The Difference an Ocean Makes

I have recently started receiving email updates from The Global Legal Post, a publication that purports to cover the legal community world-wide. In March 2012, they incorporated the European Lawyer into the publication and so it definitely has a European/British flavor to its reporting.

Which made me smile today when my email contained this teaser:

Row over non-lawyer ownership of legal firms The US's largest legal profession trade union is in disarray over the contentious issue of non-lawyer ownership of law firms, with its senior figures unable to agree a policy.

Not because the American Bar Association is having trouble reaching consensus on an issue, but the description of it as the "largest legal profession trade union." My emphasis.

I am quite sure that many lawyers, and not just at management side employment law boutiques, would be surprised to think of themselves as "trade unionists." But maybe a different way of thinking of ourselves would not be an entirely bad thing.