Friday, September 16, 2022

History of Mexican Independence Day




 

History of Mexican Independence Day

Today is an exciting day in Mexico! Legal-Ease International wishes all our clients in this glorious country a Happy Independence Day!

We thought we would share a brief history of this beloved and important Holiday

Mexico, once known as New Spain, was a colony harshly ruled by the kingdom of Spain for over 300 years. The native population was oppressed, farmland and personal wealth were confiscated and only Spaniards were allowed to hold political posts. Finally, a Catholic priest in the town of Dolores named Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla had enough.

On September 16, 1810, he rang his church’s bell and delivered a speech now known as the Grito de Dolores (Cry of Dolores), demanding the end of Spanish rule. This started the brutal Mexican War of Independence, which lasted over a decade. On August 24, 1821, Spain withdrew and officially recognized Mexico as an independent country. Today, Father Costilla is known as the Father of Mexican Independence. Mexican Independence Day has been celebrated every year since that momentous day on September 16, 1810.

Mexican Independence Day has developed into a huge nationwide celebration over the past 200-plus years. The country’s leaders were inspired by our own July 4 Independence Day festivities, so fireworks fill the skies at night and the day is filled with patriotic speeches, flag-waving, parades, live music, and home-cooked feasts. Red, white and green — the colors of the Mexican flag — are seen everywhere across Mexico and even cities in the USA with big Mexican populations.

One of the most popular events connected to Mexican Independence Day is when the President of Mexico rings the 200-year-old bell Father Costilla used in 1810 and recites the Grito de Dolores speech in front of 500,000 people. This event is broadcasted live to millions via Mexican TV and radio on the evening of September 15.

Many people outside of Mexico think that Mexican Independence Day and Cinco de Mayo are the same things. Cinco de Mayo celebrates another victory when the outnumbered Mexican army defeated the powerful French militia in 1862 during the Battle of Puebla.

Again, to all our Paper Clients in Mexico…..VIVA MEXICO and Happy Independence Day!

 

Thursday, September 8, 2022

The Worst LL.M. Programs... In The World by Elie Mystal

 


 

 

The Worst LL.M. Programs... In The World

LL.M. programs are generally useless, but these are useless and funny...


You could make an entire Olbermann-like career just exposing the ridiculousness of legal education… I think.

A couple of days ago, we talked about how law schools are trying to increase revenue by offering “master of laws” degrees of questionable value. These programs are just the latest attempts by law schools to charge people for something without assessing their value in the marketplace for jobs.

The more traditional way for law schools to jack revenue out of students who want “extra” credentials is to offer LL.M. programs. We’ve talked about the low value of these programs before. In fairness, there are a couple of useful LL.M. programs. If you can match the degree with a specific employer who wants it, some programs can help. Note: you’ll want to ask the employer if it’s worth it for you to get the LL.M., not the law school administrator trying to get you to sign up and cut them a check.

But one of the scam bloggers has put together a list of LL.M. programs that you should almost certainly avoid at all costs. That seems more useful than arguing whether NYU or Georgetown has a better tax LL.M. program….

Here are the top (or “bottom,” if you will) most ridiculous LL.M. programs, according to the simply named Law School Scam!” website:

1. Nebraska’s Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law LLM
2. Ohio Northern’s Democratic Governance / Loyola-Chicago’s Rule of Law/PROLAW LLM (tie)
3. Michigan State’s Global Food Law LLM
4. New Hampshire’s Masters/LLM offered in International Criminal Law and Justice
5. St. Thomas of Florida’s LLM in Intercultural Human Rights
6. Lewis & Clark’s Animal Law LLM
7. The 50+ law schools that offer comparative or international law LLMs. (tie)
8. St. John’s Sports Law LLM
9. Southwestern’s Entertainment and Media Law LLM
10. Arizona State’s Biotechnology and Genomics LLM

 

This is the opinion of the author and not of Legal-Ease International 

For more inforamtion on LLM programs visit www.legalenglish.com/llm

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

University of San Diego Named 'Most Beautiful Campus' by The Princeton Review

 

 


   

 The University of San Diego has the most beautiful campus in the nation, according to the Princeton Law Review

The education services company ranked USD #1 on its list of Top 25 Most Beautiful Campuses in the country. The annual ranking is one of many featured in the publication's 2023 edition of “The Best 388 Colleges.”

Traditionally, USD ranks high in the category and was last awarded the top honor in 2017. In 2021, The Princeton Review named USD its sixth most beautiful campus, along with eighth in Best Quality of Life, 14th in Most Popular Study Abroad Program and 18th in Green Colleges. 

The rankings are based on survey results from more than 160,000 students across the nation and include categories including financial aid, career services, sustainability and quality of life. 

In February, Travel+Leisure named USD one of the most beautful college campuses and Best Choice Schools ranked Alcalá Park its most beautiful urban campus in the United States. 

For more information visit https://www.sandiego.edu/law/

Friday, August 19, 2022

University of San Diego Classes start on Monday, August 22

 


 


University of San Diego
is welcoming its Fall 2022 students next week!

