Page 210 - Paulisms: Gold Nuggets for Small Business

A friend of mine was going through a messy break up of assets. Their lawyer was being far too passive in the negotiation and it was going on for ever. On the other side the lawyer was showing a lot of aggression. I said that from my experience, what they needed was a lawyer with a bit of mongrel to scrap it out. A year went on with no progress and a lot of legal fees. Eventually they went to another lawyer with a lot more fight in them and they were able to make a lot of progress.
Lawyers sometimes need to have mongrel (some, anyway). I was on the receiving end of mongrel many a time, but I found that the best thing to do when you know you are right is to get the mongrel out and stand up to them. I always hated bullies, but the best way to deal with them is to look them in the eye so they sense ‘Hey, this guy is going to fight’.
Employment lawyers, etc. and their threats – it’s all a game. One time a licensee sent me a letter from his lawyer. It was labelled with the licensee’s name on the envelope. I didn’t even open it and ripped in half and threw it in the rubbish bin. I told the licensee that, and said, ‘Mate, we work hard for you. Never send me a lawyer’s letter again.’ He was shocked, and I never heard anything more on whatever issue it was.
People often rant that they will sue you. Don’t be too worried about the threats. They are being bullies. It can take years and a lot of money to sue people. Unfortunately, it does scare some inexperienced people. These are just bullying tactics.
In karate there is an unwritten law, particularly around lower grades, that if you get hit, you hit them back. Eye for an eye. Teach them a lesson. Get the mongrel out. This did happen in the dojo, and sometimes in