K-0007 – Pay Attention to the Detail

As I shared in K-0003 (729 am), the only reason I was hired as an articling student was that I wore down the co-heads of the Committee into submission.

The only reason I was asked back as an associate was a napkin. Here is the story.

The Smith Lyons students of 1986-87 had a brilliant idea to prepare a Statement of Claim naming as co-defendants all of the then partners in the Firm. The passage of time does not allow me to remember the causes of action, but said statement of claim was prepared and served by leaving a copy on the chair of each Partner, other than Bob Smith. We did not think he would appreciate it. Like good young trainees, we also though prepared and delivered with the Statement of Claim an Offer to Settle. The settlement was very simple – a summer’s night game of softball with bragging rights to the winner.

Our Offer was accepted and baseball game held. Again, the passage of time does not allow me to recall who won said game.

In the great tradition of Smith Lyons and no doubt other firms then and now, post game beers were to be shared at a local establishment and we gathered at the rather well known and pre/upgraded “Jolley Miller”.

I was dispatched along with fellow student Michael Koch to attend a pizza shop up the street to come back with the nourishment. We were the designated “pizza students” for the evening. Max (as he and I refer to one another to this this day) and I hopped in my car and off we went with clear instructions to return soonest. We had left the shop and were walking to the car with the pizza boxes and Max turned to me and said, “We forgot the napkins.” I was quite dismissive not wanting to take the time to return to the store, but Max insisted and we walked back to obtain napkins.

We returned to the Miller and handed out the pizza to the waiting hoard and a then senior partner (who was no doubt younger then than I am today) looked me in the eye and asked for a napkin. Of course he did.

I thank Max to this day.

The moral of the story is simple – anticipate and pay attention to the detail and the little things. That is a huge part of the job. And your job and future career may just depend on it.