 Orientation begins on Monday, August 15th and classes start on Monday, August 22nd.

 There are 15 countries represented across all USD graduate law programs. 

 

For more information visit  https://www.sandiego.edu/law/admissions/llm/

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Benefits of an LL.M program,, is it for you?

 

 


 

 

 

Benefits of an LL.M program, is it for you?

Legal English

The legal career is going global, and law students and specialists alike can’t afford to be left behind.One must have a mastery of Legal English to start. Like it or not it is the International Language of the law. One word can change the entire meaning of a document, contract or letter.

Obtaining the capabilities needed to work around the world like Legal English can open possibilities you’ve only dreamed of.

Another tool to succeed may be an LL.M Degree

What is an LLM Degree?

LLM is a postgraduate law degree. The course curriculum of the LLM degree is based in such a way that the law course is split into 2 semesters. In Master of Law, course aspirants benefit from an in-depth understanding of a selected discipline of law by intensive studies in that specific area of Law.

What are the Benefits of an LL.M?

There are many unique motives for taking an LLM; If you are changing a profession or job, for example. Postgraduate law is a good way to obtain the proper skills and concentration that will help you move in the direction you want to focus on.

The growing complexity of the legal world creates more demand for focused training. and the need to stand out in your area.

Benefits of an LLM

There are numerous reasons to choose LLM for a successful career. A few of them are mentioned below:

  • Focus in an area

 Choosing to earn your LLM offers you the possibility to take a one-year path targeted at a specific area of law. This will assist you to establish yourself as an expert in your selected field, in addition to bringing new career and and job options. While an LLM does not give you a training contract the qualifications can assist you to concentrate on your chosen field of specialization. Many lawyers specialize in specific areas of law, such as criminal litigation, corporate law or maritime law. These highly specialized fields necessitate specialized instruction, which undergraduate courses usually fail to give. Choosing the proper course could assist you to pursue your interest even further, move into a brand-new region of expertise and differentiate yourself from other candidates. Its an added bonus on job applications.

  • Grow your legal knowledge

The present-day legal landscape is increasingly evolving, this means that nowadays there are more demands placed on attorneys than ever before. Studying an LLM puts you at the leading edge of contemporary-day law developments – so that you can discuss recent legal developments with confidence

  • Improve Research Skills

 Going again to high school means you’ll be carrying out hours of legal research – an important talent that legal professionals in practice need to revisit on an ongoing basis. You’ll have substantial preparation in analyzing the law, drafting legal documents, and providing your findings.

  • Attract more employers

 You’ll gather new views on legal concepts and specialist understanding that may appeal to leading law companies all through the world. Plus, achieving your LLM is a tremendous manner to top up your CV with a present-day qualification that keeps you well-informed concerning the evolving legal market.

  • Gain global recognition

 The Master of Laws degree is acknowledged around the world, so you can be assured of having earned a qualification so that it will take you places, irrespective of wherein you choose to study. Moreover accomplishing your LLM online in Conflict Resolution or Intellectual Property will increase your competitive standing, as those regulation regions are pretty trendy in the present-day employment environment.

  • Growing demands

Online law study programs are seeing an increasing number of enrollments, especially from global students. Non-JD enrollment rose 25% from 2016-2017, at the same time as non-JD online enrollment rose 53% in the equal period.

With an LLM degree, global college students can enhance their understanding of the legal system and gain qualifications for international legal practice.

  • Extend your network

Studying for your LLM means you’ll be meeting with like-minded people and experts in your field. Networking with fellow students, tutors, and industry experts in and out of your area of specialization can open many doorways to rewarding employment opportunities.

While networking opportunities should not be your main purpose, they should be considered when weighing the benefits and drawbacks of pursuing an LLM.

  • Improve Career prospects

Those who want to teach law face a challenge in competition. This will help you stand out.F

  • Earning Potential

Having an LLM from a prestigious college may be able to assist you to raise your earning potential, in addition to the chance of getting snapped up by a bigger regulation corporation several years down the line.

  • Teaching

An LLM is also very useful in case you decide to start teaching law. Given that most are research-based and intensive courses, they can open doorways to studying PhDs and, subsequently, lecturing in the law.

Legal-Ease International can help you write your essays, find the school for you and make the process seamless. We do to all. If you need help applying contact us at info@legalenglish.com www.legalenglish.com

Monday, July 25, 2022

From Law to Business

 


 

 

 

 

Goodbye Law, and Hello To A New Business

Lawyers typically join the field of practice because it is a safe job, and they are highly paid without taking huge risks. After a lifetime of studying and working hard for various companies these high-achieving attorneys, (hardly naturals for entrepreneurship), find themselves financially and otherwise suffocated and overworked. As the law model in which the nation’s biggest law firms convert the best law students into billable-hour-crazed associates and, occasionally, partners grow to accommodate global organizations, businesses below the $100 million revenue mark that can’t or don’t want to pay high Law firm fees are being squeezed. This creates a chance for partners, fed up with this model to branch out to establish something of their own. Often times they have a passion for something else and find themselves buried in the law. This paradigm gives them an " out".

