tuesday

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on research, writing, and practice.

Practice

Building a Firm of Finders
Sharon VanderKaay

The need for heads-up entrepreneurial lawyers grows as heads-down commodity “grinder” work diminishes. How can we develop more “finders” who see fresh opportunities to attract clients on a daily basis? How can we accelerate this shift in mindset? How can we use every interaction to enhance the firm’s reputation for making clients feel they are in good hands? And how can traditional rainmakers become better finders in an evolving marketplace? …

Research & Writing

Your Queries Answered, Part 2
Neil Guthrie

Bewildered on Bay Street asks, ‘Is it “travelled” or ‘traveled”? “focussed” or “focused”?’ In the USA, it would be traveled and traveler; travelled and traveller are more usual in Canada. On the other hand, focused is the better way. Confounded in Calgary writes, ‘Is it ‘Quebecer’ or ‘Quebecker’? Traditionally, Quebecker is the correct form, although this is less commonly seen nowadays. Logically, the C in Quebecer should be soft (C followed by E or I generally is, in English), and the E long as a result. You need that K to make it a hard C sound and to keep the short E. But your humble scribe may be losing the battle on this one. …