I was in London last week. I rounded out a busy couple of days with a panel discussion hosted by UCL Faculty of Laws. It was entitled “Modern Contract Drafting: Improving Content, Upgrading Your Process, and Overcoming Inertia,” and it was held in the grand Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre. For the recording, go here.
You can find more information about the event here, but the gist is that I organized the event because I wanted to hear what others had to say about issues that interest me. No haggling with traditionalists—instead, I wanted the starting point to be that change is necessary, so we could focus on what’s required to bring about that change.
To that end, I invited to join me on the panel six people whom I’ve engaged with over the years. The web page for the event has everyone’s bio, but here are some impressionistic notes:
- Mark Anderson: A prolific commentator on contracts and a stalwart ally, although he must occasionally be bewildered by how insistent I can be. Mark was the moderator.
- Iain Biddle: He has good-naturedly educated me in the realities of the corporate world.
- Dan Deacon: Perhaps my most seditious move was having a big-firm associate on the panel. Dan reached out to me about five years ago, early in his career.
- Alex Hamilton: Dapper, yet wields a mean shiv. He’s always happy to disabuse me of my more outlandish notions.
- Marcella Sampic: She of the infectious enthusiasm and astute observations.
- Andy Wishart: One of the original Contract Express team, Andy has long indulged me in my fitful efforts to bring technology to bear on what I do.
We made for a Magnificent Seven; that’s us in the photo above (left to right, Marcella, Alex, Andy, Mark, me, Dan, Iain). Because we have a shared passion but different perspectives, the discussion was engaging, fast-moving, good-humored, and insightful. I suspect that those in attendance thought it an hour and a half well spent. My thanks to UCL Faculty of Laws for hosting us, and for recording it.