         Another reason partners desire to move on and start their own business is because Huge Law generates big dollars up to $1.3 million per year for a sixth-year associate who bills $650 an hour at one firm that must stay unnamed due to the inexperience of young attorneys.“ It’s could be hard for non-lawyers to fathom, but, in many situations, the Big Law job does not even offer associates with any real abilities and it’s impossible for partners to charge their client's expensive fees for less than exceptional work. Working on a huge case may be a lot like putting together a 10,000-piece puzzle.

Business disagreements sometimes lead partners to venture out on their own. As firms develop so hugely disagreements become uncontrollable and partners reject business because it could upset a high-revenue-generating customer.

Any one who has ever watched an episode of " Better call Saul" can see this play out in the series.

          Every practicing lawyer knows at least one talented, hard-working, former law firm colleague. Maybe they quit and started their own company, or maybe they wanted to spend more time with family.

Time Factor

         More than any other reason, attorneys leave their companies to start their own business because of the amount of time they are putting in.. The stress of attempting to ‘balance’ their job and other interests, can become too difficult.” Several lawyers lawyers do not always like being on call 24/7. Any work that requires so many hours is difficult to make a life long commitment to. In order to fulfill life goals and not just billable hours, many choose to start their own businesses and live out a different passion. On their own schedule.

 

Three Important Tips for Starting a Business after Law.

1) Always Learn new skills.

         Starting a new company is like learning something new, so learn all you can about business, and about your new industry. If you intend on establishing a company or working in a management role, you need to enlighten yourself as much as possible about leadership and management, particularly since it demands new skill sets that you may not have obtained through practicing law.

          Learning all you can about your sector and constantly staying up to date. I know a lawyer that chose to get into the Wine Business. He spent all his time studying Wine, and then made the leap from law and never looked back! Who would, in beautiful Napa Valley!

 2) Work Hard and be Dedicated

         This sounds like an obvious one, but it doesn’t hurt to keep this in mind. Many attorneys are not used to the challenge of beginning anything new. Sometimes you have to roll up your sleeves and get things done yourself, no staff.

 3) There is No “Right Time”

There will never be a " right time" to start your business. When one feels the urge to leave and create something on their own, one needs to act when they can.

                The basic guideline does not abandon your work with no concept of what to do next. Be open to possibilities, and investigate what you want to accomplish or what business you’re interested in. Once you have a clear understanding of it, you can determine when your best “right time” to stop is.

 The Story Of A Lawyer Who Became An Entrepreneur

Well....me.

Others of course.

         Lawyers are not locked in their jobs and in fact, many frequently find tremendous success as entrepreneurs utilizing their abilities and talents to build their own firms.

        One Of The Reasons That Made You Move From Law To Entrepreneurship?

         From time to time, it is good to pause for a minute in life to attempt to analyze if the course you are following today is still the correct one for you and to make changes in life if required. Starting a company may be a big life transition for a person, which might take some time to achieve. Becoming an entrepreneur depends as much on willpower of the person as does a proper business environment that generates chances for entrepreneurship. The reason I became an entrepreneur was that I wanted to be the master of my time - to decide and take responsibility for myself and accomplish what I am passionate about. I also so a huge need and I felt impelled to fill it.

  I thought that this was a wonderful venue and a chance to apply my professional talents and put them into use in the area of entrepreneurship. As an entrepreneur, I feel it necessary that individuals, who are beginning a company, have the enthusiasm and bravery to take chances and accept diverse experiences. In my case I saw a need, and was determined to be the one to fill it.

I didnt chose IT, rather the " idea" chose me.

         Entrepreneurial, solution-oriented, and inventive thinking is also vitally crucial. Above all, one must have the confidence and tenacity to believe in establishing objectives and accomplishing them.

What Are Some Of The Challenges You Have Had To Overcome When Becoming An Entrepreneur?

         In business, I have conquered how to negotiate successfully in tough circumstances and confront my concerns, and so I have come to the knowledge that difficulty does not imply that it is necessarily impossible. I feel that entrepreneurship is designed to be full of problems because they indicate how much enthusiasm we have in our business, how much willpower we have, and whether we can overcome these very insurmountable challenges in the first place. Challenges are obviously significant variables that encourage development for enterprises, which also disguise potential. I feel that if entrepreneurship was straightforward and without hurdles, then everyone could do it and the idea of success would become unimportant.

Why Choose Entrepreneurship Over Law

         The path to business is frequently a dangerous one fraught with unanticipated twists, rejections and dead ends. There are thousands of restless nights, ideas that don’t work out, finance that doesn’t come through, and customers that never materialize. It may be so tough to begin a company that it may make you question why anybody deliberately sets out on such a path.

What Entrepreneurs Do

         An entrepreneur recognizes a need and fills it. We try to fill a need that was not met before. It can be a unique industry, service or product. Its a reflection of us. Our ideas, thoughts and services. That can bring great satisfaction that the Law does not.

