Throw Back Thursday: Court Attire

"In Europe, a man in a white wig stands in the centre of a crowded courtroom, his. The biggest influence exercised by defence lawyers on trials. Those wigs don't come cheap: Lawyers can earn £1,000 from the taxpayer even for cases which are rejected outright at the first hurdle."

Good Morning Folks,

I am often asked why the Silicon Valley workers get a pass and have made casual Fridays (even hoodies, shorts and skate boards) standard attire, while those of us working in New York still dress up?

We'll if you think it's bad here, you should see the courts in Britain, a style of address we adapted in the United Stated, thankfully only briefly.

Here's a throw back this Thursday via WikiPedia:

Judicial court dress[edit]

Group photo of United States Supreme Court Justices from 2009. Optional formal dress can be seen under the robes, such as bow ties. Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg also wear lace jabots

During the early history of the United States, the court dress of judges and practicing lawyers closely mirrored British court dress of the 18th century; both wore white powdered wigs and (typically) black robes in the lower courts, and in the higher ones, judges would wear red with black markings. The practice fell out of favor and died out by the mid-nineteenth century.

Today, generally judges of both state and federal courts are free to select their own courtroom attire. The most common choice is a plain black robe which covers the torso and legs, with sleeves. Female judges will sometimes add to the robe a plain white collar or lace jabot. Beneath the robes business attire is standard.

William Cushing, showing early U.S. Supreme Court dress, with a wig

Until the tenure of Chief Justice John Marshall, all Supreme Court justices wore red robes with ermine trim and full-bottomed wigs, reminiscent of British court dress. Marshall, however, eschewed this formality and began the practice of only wearing a black silk robe, with no wig. In 1994, Chief Justice William Rehnquistadded four gold bars (similar in appearance to captain insignia in the US Navy) to each sleeve of his black robe, but the change in his attire (he had been Chief Justice since 1986) was his own innovation and was inspired by a production of the operetta Iolanthe, rather than any historical precedent. His successor, John G. Roberts, chose to stick with the traditional plain black robe.

Some Supreme Court justices (including Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, and Stephen Breyer) maintain the ancient legal practice of wearing large black skullcaps, in their case when wearing their robes outdoors in cold weather (for example, at presidential inaugurations in January.)

Many state supreme court justices wear unique styles of robes, the most notable being the Maryland Court of Appeals, where all judges wear red, and British-style tab collars. The judges of the Delaware Superior Court continue to wear the red sashes or baldrics of their British predecessors, albeit now only on ceremonial occasions.

Some judges eschew special dress entirely and preside over their courts in normal business wear. This is often seen among administrative law judges who preside over relatively informal administrative hearings.

Attorney court dress[edit]

Lawyers wear normal business attire in courts of all levels. During the second-wave feminism movement in the 1970s, some judges forbade female attorneys from wearing trousers when appearing in court, but pantsuits are now widely accepted. Like judges, American attorneys do not wear wigs.

Until the 1970s, morning dress was required of all attorneys appearing before the United States Supreme Court by the Court's rules. Even after the Court abolished the requirement, the Office of the Solicitor General maintained the practice. When the Solicitor General (or any of the deputies) appears before the U.S. Supreme Court, he wears morning dress, with striped trousers, grey ascot, waistcoat, and a cutaway morning coat.^[9] A feminized version is sometimes worn by female deputies, which consists of the same garments tailored to female measurements. Former Solicitor General Elena Kagan, the only woman to hold the office to date, appeared before the Court in pantsuits in lieu of morning dress. The traditional female equivalent of morning dress (a formal gown) is strictly for social purposes, so it would be inappropriate attire for appearances before the nation's highest court.^{[10][broken citation]} The Court's Marshal and Clerk of both genders also wear morning dress when the Court is in session.

I wonder what our kids will be saying about the way we dress for court and to call on lawyers and bankers twenty years from now?

FSO USA is going to dominate the USA. And we cannot do it without you. So Inspire your teams. And help me light up the nation. 

Thanks for reading. Thanks for believing. And thanks for being here. 

Have a GREAT Day. Love Life.

