Quite what inspired Karen Katz, erstwhile attorney-at-law and now business development consultant in Boston, Massachusetts, to write a comic book explaining the dark arts of customer satisfaction and business development to lawyers will probably never be known. But write it she did, and to make matters worse she sent it to Obiter. Welcome to the adventures of... AttorneyMan.


Yes, this is a comic strip that turns our humble lawyers, Tiny Tim Silver and Liselaw Gold, into superheroes Attorney Man and, er, Liselaw, which seems to be an odd enough name simply to need reducing to one word. Both work for terribly staid and traditional law firm Cha Chingi Changa LLP under evil managing partner Harry Hoard, whose enemy is sharing, whether this be of clients or money. Equity, however, seems to be in plentiful supply, as both Tiny Tim and Liselaw have made partner, while ignoring their kids, spouses and probably their autonomous nervous systems. But now they are partners, how will they bring home the legal bacon?



Underneath this amusing and occasionally risqué comic schlock lie some useful business mantras, such as 'most of your business comes from current clients' and 'build relationships by listening'.



These may seem obvious to most but Ms Katz's point, probably, is that lawyers do not think like business people, and they should. And she, of course, could help uncover your hidden superhero. Any suggestions of what your firm's legal superhero should be called will be welcomed in the Gazette's postbag. (See www.attorneyman.org).