Why Become an Entrepreneur?

         What compels entrepreneurs to move ahead when so many others would flee in the other direction? Though each person’s motivation is varied and unique, many entrepreneurs are motivated by one or more of the following motivators:

Control

         Entrepreneurs are individuals who want to be their own bosses, establish their own objectives, manage their own advancement and operate their enterprises as they see fit. They realize that their businesses’ success or failure lies with them, but they don’t consider this duty as a burden. Instead, it’s a symbol of their independence.

A Life Reason

         Many entrepreneurs have a clear vision of what they want to achieve and will work relentlessly to make it happen. They sincerely feel they have a product or service that fills a vacuum and are pushed by a single-minded resolve to keep pushing forward. They abhor stagnation and would rather fail while going ahead than wallow in idleness or be bored.

Flexibility

         Not everyone fits within the rigidity of conventional business culture. Entrepreneurs are frequently striving to liberate themselves from these restraints, achieve a better work-life balance, or work at times and in ways that may be unorthodox. This doesn’t mean they’re working less hours – typically, particularly in the early phases of building a company, they work longer and harder – but, rather, they are working in a manner that is intuitive for them.

Financial success

         Most entrepreneurs recognize they aren’t going to be instant millionaires.

Ummmm.... I can certainly vouch for that! That doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in the possibility to generate a ton of money from a massively successful firm over which they have complete control. Some seek to construct a financial safety net for themselves and their family, while others are trying to earn a tremendous profit by producing the next big thing.

Legacy

         Entrepreneurs are frequently inspired by a desire to build something that outlasts them. Others seek to establish a brand that has durability and becomes an institution. Some desire to pass on a source of income and security to their heirs. There are other entrepreneurs that aspire to create a lasting effect on the world and leave behind an invention that improves people’s lives in some real manner. If we can make a difference, help others, then we have left the World better than we found it.

That is what inspired me, and I am sure many others out there!


Thursday, June 9, 2022

…and the loser is: Thomas M. Cooley Law School WORST LAW SCHOOL IN THE NATION COOLEY Worst Law School in America

 


 Worst Law School in the United States

 

 

 

The Worst Law School in America COOLEY Evan JonesBy Evan JonesUpdated:June 23, 202181 

Comments3 Mins Read Facebook Twitter Pinterest Share There are now hundreds of news articles and entire blogs devoted to warning potential students of the perils of attending a low-ranked, high-cost law school. We’re positive people here at Lawschool

, so we typically try and keep our message positive and upbeat. But sometimes we see things happening in the legal education industry that we simply can’t ignore. Today we’re going to talk about the dark side of the industry.

 Admissions standards have been in a free fall at Tier 4 law schools over the past few years. One school, in particular, has sunk so low that we felt compelled to announce our pick for… The Worst Law School in America Most of our readers are very conscientious. Most of you take the LSAT very seriously. Over 300,000 of you have read Josh’s post on how he got a 177 on the LSAT, tens of thousands of you have followed his LSAT prep book recommendations, thousands of you follow our LSAT study schedules every year, and hundreds of you have joined the LSAT Mastermind Group. 

In spite of our best efforts to convince people to take their LSAT prep seriously, our message doesn’t reach everyone.

 Every year I encounter scores of the uninitiated. They didn’t take the LSAT seriously, got a low score, and are ready to run head-long into a costly and potentially disastrous career choice by attending any law school that’ll take them.

 As a new law school admissions cycle approaches, it is worth a reminder why the advice to avoid certain schools is more apt than ever.

 

 …and the loser is: Thomas M. Cooley Law School 

There are a lot of terrible law schools out there, certainly. Cooley Law, however, has secured a deserved reputation as the worst of the worst, churning out scores of the most uncompetitive graduates into an extremely competitive profession that has nowhere near the ability to absorb them all. Cost of education is extremely high relative to expected salaries. Many graduates struggle to even pass the bar. Cooley has even been sued for inflating salary data.

 

What a GARBAGE law school with graduates that get lousy jobs because they went to the WORST LAW SCHOOL IN THE COUNTRY...COOLEY

Saturday, April 9, 2022

USD Graduate Tax Program Ranks in Top-10...Again!

 

 

USD Graduate Tax Program Ranks in Top-10...Again!

As announced on TaxProf Blog, U.S. News Tax Rankings placed USD's Graduate Tax program in the top-10 for 2023. 
 
USD Tax Law LLM was ranked #8 among a very elite cohort. We encourage you to check out the most widely-recognized LLM in Taxation program in the West!

 

Friday, April 1, 2022

LaSalle Law School in Cancun many programs

 



 

Established in 1991, Universidad La Salle Cancún A.C. (La Salle University of Cancún) is a private higher-education institution located in the urban setting of the medium city of Benito Juárez (population range of 250,000-499,999 inhabitants), Quintana Roo. Officially recognized by the Secretaría de Educación Pública, Mexico (Secretariat of Public Education of Mexico), Universidad La Salle Cancún A.C. is a coeducational Mexican higher education institution formally affiliated with the Christian-Catholic religion. Universidad La Salle Cancún A.C. offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees in several areas of study. See the uniRank degree levels and areas of study matrix below for further details. Universidad La Salle Cancún A.C. also provides several academic and non-academic facilities and services to students including a library, as well as administrative services.