I'll be a seeing you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

ThrowBack Thursday: Everything From 1991 Radio Shack Ad, Now Done With Your Phone

Good Morning Folks,

Progress. It's what we work so hard every day at, (re) IMAGINING a better work/life balance with all the business tools that make it possible.

That in mind, consider he back page of the front section on Saturday, February 16, 1991 was four-fifths covered with a Radio Shack ad. 

You'd have spent $3,054.82 in 1991 to buy all the stuff in this ad that you can now do with your phone. That amount is roughly equivalent to about $5,100 in 2012 dollars. So is $300-700 still too much for an iPhone?




There are 15 electronic gimzo type items on this page, being sold from America's Technology Store. 13 of the 15 you now always have in your pocket.

So here's the list of what I've replaced with my iPhone.

All weather personal stereo, $11.88. I now use my iPhone with an Otter Box.
AM/FM clock radio, $13.88. iPhone.
In-Ear Stereo Phones, $7.88. Came with iPhone.
Microthin calculator, $4.88. Swipe up on iPhone.
Tandy 1000 TL/3, $1599. I actually owned a Tandy 1000, and I used it for games and word processing. I now do most of both of those things on my phone.
VHS Camcorder, $799. iPhone.
Mobile Cellular Telephone, $199. Obvs.
Mobile CB, $49.95. Ad says "You'll never drive 'alone' again!" iPhone.
20-Memory Speed-Dial phone, $29.95.
Deluxe Portable CD Player, $159.95. 80 minutes of music, or 80 hours of music? iPhone.
10-Channel Desktop Scanner, $99.55. I still have a scanner, but I have a scanner app, too. iPhone.
Easiest-to-Use Phone Answerer, $49.95. iPhone voicemail.
Handheld Cassette Tape Recorder, $29.95. I use the Voice Memo app almost daily.

BONUS REPLACEMENT: It's not an item for sale, but at the bottom of the ad, you're instructed to 'check your phone book for the Radio Shack Store nearest you.' Do you even know how to use a phone book?

Thanks to Steve Cichon, a writer, historian and "retired" radio newsman in Buffalo, NY. This post first appeared on trendingbuffalo.com, where he explores the nooks and crannies of Buffalo's past, present and future.

2014 is poised to be another banner year for FSO. We are going to *light up the nation* with the kinds on innovations that history will show as significant advancement to business as the iPhone was.

If you love seeing the FSO spirit in action, stayed tuned because tomorrow I have a special post just for you.

Have a GREAT Day. Love Life & let’s keep the energy and passion rolling!!!

I'll be a seeing you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

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Success - "It's not about money... It's the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone"

~~ Mark Cuban
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ThrowBack Thursday: Where Were You When Carbon Paper Went Out For Good?

Via Pinterest/BBC

"ONE of the happiest moments of Norma Carey's life was the day she threw away her carbon paper. It was the early 1970's when her employer, a law firm in Washington, switched from carbons to copiers."

Good Morning Folks,

ONE of the happiest moments of Norma Carey's life was the day she threw away her carbon paper. It was the early 1970's when her employer, a law firm in Washington, switched from carbons to copiers.

''I was absolutely delighted,'' said Ms. Carey, 64  a legal secretary for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld to the New York Times in a 1998 interview. No more ink on the hands from handling slimy black carbons. No more furious erasing. And no more retyping 20-page documents. Not once, Ms. Carey said, has she felt nostalgic about the messy stuff.

With today's laser and ink-jet printers, word processors, and voice-recognition and spell-checking software, carbon paper — invented by an Englishman named Ralph Wedgewood in the 1820's — is but a shadow of the crucial commodity it was. Using carbon paper today is like using a mortar and pestle instead of a food processor, or pounding your laundry against a rock instead of using a washing machine. Yet there remains a small but steady demand for it.

Carbon paper (originally carbonic paper) was originally paper coated on one side with a layer of a loosely bound dry ink or pigmented coating, bound with wax, used for making one or more copies simultaneously with the creation of an original document when using a typewriter or a ballpoint pen.

