This is the best way I can describe the conference that the Richard Harris Law Firm attends every six months. It’s called M & L Seminar the Legal Marketing and Management Forum.

Basically, it is made up of attorney-entrepreneurs who share the same employment issues, marketing ideas and conflicts.

Our winter session (Jan 14, 15, 16) was held in Costa Rica. What a sacrifice right? And, it was paid for by our boss, yet another big sacrifice during the cold winter weeks in Las Vegas.

In exchange we promised to absorb and implement as soon as we returned- great motivation for our next trip to a far away island right boss?

Among those who attended were, Susan Syring, our HR Director, Me – the Marketing Director, Shoshana Kunin-Leavitt our newest attorney and two old-school attorneys – Josh Harris, Dave Boehrer, and our fearless leader, Richard A. Harris

Subjects include, customer service, marketing, best and worst management decisions, only to name a few.

We absorbed as much as we could throughout the day- because there were some distractions like, the perfect weather, the beach, on-call alcohol, the beautiful hotel and something called zip lining.

Yes, three of us went zip lining and I suddenly remembered why companies take retreats and do things like zip lining and corporate challenges- they scare people into getting along – like being in a fox hole together.

Ever heard of the saying there are no atheists in fox holes- well, there are no enemies in fox holes either.

Not that we had any problem getting along before the seminar, we actually did not interact enough to know better. Long story-short, we definitely bonded packed inside the zip line platform 90 feet above the rainforest. Yep, that’ll do it!

Zip lining scared me out of my wits! And although I didn’t show it I was uncertain about my freaking out meter going out of control.

However, Susan and Shoshana talked me through it and made monkey noises as I zip lined my way above the rain forest. I could not stop laughing!

As we walked and talked through the forest, I remembered how before the plane took off, Susan noticed I was uneasy. Susan grabbed my hand and told me a funny story about a meditation word she used- Wasabi…

I realized that this is the way a work team should function, when one member is down the other members motivate, re-focus, talk them through, hold their hand if needed and get them to reach their ultimate potential until they can fly.

Well…I did just that. Look at me fly!

Thanks RHLF team!

Zip lining acros the Costa Rican rainforest

The Reno Gazette-Journal reported that pharmaceutical giant Wyeth was ordered to pay over $43 million each to three Nevada women whose lawsuit claimed the drugs caused them to develop breast cancer. The company was found guilty of negligence in producing, marketing, and selling the drug and is involved in more than 5,000 drug injury lawsuits involving close to 7,900 women across the country.

Of the 18 suits set for trial and resolved to date, 15 were in Wyeth’s favor according to the company’s information. Two were settled and one was in the plaintiff’s favor. The lawyers of the three Nevada drug injury victims said last month that there have been at least three jury verdicts against Wyeth resulting in damages over $1 million.

The jury will deliberate Friday on whether or not Wyeth will also be required to pay punitive damages.

Read More:
http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071011/NEWS18/71011016&oaso=news.rgj.com/breakingnews