 


AddressCarretera Cancún-Aeropuerto, Km. 11.5 Boulevard Luis D. Colosio Km. 10
Benito Juárez
77500 Quintana Roo
Mexico
Tel +52 (998) 886 2201
Fax +52 (998) 886 2201

 

The Worst Law School in America …and the loser is: Thomas M. Cooley Law School

There are now hundreds of news articles and entire blogs devoted to warning potential students of the perils of attending a low-ranked, high-cost law school.

We’re positive people here at Lawschooli, so we typically try and keep our message positive and upbeat. But sometimes we see things happening in the legal education industry that we simply can’t ignore. Today we’re going to talk about the dark side of the industry.

Admissions standards have been in a free fall at Tier 4 law schools over the past few years. One school, in particular, has sunk so low that we felt compelled to announce our pick for…

The Worst Law School in America

Most of our readers are very conscientious. Most of you take the LSAT very seriously. Over 300,000 of you have read Josh’s post on how he got a 177 on the LSAT, tens of thousands of you have followed his LSAT prep book recommendations, thousands of you follow our LSAT study schedules every year, and hundreds of you have joined the LSAT Mastermind Group.

In spite of our best efforts to convince people to take their LSAT prep seriously, our message doesn’t reach everyone. Every year I encounter scores of the uninitiated. They didn’t take the LSAT seriously, got a low score, and are ready to run head-long into a costly and potentially disastrous career choice by attending any law school that’ll take them. As a new law school admissions cycle approaches, it is worth a reminder why the advice to avoid certain schools is more apt than ever.

…and the loser is: Thomas M. Cooley Law School

Why pick on Cooley? There are a lot of terrible law schools out there, certainly. Cooley Law, however, has secured a deserved reputation as the worst of the worst, churning out scores of the most uncompetitive graduates into an extremely competitive profession that has nowhere near the ability to absorb them all. Cost of education is extremely high relative to expected salaries. Many graduates struggle to even pass the bar. Cooley has even been sued for inflating salary data.

By any reputable method of ranking ABA law schools, they would appear near the very bottom. Famously, however, for many years they tried to counter this by publishing their own rankings based on silly metrics such as total volumes in the library, law school square footage, and incoming class size. In their own estimation, they ranked 2nd, just behind Harvard!

As the recession hit and the legal market shrank, law schools have had a choice about how to handle it. Fewer good candidates are applying to law school now. In response, either you shrink class size and retain your standards, keeping incoming students GPA and LSAT numbers where they used to be, or you lower your admissions standards. Cooley has made some very, very bad choices. Here is a comparison of 2014 admissions data with 2015.

GPA25th %ileMedian75th %ile
20142.532.903.28
20152.512.853.19
 LSAT25th %ileMedian75th %ile
2014141145149
2015138141147

For those who aren’t familiar with law school admissions, I’ll tell you: this is extremely, extremely bad. Cooley was making a surprising good faith effort to keep their numbers from falling through the floor, but now they have, as one legal blogger put it, “abandoned all pretense of maintaining sound admission policies.” It might be more accurate to say that they’ve abandoned the pretense of having any standards whatsoever.

The 25th percentile at Cooley is now a shocking 138. Ninety percent of LSAT takers perform better on the test. Given that even very low ranked schools generally try to take only students that perform better than average (about a 152), you can see how Cooley has committed themselves to scraping the very bottom of the applicant pool.

It’s this recent move, combined with their commitment to keeping a huge class in spite of offering very poor job prospects, that earns Cooley the distinction of being the very worst law school in America.

If you want to find some truly harsh invective about Cooley and schools like it, it will just take a little googling. People feel strongly enough about trashing these schools that they have compiled accurate school profiles and decorated them with pictures of cow dung.

 

Sunday, March 20, 2022

Legal-Ease International, The story

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE4vR9rBR4o

 

Watch the story of how Legal - Ease International got started 


www.legalenglish.com

Legal-Ease International Inc

The World Leader in Legal English


Monday, March 14, 2022

Meet The Woman Behind Legal-Ease International – Dena Falken

 


 

Meet The Woman Behind Legal-Ease International – Dena Falken

By The Los Angelers on March 2, 2022

Dena Falken is a lecturer, author, CEO, and a Seminar presenter with Legal-Ease International. She has taken on the world of Seminars with a unique topic and style.

She has a genuine entrepreneurial spirit and is committed to providing information to a Global audience. Dena shares interesting topics with Foreign Professionals. Her audience is composed of Judges, lawyers, law students, translators and more…. She provides training seminars on the  “ Language of the Law” around the World and also invites others to present.