Carbon paper is placed between the original and a second sheet to be copied onto. As the user writes or types on the original, the pressure from the typebar or pen deposits the ink on the blank sheet, thus creating a "carbon copy" of the original document. This technique is generally limited to four or five copies.

As the ink is transferred from the carbon paper to the underlying paper, an impression of the corresponding text is left on the "carbon" where some of the ink was removed. A single piece of carbon paper can be repeatedly reused until the impression grows too light.

Demand for carbon paper has dropped by 85 percent in the last 20 years. The reason: computers have made manual and electric typewriters all but obsolete. Copying machines, laser printers and carbonless paper — which uses a chemical process to create copies without the need for carbon paper — were the final blow. But... ''As long as computers are not 100 percent foolproof, there will be a need for carbon,'' said Marc Leder, managing director of Frye Tech. Carbon paper is still used in multi-part forms from traffic tickets, to plumbing work orders to, lab work.

And the moniker "CC:" which used to stand for "Carbon Copy" now lives on in every document you mail or print.

For those who remember typing and retyping and making "carbon copies" in law firms, it's not a pleasant memory. So while we like to throw back on Thursday, think of it as one of the main reasons everyone is whistling while they work today.

The end of carbon paper ushered in decades of productivity and progress in law firms that their retirees could never have imagined.

On the other hand, with pressure on law firms to cut costs, an obvious starting point is in that expensive real estate you are using to store what may include "carbon copies" that you haven’t looked at in 50 years, nor ever will.

Over time — decades in many cases — the volume of retained records grows, as does the cost of storing them. But by (re)IMAGINING the records retention process, and with a thoughtful policy to change it, law firms who have been pressured to cut costs can find help from professionals like FSO who will help you solve it. 

Thanks to Wikipedia, The New York Times and to you for listening.

Have a GREAT Day. Love Life.

I'll be a seeing you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

==> Going Paperless 
We recently completed the largest and most successful document conversion in the New York area, migrating over 35 million pages to electronic format. Savings come not just from eliminating each $900 lateral file, but also from not buying or leasing Class A office space to store paper, and reducing the costs of utilities, equipment maintenance and consumables associated with paper copies.

Can your incumbent do this?

Guest Post- Owen Burns: Survey Finds Law Firms At Risk Of Drowning In Their Own Data

Photo Illustration
OTTIPRDesigns
for Citrix

"Companies need to be prepared when it comes to data storage and retrieval, and should have formal processes to ensure that their information governance policies are up-to-date and in use."

Good Morning Folks,

Today I am sharing a great article sent to me by a friend, legal IT expert and reader, Owen Burns, who originally published this piece in Forbes.  Amazing when you think about the importance and role of IT in even the smallest organization. And all the details that need to be managed and proactively strategized. (btw, we can help)

Thanks to Owen for articulating GREAT insights.

==> Survey Finds Companies At Risk Of Drowning In Their Own Data By Owen Burns

The world is in the midst of a massive explosion of online information, with compounding data volume, new forms of media, and seemingly unrestricted speed of sharing information. Every 60 seconds 208 million emails are sent, 278,000 tweets are posted on Twitter, and 571 new websites are created—and those numbers are increasing constantly. Big data evangelists suggest that 90% of the world’s data has been created in the last two years, and David Kessler of Norton Rose Fulbright noted in a recent webcast that this trend shows no signs of slowing. This massive influx of information can be overwhelming, but getting a handle on it is an essential element of basic corporate record keeping. Data management experts talk about controlling the “3 Vs”—volume, velocity and variety—but this is easier said than done.

It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that most companies appear to be struggling with data management. At least this is what Control Risks and the Economist Intelligence Unit found in a recent survey of over 300 companies.

Generally speaking, all of the companies polled had gaps in their data management and information governance practices. One of the top challenges executives face is how to collect responsive data during an investigation. Some 56% of respondents indicated that the challenges associated with actually collecting data would have an impact on their organization over the next two years. Compounding the challenge is the fact that new channels for creating, storing, and distributing data are continually being developed. There are also issues in regard to accessing data on employee-owned devices; the laws surrounding data privacy are very complex and may limit access to vital information. This issue is further complicated when operating in multiple jurisdictions, each with a different set of laws. It’s no surprise, then, that 67% of those polled believe the impact of data protection laws on their companies would increase in the next one-to-two years.

