This week I have gone back through the last several “Ten Things” posts and, man, am I wordy!   There is a lot to digest there (ChatGPT, marketing law, managing people, etc.) and I hope it hasn’t caused any of you to give up and look for someone with a pithier style.  I think the problem is that there is so much good stuff to write about on any of the topics I select that I am having a harder time than ever keeping things concise. And… well, shit.  There I go again – off on a tangent.  Sorry!  Okay, let’s reel this in before it gets out of control, like Dr. Frankenstein’s monster going medieval on the local villagers.  Seriously, I have intentionally set out this month to write something shorter and punchier.  Let’s see how I do.

Last week I was jabbering on about something or other and Mrs. Ten Things says, “You always say that.  It’s like a motto.”  Well, that got me thinking and I realized that she was – as usual – right.  I have a lot of sayings that I repeat frequently because they make my point quickly and succinctly (unlike my blogs apparently).  That got me mulling over my time as general counsel and some of the things I said repeatedly for exactly the same reason, i.e., over the course of a long career I was able to spot issues or problems and would use a simple, short phrase to convey what I thought we needed to do.[1]  If you cut out the profanity, they are even shorter.  A while back, I posted my rules all in-house counsel should live by.  Now I want to share ten maxims[2] that will make your life as in-house counsel easier if you keep them on your lips and dear to your heart, i.e., this edition of “Ten Things” will set out ten of my favorites[3] along with a short (I hope) explanation of what I am trying to say:

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