Bradford Hardin
@bradford_hardin
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Helping banks and fintechs solve their biggest regulatory problems — Partner @DWTlaw, husband, father, future 2:59 marathoner
Washington, DC
Joined December 2016
Lots of people have bad experiences with outside counsel. That's a shame! . Here are 10 things to expect from your outside law firm--your team should be checking all these boxes.
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One thing you learn about lawyers is that their spouse/partner/whomever they bring to the party is WAY cooler than they are. Every time.
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What's up with people whose career looks like this:. 2 years.2 years.1 year.2 years.2 years.6 months.
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Growing up, I thought I'd change the world. Now, I sit at a desk answering emails.
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I ordered these in a rage at the number of charger thefts perpetrated against me by my own family. Don’t tell them about my stash.
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A few years ago I created a two-page summary of my expectations of associates and of my commitments to them. I shared it in a comment to good reviews, so I thought I'd share it here too. I may write a bit more about each element. I hope you find it useful.
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The firm when you’re a summer . vs. the firm when you’re a first year
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Why is Gwyneth Paltrow, reportedly worth $200 million, spending her time taking a $300k claim all the way through trial?. Isn't paying $300k and doing literally anything else a better use of time and money?.
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@ByGollyMolly12 Reminds me of the story of a marathoner guy on an airplane who unknowingly told @laurenfleshman that he also started with 5ks and if she kept at it maybe one day she could run a marathon too. 😂.
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Parenting is by far the hardest thing I've done:. The stress is unrelenting. Your counterparty is capricious. Your adult relationships suffer. Time and money are not your own. Every day, week, year is a new gauntlet. And you care more deeply about this than anything.
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Law firm partners giving associates “the support they need to build a practice”.
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Went to concierge, medicine 3.0-type doc today. That first part where the nurse takes your vitals?. It included:. max pushups in 30 seconds.max sit ups in 60 seconds.grip strength.lung strength.body composition analysis.a few other things. They're adding VO2 Max soon.
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Should I run 10 miles tomorrow and hit my goal for the year?
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We bought $5k of $RBLX to teach the kids about investing, Peter Lynch style (they're Roblox fans). When it hit $8k, Kid #1 said we should sell. Now it is at $3k and kid is gloating, says I'm dumb for not selling.
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"You're not even the kind of lawyer who works in court. You work in an office. The only thing worse is an accountant." . Sick burn from my 13yo (apologies to the accountants).
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I just realized you can drag an email from your Outlook inbox onto your calendar and simply schedule a time to do the task rather than leaving the email in a list of flagged items to complete. GAME CHANGER.
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Major parenting fail:. Kid 2: "Dad, what is the difference between a Discover card and a Visa card?". Me, to self: "This is your moment. You are in the top 0.0001% of dads to answer this precise question. Godspeed soldier.". Me, to kid: "They're just different brands.".
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“You’re not even the kind of lawyer who works in court. You work in an office. The only thing worse is an accountant.”. —sick burn from my 12yo. (apologies to the accountants).
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From a lawyer who gets the calls when wire fraud happens, a friendly reminder:. ALWAYS confirm wire details by phone, using a known number.
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Lawyer: Here’s why you can’t do that. Client: Hmm. Okay, well, I came here for ideas about how I *can* do it.
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@moseskagan The selection bias here is massive . The native ability and work ethic to pull this off is rare (doesn’t seem that way to us but it really is—like .1%) . Those people in the US can by and large have whatever kind of success they set their minds to.
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The second and third years of law school should be a lot more like law practice, and a lot less like being a law professor.
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Law firms doing 50 state surveys are in for some hurt:
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One piece of advice that has served me well in the day-to-day of lawyering:. Make a plan before you go into a discussion. It can be tempting to jump from meeting to meeting, without any real prep. But even 1-5 minutes of deliberate planning will set you apart.
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When I talk to other service providers they say things like:. "My next appointment is. " or . "Our first opening is. " or . "We have a waiting list. ". But lawyers NEVER say things like that. it's all yes all the time. Why is this?.
