We are the Best

Today I started my normal work back in the office. For the past 2 months I have been seconded as a legal counsel in a bank's legal department. It was really a good exposure for me in term of experience, knowledge and networking. But I must admit the workloads were heavy having to attend legal matters from all departments and branches of the bank during office hours and burn the midnight oil back in my office to finish some office files. I literally worked double shifts for the past 2 months.

The year 2010 is a recovery year for UAE, Dubai and the world generally. In legal world, recovery will mean boom time for litigation, arbitration and restructuring works. The law firm I work with have been receiving quite a fair share of the market's works and we have enough to keep everybody busy, most of the time up to our eye balls. It is a normal sight in my office nowadays to see lawyers still typing, reviewing and talking with clients up to 11 pm. Everybody is working around the clock to meet deadlines and billing target.

Recently we had a moment to stop our hourly race for a while, raise our coke tin and pat each other's back when my law firm was voted the Best Law Firm 2010 in Arab Investment Summit 2010. It was a joyous occasion for us to see that amidst the demand and pressure from our clients, they do take some effort to appreciate and recognise our contribution to their businesses and struggles.

As a mark of celebration, my big boss bought a giant cake and held a simple cake cutting ceremony in the office. I could not attend because of my secondment in the bank. But I cant help to feel proud to be part of the best law firm recognised among the Middle East business circles.

Big boss with a big cake

I pray that this will mean more stability and prosperity not only to us but to our clients and friends. Because rich clients want to do more things and can pay good fees...:-)

"The good lawyer is not the man who has an eye to every side and angle of contingency and qualifies all his qualifications, but who throws himself on your part so heartily that he can get you out of a scrape"

Ralph Waldo Emerson
American poet
(1803 - 1882)

Life Should Be Extraordinary

If I can name only one thing that can make me unhappy, it will be "routine". I dont like routine, I hate it. In all my life I have been trying to avoid it. Which sometimes made me quite an inconsistent person. For example I can never dine in a same restaurant everyday, no matter how tasty the food is. I have to force myself to focus on doing the same set of movement in the morning when rushing for work. Most of the time I will end up doing things which I should not do and arrive late to the office.

Recently I have been blessed with an opportunity to attend and work at a client's office, instead of mine. I was delighted to have a change of route to work every morning and meeting new peoples. I walked to different restaurants everyday for lunch. I learned new office jokes and made new ones with new colleagues. Everyday has been an exciting new day for me especially when I passed by my office in Sheikh Zayed Road heading to the client's office. But now after 4 weeks, I have started to miss my desk, computer and usual colleagues. I think the dust have settled down on me in the client's office and everything has started to feel like routine.

However despite my habit of change, one thing which I constantly and steadfastly feel and do is to miss my wife and son at home. This year I plan to visit them every three months. My last visit was in March. I just bought a flight ticket to come home in early June. Instead of just coming home, I have been blessed with opportunity to arrange Umrah trip with my wife, mother in law and 2 sisters in law. This will be my second Umrah trip InshaAllah...I hope my journey to Mecca will bring good change to me as a person and Muslim.

Until then..

"There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction"

Winston Churchill