Dena is a woman who believes in sharing knowledge and furthering education. “It is very satisfying to teach a new concept or idea” says Falken. Even if one of our students learns one new word or term, it can change the entire way they work. She believes that success is not about money but about passion. Dena Falken truly considers herself lucky that she found her passion early on in her career.

“Find a need and fill it” has been her mantra! She learned that from her wonderful father who later in his career became an entrepreneur himself. She sure has taken her Dads advice and is now helping people around the Globe.

Dena started her career in Milan, Italy after graduating with a JD degree in law from Catholic University, Columbus School of Law. She has a BA from American University in Washington D.C.  She always knew that she wanted to do something in the International arena. While interning at a law firm in Milan, Italy…Dena saw the need. Although many lawyers spoke English, they did not speak Legal English. A language in and of itself. In other words, they did not speak or write the “Legal Talk”.

Opportunity knocked and Falken, opened the door.

Dena understood there was a need, but had to figure out how to begin. With some simple brochures left at lawyers offices, she began to market her Seminar. While it was not easy, the idea took off with a lot of hard work and effort, Eventually a full Seminar was formed. It turned out to be a wild success. Dena Falken soon expanded Legal-Ease International throughout Italy and it is now operated in Mexico, Europe, Central and South America, with courses online, leaving no city in the World out of reach. Legal-Ease International is now recognized as the World Leader in Legal English and has certainly earned that title. Thousands of Foreign Professionals have benefitted greatly and leave testimonials regarding the enormous benefit they received, and their appreciation. This is very satisfying says Falken.

Recently, I had an opportunity to meet Dena. Taking it as a great advantage to speak personally, I asked some questions that our business readers often ask: 

Why do you think clients need to further their education?

Dena: We all need to grow, and never stop. In my field of legal English, one wrong word can change the entire meaning of a letter or document. Learning helps to keep one current and prepared. Our seminars at Legal-Ease International are a great way to network and gain a credential as a professional

You may be a professional in your field but you must learn how to express that in Legal English both spoken and written.

What are some of the tasks top business entrepreneurs do every day?

Dena: Marketing. The idea of the business is actually just a small part. How does one get the word out there? When I started Legal-Ease International, emailing and websites were not as popular as they are today. I did it by hand, made phone calls. Now of course the marketing is different, through social media sites etc. We must always look for new innovative ways to promote our ideas so that they reach those that need it.

What advice would you like to give to new entrepreneurs who want to be in the Seminar business.

Dena: Find something you love. If you love it, it does not feel like work. An entrepreneur works 24/7, 7 days a week. If it is something you love, you are merely expressing your passion and then it feels like pure joy. There are always obstacles in the way, but those obstacles and hardships foster creativity. Simply, love what you do. "Don't let others convince you that the idea is bad when your gut tells you it is good. You will make it work if you believe in it.”

Dena Falken  Legal-Ease International

The World Leader in Legal English

www.legalenglish.com

 

 

Sunday, January 23, 2022

The Art of Decision Making by Dena Falken

 

 


 

 

The Art of Decision Making

 By Dena Falken

            Decision making is a process based on identifying decisions, gathering information and evaluating alternative solutions. Using a step-by-step decision-making process can help you make more informed and thoughtful decisions by organizing relevant information and defining alternatives. This approach increases the likelihood of choosing the most satisfying alternative. Decision making is about facing a question like "to be or not to be" i.e. to be the one you want to be or not to be. Managers are always seen on the platform, where they always require making important decisions because their crucial decisions ultimately shape, guide and direct our future. Decision making is described as the economy of thinking

               In decision making our mind plays an important role because mind is the heart of any decision making process. To make a good and effective decisions one should stay with the problem for a longer time. Better decisions are the result of good coordination between mind and body. A better understanding of the mind can lead to setting new priorities as to what is taught and learned. Decision making should be rational that means it must be logical and should pursue an orderly path from problem identification to reaching a solution.

            This is a life-altering perception, especially for people who believe that the ability of decision making always falls under the tower of ‘STRENGTHS” and “WEAKNESS”. If you think deeper, I believe decision making is more about “ACHIEVEMENTS” and “OPPORTUNITIES”.

The pursuit of perfection in our decisions adds unnecessary pressure and often leads to “analytic paralysis.” Nobody likes being wrong, but we have to shake our fear and accept that decision-making involves taking risks: sometimes we will do it well, other times we will not do it. Errors are part of learning.

Refuse to Face Reality

               We see things as we would like them to be, confusing wishful thinking and reality. For example, 75% of drivers think they are above average behind the wheel, which is statistically impractical.

Faced with a scenario, we tend to take a position and may fail to see beyond it, ignoring what could be better options outside of that one. Also, we tend to amplify the positive aspects of our position and minimize the negative aspects.

Blindness To Facts

               The way a situation is presented to us and how we present it to ourselves affects our final decisions. For example, when some cancer patients were informed that the one-year survival rate after surgery was 68% a significant percentage opted for this operation. Meanwhile, when other people learned that 32% of patients die within one year of the operation, no one chose to undergo it. The same information was given but presented differently.