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@kylascan As a 40s person, I think I do this for some people. One key aspect is these relationships are not charity by the senior person. They are symbiotic relationships—that junior person needs to commit to delivering as much value into the relationship as the senior person. Each.
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After 15 years of Honda Accords, last year I bought an expensive, impractical car. Imagine my surprise that the car is expensive and impractical. Learned my lesson. Will 100% be returning to reliability and total cost of ownership as primary decision factors.
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@SMB_Attorney Thoughtful comment. The other option I have seen is a military spouse/medical spouse who has moved around for that reason. What would be your advice to someone like this who seems to have not found their "fit"?.
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How long until we can start saying "Let's circle back after the holidays"?.
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@ItsMattsLaw Not to be that guy, but it's "law"-yer not "laws"-yer, so I should only be required to name one law.
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@girdley much faster than 2 generations; 4 years ago I wore mostly bespoke tailoring in professional settings, now I wear mostly t-shirts, sweaters, and Chuck Taylors.
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Tip for young lawyers:. The partner will understand if you need to say “no” because you’re too busy or going on vacation or are sick or whatever. The partner will not be so understanding if you say “yes” when you shouldn’t and then execute poorly.
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@ChrisChavez I feel like we need the seconds before this. At the start of this clip Kipyegon has her arm wrapped around Tsegay--what led to that? . Certainly looked to me from the broadcast that Kipyegon was reacting.
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True scene:. School nurse: Hi, your child got hit in the face with a hockey stick at school. Me: Is she okay?. Nurse: Seems okay, but she is complaining of a headache. Pls pick her up. She'll need a negative test before returning b/c headaches are a c@vid symptom. Me:😑.
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Anybody out there between 45 and 58 years old and feel like they are happy and their life is great?. If so, how have you beat the odds?
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I've learned a few things over the years about what it takes to build a successful, fulfilling career. 3 things seem to derail people early on—Here's some tough love on a Monday morning:.
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Roll call: . Are you in middle age and also the fittest you’ve ever been ✋.
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If you enter into a contract worth less than the cost to litigate a breach, you're really just deciding to trust the counterparty.
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Is this the ideal work setup:. 6 hours/day.6 days/week.On a schedule you choose.At a place you choose.In comfy clothes. What would you change?.
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@ItsMattsLaw In the future, we will be able to stump people with the question "What do Gwyneth Paltrow, DJT, and the Rule Against Perpetuities have in common?" and the answer will be that they were all trending on March 30, 2023.
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Lawyer: Here’s why you can’t do that. Client: Hmm. Okay, well, I came here for ideas about how I *can* do it.
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One 23 paragraph email and I know we won't work well together.
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Them: Are you available to discuss this?. Me: Sure, what is your schedule like in March?.
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@Notion4Lawyers As someone who has felt similarly at various points in my career, I'd suggest he make a list of what's most important to him in a job. Just a blank sheet--what do you care about?. Be honest about where the current situation stacks up. Be honest about where being paid the same.
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@seandsweeney In fairness the real estate people complain about having no cash, so pick your poison ☠️.
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If my wife and I were brilliant lawyers,. and our son quickly built a multi-billion dollar company in a morally and legally fraught industry,. we would be worried all the time, about all the risk in his life,. and when our worst fears came to pass, we'd be devastated.
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Twitter/X, you've given me so much. But I don't think about you as often these days. There are too many professional creators, and the associated dynamics rob the dialogue of authenticity. The same topics get recycled over and over again because it works to draw new followers.
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1000s of dollars, 100s of hours of research etc. 😜. If you want to wear black t’s in a professional setting, this is the one you want. Super heavy cotton, down-the-middle cut. I have a closet full now.
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Blows my mind, but there are some people who just answer email once or twice a day.
