Strategic Approach to Professional Practice
Dean’s experience handling challenging cases in many jurisdictions compelled him to rethink the way that lawyers- and other professionals- go about solving a client’s business problem. This critical reexamination led Dean to take a distinctive “strategic approach” that departs from the accepted “technical approach”. Conventional wisdom dictates that a lawyer should specialize by practice area- amass detailed knowledge about a discrete, commonly-recognized branch of the law. The lawyer is expected to solve a problem by fitting it into a practice area and thinking within the confines of that practice area.
Experience has taught Dean that this kind of compartmentalized thinking will not suffice when the problem is too large and multifaceted to fit into a narrow practice area. The only way to confront a problem of this nature is to think laterally- to think outside the “practice area box” and develop a client-centric strategy. The plan must be driven by the client’s business objectives- not by the lawyer’s expertise in a practice area.
Dean’s method is inherently comprehensive, interdisciplinary, collaborative and client-oriented- so much so that:
- he constantly synthesizes specialized knowledge from a broad and diverse range of practice areas- not just in law but in other professional disciplines;
- he works in an unusual array of practice areas that cross professional boundaries;
- he maintains, and regularly interacts with, a network of specialists in various professional and academic fields;
- he converts specialized knowledge from many different sources into a practical business solution; and
- he assumes novel roles as a lawyer when the client’s problem cannot be solved by adopting a normal legal posture.
Dean considers his strategic approach to be his greatest professional strength- the skill set that defines him as a practitioner and best equips him to take on tough assignments for the international business community.
READ MORE ABOUT DEAN’S INNOVATIVE ROLES
Established/Unique Practice Areas
Dean’s interdisciplinary technique has led him to cross over conceptual boundaries that prevail in the legal field and other professional fields. As a consequence, Dean’s areas of practice fall into two wide but complementary categories:
- established practice areas that are typically associated with international business law: multi-jurisdictional litigation, international arbitration, foreign investment protection, customs and international trade, corporate governance and regulatory compliance; and
- unique practice areas that are typically associated with other professional disciplines but are highly relevant to problems that confront the international business community: crisis management, reputation management, government relations, public relations, international relations, political science and political/legal risk management.
Global Professional Network
Dean has established a network of legal and non-legal specialists that he collaborates with on an ongoing basis. He regularly taps into this deep knowledge base to keep abreast of the latest developments in each of his practice areas. Dean can access his professional network on demand. This is particularly advantageous when the need is most acute- in the midst of facing a challenging client problem.