To avoid falling into blindness, it is important to look for alternatives and consider them from different angles. Finally, wait a bit before making the decision.

Going With The Flow

               There is something worse than being wrong: being the only one wrong. Doing everything others do is easier and, more importantly, can save us from embarrassment. We saw it with the dot-com bubble, for example. Everyone wanted to invest in technology companies when the bubble was rising, even though most investors knew little about it.

The problem with imitating (and not thinking before deciding) is that we eliminate the possibility of finding wiser alternatives than what is fashionable.

Rushing And Risking

               Before deciding hastily, we should consider whether a decision is urgent. We tend to rush into activities, barring things off our list to feel fulfilled. But all we do in a hurry is to take unnecessary risks.

Intuition

Intuition can be an advantage, but it leads to mistakes if we let it prevail over analytical thinking. Also, it's important to test your intuition with a cheap experiment.

Married To Ideas

It is difficult for us to change previous decisions, even if maintaining the status quo is ineffective or harmful.

Effects

Sometimes we don't consider the consequences of a decision. Or we only consider the most direct and immediate effects and ignore the side effects. And that could cause bigger problems than what we were trying to solve.

This happened to Titanic officials who wanted to arrive at their destination 24 hours ahead of schedule to reassure critics who said their big ship would be slow. They ignored the glacier warning, a warning that should have been delayed for safety reasons.

Agreement

We often think that collective decisions are more effective, but this is not always true. Reaching consensus also has disadvantages: it can take longer, responsibilities are often spread out, and people can't speak their minds because of peer pressure or a desire to be accepted.

Implementation

Decision-making does not complete the decision-making process: its implementation and monitoring are also important. However, some solutions are not implemented in practice due to our limitations (eg lack of will, determination, or time) or external factors (eg lack of authority or support).

It is important to think about the implementation of decisions. And that means assessing our own ability to take a specific approach and accepting that others have their own interests and needs.

What To Decide?

            The leader decides what is under his jurisdiction. This obvious statement leads to a dysfunctional abyss when ignored. At some point, we all have experienced leaders who want to decide everything and end up destroying the autonomy they clearly gave them.

This is the difference between strategy and tactics, the former being the framework within which the latter can be developed. In other words, the strategy defines the vision and the main steps to achieve it. Determining strategy is the leader's prerogative. Tactics are related to operational activities. They are often placed "in the hands" of younger players as long as they have a good understanding of the leader's goals, which means they understand his vision.

How Do You Increase Your Chances Of Making The Right Decision?

            A good decision is always declared 'good' later because the consequences of a decision often allow it to be defined as good or bad. However, we cannot predict the future. However, we can reduce the degree of uncertainty by dynamically analyzing the relevant factors that lead to the identification of "possible futures" that will determine the development of the strategy, or "perspective" strategies, as it is known.

Therefore, preparing for a decision is like looking ahead as if you were trying to dissipate the “mist of war”. This cannot be improvised. On the contrary, it is a rigorous and collective process that includes analyzing all the data that may influence the achievement of goals (such as environment, background, and actors) and an attempt to determine the relative impact of the "course". events. “Many thinking methods and specific decision tools (strategy games, serious games, simulations, etc.) were developed for managers. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.

The Art Of Making Decisions

After all, what can we learn from this? Smart strategic decision-making isn't just for a few people like Steve Jobs, a character that would be quoted in the economic arena today. Let's look at the problem from the other side. Decision-making is one of the strongest acts of management. We often judge the management style of a person with decision-making authority through the prism of a decision, even to the extent that decision avoidance can be a management system in itself.

               Learn to lead and then improve your management skills throughout your personal and professional life; strengthen your leadership skills, gain experience looking for specific situations, learn from mistakes, compare successes, count on competent teams and all this to make the most of your knowledge and relationships with others and always strive to improve your "knowledge of the world" "go deeper; isn't this the surest path to the Holy Grail of good decision making? For all these methods there are tools and plans for personal and group development.

For Decision-Making?

Model for the best possible choices

            Some decisions are so simple that you barely realize you are making them, while others are time-consuming, risky, and anxious. The decision can be made or interrupted by the project or the company as a whole. And they often solve complex and unpredictable interpersonal problems.

In this article and video, we'll explore a seven-step approach to improving the quality of your decisions and increasing your chances of success.

7-Step Decision Strategy

To avoid making a bad decision, you need to combine a set of decision-making skills into a logical and orderly process. We recommend the following seven steps:

1. Examine the situation in detail.

2. Create a constructive environment.

3. Create good alternatives.

4. Explore your options.

5. Choose the best solution.

6. Evaluate your plan.

7. Communicate your decision and take action

Step 1: Examine The Situation In Detail

            Decisions often fail because important factors are soon overlooked or neglected. So before you decide, you need to fully understand your situation.

Start by considering the decision in the context of the problem you are trying to solve. You need to determine if the problem is a real problem or just a symptom of something deeper.

Take it for granted. It may be possible to address your goal on its own, but several interrelated factors are more likely to need to be considered. For example, changes made in one department can have a negative effect on other departments, so changes are counterproductive.