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Obesity, cancer, heart disease, cognitive decline cause most death. Metabolic health is the common thread. Much exercise is needed. Weekly approx:. 3 hours zone 2 cardio.1 day VO2 max cardio.3 days weights/balance. Ppl should eat real food, incl nuts and olive oil. Don't smoke.
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This will be a major issue. I've already seen a wire fraud situation using a cloned voice. it was very convincing.
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Why does it seem like mortgage lenders give business owners such a hard time v. lower-earning employees? . My man @SMB_Attorney suggested a thread on this, so here goes. Short answer: They're responding rationally to their environment.
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@drgurner Certainly "the principle of the thing" is predominating over any sort of cold cost/benefit analysis here.
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@markbrooks @david_perell He often remarked: "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me.".
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I'm working toward some big running goals this year. But most people are just trying to get started and stick with it. Over 20 years, I've stopped and started running many times. Here are the keys to starting your running journey, from square one:.
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@saoliver1051 This person’s onto something:.
@bradford_hardin The craziest part is that it’s even true when their partner/spouse is also a lawyer.
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Every year on Christmas Eve, there are people in the back of the church--often alone, sometimes families--openly weeping or barely keeping it together. Noticing these people is one of the most poignant moments of the year for me.
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@SMB_Attorney There is a large and financial market for this. The term is “viatical settlement”.
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This is the kind of stuff I find interesting. No wonder I had trouble making friends in high school.
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@moseskagan @ArtemTepler Oh, that is so, so sad. I didn't know him but remember reading about how he was having to sell his newly-built house to pay taxes. Serious mental health issues are so, so widespread but hidden in our society. We should all toss aside the taboo and talk more openly to save lives.
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Pretty, pretty, pretty cool opportunity came my way today through a Twitter connection. Actually very cool; could justify all my time on here.
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One thing I’ve observed in running is that a headwind feels like an unrelenting frontal assault, but you can't even tell when the wind is at your back, pushing you along. I think a lot of life is like that.
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My toxic trait is asking associates "do you have some time to connect this afternoon?" at 6:00pm.
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I’ve been joking amidst the BigLaw Sturm und Drang🤣. 🚨But let me be serious for a minute: This industry has been very good to me and to many other people. You've heard the horror stories; I won't repeat. Here’s my tale and why BigLaw can be a great place to build a career.
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You may have noticed many people are losing their minds. Here’s my guide to thinking clearly. 1. Read widely. Short form and long. Stuff you agree with and not. Stick to thoughtful—not polemical—writers. 2. Only watch TV with literary qualities: character development and plot.
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@mountainwesttax That's so much better than letting yourself get permanently derailed by the bad timing of when you first hit the job market.
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Occasional reminder:. If a law allows something, it's not a "loophole" just because you disagree with the policy choice. A loophole is when a law forbids a thing but can be circumvented through a technical defect in the law.
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Law firm partner is a weird job. Attorneys start as specialist laborers, but as one gets senior we have labor de-specialization. My job is being a machine, a line manager, a recruiter, a salesperson, an account exec, and a senior manager/executive. I touch most of these every day.
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“Capital call,” . “lawsuit,” . and . “technically not meeting its debt service covenants” . There are not what you want to read in the weekend emails from your GP.
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We’ve been traveling the national parks with the kiddos over the last 3 years and it has been amazing. Any favorites we haven't hit? . Saguaro .Yosemite.Sequoia.Kings Canyon.Death Valley.Yellowstone.Grand Teton.Glacier.Olympic.Rainier.Shenandoah.The 5 Utah parks.Acadia (2022).
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I find the culture of proud innumeracy among lawyers embarrassing. Do engineers joke about how they are illiterate?. Same thing.
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"Never brush off negative gut feelings" is the lesson I've learned the hard way more times than any other. Now I NEVER let those pass unaddressed. h/t @drgurner in this week's excellent content.
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Crushed the Army 10 Miler. The host organization is v good at logistics.
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If you've had a memorably good experience with a law firm, what is the thing that struck you about that experience?.
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