Document management systems pose their own set of challenges. When asked to describe their system, 38% of survey respondents said their data was very accessible. The rest said that accessing specific data would require some time and effort. Of course, many data searches are time sensitive—this is particularly true in an investigation, since the risk for data spoliation increases as more time elapses.

A shortage of knowledge is another challenge. Laws around transferring data—particularly across national boundaries—are notoriously complex. The survey assessed corporate departments’ knowledge of data transfer laws and found that while legal and compliance departments scored high, those responsible for managing day-to-day operations did not. IT groups had particularly low knowledge of legal issues: 77% of respondents said their IT department had little or no legal knowledge of data transfer issues.

Departmental level of expert legal knowledge regarding data transfers.

When companies are faced with an investigation, or have some other need for sorting through their massive data stores, it invariably helps to have a plan. Almost a third of those surveyed did not. When they are unprepared, companies often end up with massive amounts of useless data, increasing the time and energy it takes to process while also increasing the associated costs to produce information. But even companies that have plans in place often find that they collect too much irrelevant data in their searches—particularly if their data management programs were lacking to begin with.

Companies need to be prepared when it comes to data storage and retrieval, and should have formal processes to ensure that their information governance policies are up-to-date and in use. Many companies see a return on investment in a proactive data management system in just a few years, but it starts with the decision to close the gap between policy and process. The choice is simple: prepare upfront for an investigation or pay heavily when you are caught off-guard.

If you want a FREE consultation to see how FSO can rid you of IT headaches and free up expensive data storage space now cluttered with paper records, call me directly on 212-204-1170.

Have a GREAT Day. Love Life.

I'll be a seeing you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

. . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . .  . . .  . . . . . .  . . .  . . . .. . . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . .  " The Internet never pauses or slumps, as it is a constantly evolving entity…”   . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . .  . . .  . . . . . .  . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..  .

Owen Burns is a senior consultant for legal technologies at Control Risks, an international political, integrity and security risk consultancy.

Throw Back Thursday: Not Your Father's Law Firm

"As lawyers we sell words. Advice and good counsel are certainly prerequisites, but when it comes down to the tangible, visible work product that most clients see, take away the ability to get documents out and a firm is dead in the water."

Good Morning Folks,

Today we're joining the rest of the blogging world with a weekly feature "Throw Back Thursdays."

At FSO our success comes from an uncanny ability to (re)IMAGINE a very different future than what exists today— and to bring those innovations our clients long before their competitors have a clue.

Whether dictated, typed, cut and pasted, the written word remains at the very core of business, especially in legal where documentation may have migrated to digital, but every letter in that documentation still starts with a human being and a keyboard.

As the American Bar Association argued, "As lawyers we sell words. Advice and good counsel are certainly prerequisites, but when it comes down to the tangible, visible work product that most clients see, we’re wordsmiths and wordsellers. A law firm can survive for a time without its automated calendars, without its billing and accounting systems, without its litigation management programs and . . . (gasp) . . . even without Internet access. But take away the ability to get documents out and a firm is dead in the water."

The progress for office productivity in the past ten years has been greater than the entire five decades before it. And there are so many start-ups, so many ideas, we don't see innovation slowing down anytime soon. The pace is fast. There is no time for stragglers to catch up.

Back office history / inventions / progress which I will blog about on Thursdays to include the introductions of the typewriter, Selectric, word processor, postage meter, fax, overnight, copiers, email and cloud— will all show that what we once accepted as productivity changed overnight just as someone came along and imagined a new and different way of doing things. For your office today we are that "someone" and you need such a person in your corner.

Just look at how the legal profession got accustomed to using a "Word Perfect" word processing program that became out of sync with everyone else working with Microsoft Office. That can't afford to happen in 2014. The competition is tougher than ever and you need to leverage every productivity and service booster you can muster.