Step 2: Create a constructive environment for your decision

            Can you pay the necessary attention to your decision? Take some time to prepare before immersing yourself in the facts and figures. Remember that most decisions affect other people as well, so it helps to create a constructive environment in which we can explore the situation together and gain support. This is especially true when you need to trust other people to make the decisions for which you are responsible. You need to decide who you want to involve in the process and who will be part of the final decision-making group, which will ideally consist of only five to seven people.

Allow people to contribute to discussions without worrying that other participants will reject them and their ideas. Make sure everyone recognizes that the goal is to make the best possible decision, without guilt.

Step 3: Create Good Alternatives For Decision Making

            The wider the options, the better your final decision. At first, it may seem that generating several different options complicates your decision-making, but finding alternatives forces you to go deeper and look at the problem from different angles.

Then it can be useful to use different creative thinking techniques. This can help you break out of common thinking patterns and create truly innovative solutions.

Step 4: Explore Your Options

               Once you are sure that you have a good selection of realistic alternatives, it is time to assess the feasibility, risks, and consequences of each. Almost all decisions involve a degree of risk. You need a structured approach to assessing threats and the likelihood of adverse events - and how much they could cost to manage. You will also want to explore the ethical impact of each option and how it can fit into your personal and organizational values.

Step 5: Choose The Best Solution

               After evaluating the alternatives, the next step is the decision! If you need to consider different criteria, use decision matrix analysis so that you can compare them reliably and accurately. Or, to determine which one should weigh more when making your decision, perform a pairwise benchmarking.

               When anonymity is important, decision-makers hate each other, or there is a tendency for certain individuals to dominate the process, use the Delphi technique to make a fair and unbiased decision. Uses discussion cycles and anonymously written arguments, led by the facilitator. Participants do not meet and sometimes do not even know who else is involved.

Step 6: Evaluate Your Plan

               After all the effort and hard work you've put into evaluating and selecting alternatives, it can be tempting to move forward at this stage. But now more than ever is the time to verify your decision. After all, looking back is good to recognize why things went wrong, but preventing mistakes is much better! Before you start executing your decision, it's a good idea to observe it for a long time to make sure you've been thorough and that there are no common mistakes in the process.

               Your final decision is only as good as the facts and research you've done. Make sure that your data is trustworthy and that you have done your best not to "choose" the data. This will help you avoid positive biases, the usual psychological bias when making decisions.

Step 7: Make Your Decision And Act

Once you've made a decision, you need to communicate it to everyone involved in an interesting, informative, and inspiring way.

Involve them in implementing the solution to discuss how and why you arrived at your decision. The more information you provide about the risks and benefits, the more likely people are to support you.

 

Signs You're Making The Wrong Decision

1. Your heart says no

Our instincts aren't always the target, but if you have a strange feeling about someone's request or the risks involved in taking a new opportunity, work through those feelings before moving forward.

2. You are super emotional

It is one thing to be in harmony with your feelings. It's another thing to let them make important decisions in your life. Emotional responses are designed to protect us from danger (eg, jumping out of the lane of an oncoming vehicle rather than stopping in the middle of a crosswalk). But if we're upset with frustration, fear, hunger (hunger plus anger), and other intense emotions, we're more likely to hit "send" if we don't.

3. Don't tell the whole truth

Withholding information about decisions you keep from other people can be a sign that you are dead wrong. “A lie is usually a sign that someone hasn't fully accepted their situation,” says Lee. It could also indicate that we're not very proud of our choices — because if we were, wouldn't we want to share them with those we care about most?

4. Make decisions very quickly.

Some decisions - especially important ones - take time to sink into memory and heart. The most important decisions require a good night's sleep – or some. If you're in a hurry to make a decision, you're probably making a mistake. Of course, there are times when you need to act quickly. Whenever possible, you should dedicate enough time to the process.

5. Make decisions very slowly.

The opposite is also true. If you've been dealing with this long enough - and you know what to do - some decisions need to be made - even if you don't have all the answers. It was my fault that I missed the opportunity because I was paralyzed by that decision and did not make the call I already knew I should - and quite frankly, often, because I know that the response to the decision will not necessarily be popular.

6. You consult with your closest mentors.

Not only do I have to invite others to the decision-making process, I also have to listen to the advice of the people I invite. This is another one I learned hard. I rarely make a decision in which the advisory groups I have hired would advise otherwise. In fact, I am seeking a unanimous consensus.

Conclusion

To improve decision-making, you need to improve your ability to predict (how different choices change the probability of different outcomes) and your judgment (how desirable each of those outcomes is). While there are countless ways to work on these two skills, there are three simple rules that can help the most. Be less confident at first. We are all safer than we should be at every step of the decision-making process. What else would you think if you were less sure that A is causing B or that B is better than C? Second, always ask yourself, "How often does this usually happen?" If you think that result B is more desirable than result C, ask yourself: how many times has this happened in the past? Third, improve your understanding of probability. Research has shown that even basic probability training makes people better at predictions. 


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