Posts by ScottY
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We need a goddamn constitution.
Good news! We already have one.
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Hard News: OGB Update, in reply to BenWilson,
Great to see everyone, sorry about that abandoned beer, Scott, and I hope the new biz goes great.
Oh, don't worry, I found a home for that beer.
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That is truly awesome news. Congratulations
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As a prog rock tragic I quite like some of Genesis' early work.
But what Phil Collins has done since leaving the band should have him up for crimes against humanity.
Exhibit A:
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I listened to Hughes on Radio NZ and had no idea what he actually wanted the govt to do.
What exactly is the govt meant to do? In matters such as these we actually have no choice but to rely on their assurances that they have it covered. They're hardly going to engage in public discussions about an intelligence matter, are they?
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A large conference venue would be good for the local economy. That said, I'm not comfortable with the deal being done between the Govt and Sky City. Gambling has a massive social cost.
If my experience of large conferences is anything to go by, the Govt will also need to amend the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act, to allow for the making of that much conference coffee.
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Hard News: The Vision Thing, in reply to Paul Williams,
Can't be, he went to one of those post-modern PC law schools that teaches only feminist theory... </irony>
One can never quite escape one's past...
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Hard News: The Vision Thing, in reply to Rich of Observationz,
I suspect Scott must be a very good lawyer.
Of course! (but I would say that)
I also know plenty of bad ones. Some of them work in big firms. Some in small firms. I imagine in any occupation or profession you'd find useless people.
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Hard News: The Vision Thing, in reply to BenWilson,
Ben, a lot of the advice I give to my clients is more commercial and business in nature, not legal. I imagine it would be the same with a lot of accountants. Sure, the inventors and creators I work with may well be making smart products, but without the service providers to help advise on getting those products to market the efforts of those talented people would be wasted. Believe it or not, solving legal or business problems can sometimes require a great deal of creativity.
New Zealanders are an inventive and creative bunch, but one of the reasons why we do so poorly at commercialising our inventions is we often don't get the right help. Quite often the people who invent or create are the worst people to actually commercialise, because they don’t know what they’re doing when it comes to the world of law, commerce and business. I see this time and again in my role, and I have lost count of the amount of times a valuable IP portfolio has been destroyed because of someone’s bush-lawyering.
That's where the business expertise offered by lawyers, accountants and other business advisers can often help people. If through my particular expertise and experience I can help a client navigate a complex IP licence arrangement in a way that secures a good revenue stream and protects the client against commercial risk, then I may well be saving my client from a lawsuit that destroys their business, as well as protecting their income.
Your accountant who merely helps you with your tax is (if he/she does his/her job properly) also contributing to your wealth by making sure the IRD doesn't destroy you. Try writing and commercialising software when you're bankrupt.
I know plenty of unfulfilled lawyers who wish they could do more. Indeed I was once one. But I also know of engineers and scientists trapped in unfulfilling roles doing what they feel are menial tasks for no real purpose.
I wonder if the problem here is that you are placing a value on only one form of creativity?
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Ben, with respect, I think you may be oversimplifying the role of lawyers in society. They are not just there to litigate and resolve disputes. A good number of lawyers (like myself) don't go anywhere near the courtroom, and spend much of their time acting more as facilitators, helping clients to do deals in ways that are smarter and return more to the client, and making sure disputes never arise. A good lawyer can be a valuable business adviser and can help their client grow their business. They can even help to "grow the pie" (even if I despise that term) rather than merely divide it.
I'm not suggesting for a moment that lawyers are more valuable than other occupations, but most lawyers I know wouldn't be in their job if they didn't think they were actually helping anyone.
Rant endeth.