Have a GREAT day and LOVE LIFE as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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“Imagination is more powerful than knowledge"
~~ Albert Einstein
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BIG NEWS: Denise Ngeow Promoted to Chief of Staff, SVP of Corporate Strategy

"After working with Denise over the past five years, I felt it was time due to her great work to give her a well deserved promotion in FSO. If one thing is for sure, we could not have exceeded our knowledge and results without her endless pursuit for perfection and achievement."

Good Morning Folks,

Starting a company from nothing but a white canvas and an idea is one of the most rewarding elements of business that an owner can realize. But ideas are only as good as the execution that becomes part of the core fabric of a company. “FSO” was a thought I had. It was my vision and passion, and I could not be more proud that it has been brought to life.

I always say, strategy is the first part of the plan and in this early phase it is not about the people, rather it is about defining who you are and where you want to go. Understanding the competitive landscape and overcoming market barriers, combined with fire and excitement, is when your strategy is actualized. Only then can you think about YOUR TEAM - who will do it and how will they help achieve the goals.

Since November of 2010, our official launch and first signed contract, we have come a long way. We had no employees, no revenue, no clients, lots of debt, but what we did have was lots of opportunity in NYC. Today, I am proud to announce that we have:

-          Over 213 clients
-          Operations in 57 cities across the country
-          Regional offices and management teams in six distinct locations across the US
-          Over 1,500 full time employees
-          And a profitable, healthy company.

THANK YOU! I could not have achieved this success without each and every one of you.

We will revel in our accomplishments this holiday season, but more importantly we will put in place the next phase of planning, strategy, and execution. Part of this includes identifying those same elements of business that I had to look at when deciding how to bring FSO and the Mitch brand to market in 2010. 

Today, we must ask: What are our inhibitors to growth? What are our inhibitors to sustainability? What are our competitive advantages and disadvantages? How do we ensure that we deliver our “Promises To Practice”? And, how do we ensure our commitment to our clients and employees exceeds what we have promised?

What makes a successful and sustainable company is not thinking you know it all, but in fact the other way around. I’m always thinking: What don’t I know? What do I need to hear? And what do we need to do to protect, grow, and thrive?

I can proudly say that because of you, I have that information to ensure the FSO and the Mitch brand are a force to be reckoned with forever and ever! To all of our awesome clients who have participated in the survey that was conducted by Frager Creative, “Thank you!” Your time, care, desire and passion to help my company is just simply amazing! And to all of our employees who write to me, attend our company meetings, CHO breakfasts & clubs, I must say thanks for your spirit and all of your great feedback.

I know that I am a very blessed man. Not only do I have a wonderful wife and two awesome children, (Chelsea who is now working as our trainer and providing motivational support to our teams), I have a great ELT (Executive Leadership Team) that supports my vision and legacy to build the Mitch brand to where it needs to be. And of course I have all of you - the amazing employees of FSO who have the passion and spirit to do whatever is necessary to exceed our clients and your wildest dreams and expectations.

Besides all of that, as an executive and owner, there is one other important piece of the puzzle – a person or people who serve as a friend, consigliore, confidante, intellectual property and capacity.

Well, I have been very lucky to have someone in my leadership team who is all of the above. I’m sure that many of you, if not all of you, know who she is - Denise Ngeow. For those who know her personally, she has an easy going approachable way about her, a wonderful smile, kind view of people, and yes that Australian accent does not hurt (LOL). Beside all that, Denise is a winner and a brilliant young lady that has taken me to task and challenge the status quo in FSO every single minute of the day.

Denise is always bringing to me ideas, issues, fires, concerns, and more importantly endless ideas with strategies that can be executed. If you are not aware Denise does not drink wine, or anything for that matter, and most of you are probably thinking, ‘How can such a person survive with Mitch without a drink!’ LOL! Well, thank god, she does J

To help me execute those plans, ideas, and strategies, I recognized that I cannot do it alone. I needed a friend and a caring, smart individual to sit by my side in NYC, on planes and more. With that said, I have decided that person, who many of you know and respect, is our own Denise Ngeow. After working with Denise over the past five years, I felt it was time due to her great work to give her a well deserved promotion in FSO. If one thing is for sure, we could not have exceeded our knowledge and results without her endless pursuit for perfection and achievement.

