Behold the Lawyers of the Round Table

[Joanne98]

Behold the Lawyers of the Round Table
Lyondell comes up with an unusual incentive program to reward its outside attorneys

David Hechler
Corporate Counsel
January 28, 2008

The recent meeting that Lyondell Chemical Co. held for its outside litigators was, for the most part, a staid and conventional affair. The Houston-based firm assembled 90 lawyers at the local Four Seasons Hotel to review recent cases and discuss upcoming issues. But the daylong session also featured something that you won't see at any other corporate conference: knighting ceremonies.

Three times during the Dec. 10 meeting, associate general counsel Joseph Speelman honored outside lawyers by inducting them into the "Knights of the Lyondell Enterprise." The 17 attorneys who joined the ten-year-old "order" were each recognized for helping the company score a major litigation victory. While they didn't have to bow on bended knee, each lawyer received a keepsake -- and it wasn't a paperweight.

Each first-time honoree was given a four-foot-long sword -- unsharpened, but still looking like it could inflict serious damage. Four repeat winners received a bronze statue of a knight on horseback. And all were celebrated by Speelman with mock-heroic proclamations describing their deeds.

During the meeting's final ceremony, for example, Speelman called up Michael Nilan and Scott Smith of Minneapolis-based Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson. The two had "sojourned across the land," Speelman proclaimed, "guarding against marauding hordes." But then, "Lo! A summons was issued from the faraway country of Wisconsin, where the Enterprise was attacked yet again by its lead paint adversaries." (Lyondell was sued by a Wisconsin resident who claimed injuries from paint that might have been manufactured by one of the company's subsidiaries.) Nilan and Smith were joined, Speelman continued, by a "local guide" in Milwaukeen -- Foley & Lardner's James Clark.

Speelman cut to the climax: the November trial. "And in the late hour of the last week, the swords of the Enterprise Knights did break the blades of the enemy into shards. And in that moment, the clouds parted and a silver finger of Divine light shone forth." Speelman raised his hand and led the room in unison: "Victory was ours!"

Clark -- now "Sir James" -- was buoyant after receiving his sword. Asked how he'd get it home, he smiled cheerfully. "Good question," he said. "Not on the airplane."

Speelman's Inspiration for the knights came from the military. As an officer in the U.S. Air Force, he was impressed by the Order of Daedalians, a fraternity founded during World War I by pilots who sought to pass on their patriotic ideals. Speelman, who's also a big fan of medieval lore, thought a band of knights would help him establish a core principle: A company shouldn't be afraid of going to trial when it's in the right. "Knighthood supports the philosophy and acknowledges and encourages excellence," he explains.

The awards also foster a loyalty to Lyondell that its outside counsel don't feel for their other clients, Speelman believes. It's not that the trophies are valuable (the swords cost $70, the statues $150). What's more important for the lawyers is "the time you take to recognize them," he says. "And if you take the time, they treasure it."

That sentiment was echoed by many of the outside counsel. "Some companies have a tendency to view their lawyers as commodities that can easily be replaced," says Erica Harris, a Susman Godfrey partner knighted in 2006. Lyondell's honor "is a very nice way for the company to make its counsel feel valued," she adds.

The vision of attorneys as knights is particularly apt, says Thomas Hagemann. A Gardere Wynne Sewell partner who was one of the first honorees, Hagemann notes that trial lawyers "do share a love of jousting." He adds that the knighthood "builds camaraderie among lawyers who would otherwise feel like competitors."

Speelman plans to continue bestowing swords despite big changes at Lyondell. Last year it was acquired by the Dutch chemical giant Basell Holdings B.V. in a deal that closed in late December. Basell's Cees Los became general counsel of the new LyondellBasell Industries, while Speelman took the title of litigation chief. Los, who attended Lyondell's December meeting, seemed to enjoy the festivities as much as anyone. And why not -- his side of the Atlantic is where knights are enshrined not just in legend, but in history.
http://www.law.com/jsp/ihc/PubArticleIHC.jsp?id=1201255541174

These types are the SCUM that John Edwards fought in court throughout his career. GO EDWARDS!

[annabanana]

1. boys and their toys. . . . sigh.

[Joanne98]

2. "guarding against marauding hordes." Who want lead out of paint!

During the meeting's final ceremony, for example, Speelman called up Michael Nilan and Scott Smith of Minneapolis-based Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson. The two had "sojourned across the land," Speelman proclaimed, "guarding against marauding hordes." But then, "Lo! A summons was issued from the faraway country of Wisconsin, where the Enterprise was attacked yet again by its lead paint adversaries." (Lyondell was sued by a Wisconsin resident who claimed injuries from paint that might have been manufactured by one of the company's subsidiaries.) Nilan and Smith were joined, Speelman continued, by a "local guide" in Milwaukeen -- Foley & Lardner's James Clark.

How evil!

[depakid]

3. Hired guns is a more apt metaphor

Nothing romantic about it. Just people who would sell their services to the highest bidder, no matter what the cause.