Some Heroes Wear Wigs

The legal profession has approval ratings somewhere below Attila the Hun, but my solicitor is a shining exception. As we’ve pursued our love of ancient buildings over several decades, Lisa and I have had stellar assistance from him in numerous complex negotiations, some successful and some disastrous. Throughout our odyssey, Mr. Clark (always with the honorifc, never a first name) has been a constant, reliable guide to the peculiarities and pitfalls of UK property law–and I wish the executives and tech teams I coach could pick up some or all of his excellent qualities.

Here are just a few of the reasons I’m such a Clarkaholic:

• I don’t know an easement from an encumbrance, but I trust Mr. Clark implicitly because he’s so consistent and predictable. Whether I ask about fallen game or deconsecration, he always gives a speedy, sensible, and comprehensive answer free of legalese and jargon. Do you get what you need from your specialists every time, on time, and do you understand it when you do?

• Even better, I can hand Mr. Clark a vague and self-contradictory description of a thorny contractual issue that I barely understand, and he organises my confused thoughts logically to give me the answer I should have requested in the first place. For example, when I moaned incoherently to him about some unclear language in our most recent transfer deed, I got a concise 400-word dissertation on the three types of title guarantees, an explanation of which one we needed, and a recommendation to leave well enough alone in the contract. Far too few of my clients insist on “reification” of this kind from their tech teams and other experts, instead participating in gruelling rounds of “refinement” and “grooming” and “requirements definition” that never actually improve the output. Do your specialists untangle complexity, declutter your messes, and shine a light in dark corners as they plan and do their work? In short, can they deliver a Message to Garcia?

• Mr. Clark has known us for decades and understands we’re willing to pay a cost in convenience for the opportunity to preserve beautiful buildings for future generations. So he doesn’t have to ask whether we’ll be troubled by walls made of sticks and mud or the ghostly bloodstain that won’t come out of the floor, and he knows without asking that we’ll want real historic deeds instead of a cold computerised record. I’m constantly pressing my clients to get engineers to “ride along” on sales calls and ensure everyone is “dogfooding” the software, to create exactly this kind of deep understanding and alignment. Do your specialists do what you need without having to ask, using bone-deep strategic understanding to figure it out?

Let’s call the above attributes the Clark Test for effective leadership in law, tech, or indeed any specialist function serving people who understand the what but not the how. How do your vendors and virtuosos score? Hit reply [or ask on the forum] if you’d like some help Clarkifying your team.

This first appeared in my weekly Insanely Profitable Tech Newsletter which is received as part of the Squirrel Squadron every Monday, and was originally posted on 24th February 2025. To get my provocative thoughts and tips direct to your inbox first, sign up here: https://squirrelsquadron.com/