With all of that being said, I am pleased to announce the promotion of Denise Ngeow to Chief of Staff, SVP of Corporate Strategy! Please join in welcoming Denise to her new and well deserved promotion and position.

I need Denise to sit in every meeting across our enterprise and support our goals and our plans. After all, a company does not grow on one department. Rather all departments must work like a well oiled machine, together and not in silos. This is something I know that Denise can make happen allowing us to fulfill the dreams of our staff and bring our promises to practice for our clients.

Some of her expanded responsibilities will include working closely with me across all aspects of FSO enterprise-wide including Finance, IT, People Solutions, Operations and Marketing - ensuring all areas of our business are collaborating and in-sync across the country. Especially with our record growth and substantial investments in our corporate infrastructure, she will be strongly involved and engaged with our Clients and Employees. By doing so, she will be able to ensure we have strategic responses to our needs in the field, clientele and across our business.

With the above in place, you and our clients will experience the true difference in our ability to enhance, adjust, and act as needed to market trends, client needs, staff needs and more.

Our company is poised for amazing success and greatness due to all of our clients and staff, and I am not ever going to allow anything to get in the way of my promise to you and my personal commitment to ensure you all sleep easy and know that the Mitch brand and my legacy is protected until eternity.

Cheers to a bright and exciting future for the FSO and Mitch brand. Again, we could not have done it without you.

Have a GREAT day. Love LIFE!

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"People don’t buy what you do; people buy why you do it.” 
— Simon Sinek
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We've Gotta Run This Place Like a Business. A Primer on What Many Law Firm Managers Say They Have to Do, But Usually Do Not

"Excellent legal article. I plan to get this in front of my Managing Partners TODAY!"

Good Morning Folks,


John Remsen, Jr., Speaker, Author & Consultant on Law Firm Leadership, Management & Marketing | President & CEO, Managing Partner Forum presents an MPF White Paper - "We've Gotta Run This Place Like a Business."

Collectively, MPF Faculty member John Smock and his colleagues have more than 150 years’ experience working with professional services firms. They draw on this experience to regularly publish thoughtful articles on law firm leadership and planning. This one sets forth a strong approach to whip your firm into shape, including planning, governance, compensation and dealing with partners who aren’t pulling their weight.

Click here to read it: http://bit.ly/Wzpjsf

Have a GREAT day. Love LIFE!

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"The world steps aside to let any man pass if he knows where he is going."
~~ David S. Jordan
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Via ALA / LinkedIN

Julieta Capote: Raising the Bar. Then Jumping Over It.

Good Morning Folks,

It's always special when a client takes time from their busy schedule to let us know that we have positioned someone extraordinary on their site.Here's what the Director of Administration for NYC Area Law Firm had to say about our very own Julieta Capote:


Julieta Capote does it again. We had a very important meeting today,  hosted by our Managing Partner, which has global significance to the Firm. Julieta, who is celebrating her birthday Monday, had requested  today off to celebrate and this was approved well in advance.   

However, yesterday Julieta learned of this meeting and decided to come to the office today, in this inclement weather and delayed her trip to Pennsylvania, to make sure the conference room was set-up and arranged properly. Heather, Steve and Jonathan had it covered but Julieta is very dedicated to her job and would not rest knowing that something may have been remiss. So she traveled from Brooklyn to the office in the rain and actually set up the conference room for the 11:00 meeting, and then left for her celebration.   Amazing. 

Dedication of this magnitude cannot be taught and she has proven herself to be a devoted employee to FSO and a valuable resource to our firm. Just when I thought she couldn't possibly top her performance, she does something extraordinary and we are very thankful for her service. Postponing her personal time to assist us is just unfathomable but I guess she is (re)imagining her job! 

-Director-Administration for NYC Area Law Firm

Congratulations Julieta. Well-done!

I look forward to sharing more employee success stories right here.

Have A GREAT Day!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer

Learn more about what DIFFERENTIATES FSO here