High NFC :| | Here for a good laugh:) | Learner | 𝕬𝖗𝖘𝖊𝖓𝖆𝖑 | Navis Advocates LLP
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Joined March 2015
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Ssensalo Kasim Wasswa retweeted
Prominent American law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges founded in 1931, almost a century ago, has collapsed and is now winding down.
It is almost unbelievable that this prestigious law firm which had more than 1,200 lawyers, acted as pallbearers for the likes of General Motors and Enron in bankruptcy, and made more than 2 billion dollars in revenue last year is currently struggling for survival to the point of processing a winding down.
What should we learn from this as law firm owners in our clime?
1. Revenue is not profit. Being busy is not profit. Large clientele is not profit. Accolades and awards is not profit. At the end of the day, the numbers on the business side of law must not only add up, they must reflect in the lives of its people.
2. Audit your practice and know when to pivot, expand practice areas or increase geographical spread.
Weil, Gotshal & Manges is a firm focused on bankruptcy and has led many companies like Enron through its own bankruptcy. When bankruptcy began drying up and other mega firms emerged through mergers, the firm stuck to its niche while other firms tried to maximise profit by dominating every corner of the legal business. From what I read, by the time it was expanding, its growth was already behind that of its peers. The worst thing after an idea that came too early is an idea that came too late.
3. Make decisions fast- At the first sign of trouble signalling dwindling times, the firm saw it, refused to lay off workers, tried to salvage through restructuring and merger talks both of which failed. Those same workers saw the downward spiral and moved enmasse to other firms triggering retention issues and consequently the winding down. At the end of the day, not making a decision is also a decision and sometimes a very expensive one.
4. Talent war and retention dynamics- To compete or grow to the stage of competing with giant law firms who have amassed a war chest that allows them dominate the race for talent, your numbers MUST be right. You must make data driven decisions. You cannot charge a client based on feelings, emotions, phrases like ‘abeg’, ‘just help me’, ‘small case’, ‘small letter’, or ‘don’t worry a bigger brief is coming’ or even your current circumstances. The vision of where you want to be and the sacrifices that has gotten you to where you are must always drive you.
5. Nobody is immune to failure- A one year old firm can fail so also an almost 100 years old firm can fail. Grow fast, fail forward, think seriously about succession, constantly benchmark yourself with elite firms, not because you are comparing but because you are drawing your own innovative roadmap to reach the top.
Building anything is never easy.
Many builders, principals and entrepreneurs show up at work daily after having 3am mental board meetings with ourselves on how to move the business forward, make hard decisions for the vision, check the account balance multiple times and psyche ourselves for the journey ahead.
Today as always, I doff my hat to every builder out there.
Better days are here…
Ssensalo Kasim Wasswa retweeted
UN votes to adopt new world map showing Africa's true size bbc.in/46I3e2S
Ssensalo Kasim Wasswa retweeted
I decided to find my way to the public square. These are my thoughts in today’s observer. Infact, first time platforming my own views this publicly.
Would be interested in your reviews esp my models @mwineedgar @JrTwinamatsiko @GodwinTOKO and co.
Ssensalo Kasim Wasswa retweeted
@BenonGowa you're one of the more all-around informed Lawyers in town. I appreciate your endless and selfless efforts directed towards keeping the TL informed with relevant legal precedents and statute positions.
Ssensalo Kasim Wasswa retweeted
I always wonder how Ugandans on Twitter somehow sanitized this fella to a point that he seems to be some moral front-liner, as opposed to the brutalist who fell out with his NRA colleagues over the Muhoozi project. His “Safe Houses” were as infamous as Muhoozi’s “basements.”
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Ssensalo Kasim Wasswa retweeted
Lawyers, get involved in your community and your bar. The rule of law isn't defended in the abstract. It's defended by people who show up.
Ssensalo Kasim Wasswa retweeted
Mr Mugume it is! My apologies for the late response, I was in class.
Before I say anything else, I'd like to address the typo in my first post: "There’s no way you let yourself get respected" should have been "There’s no way you let yourself get DISrespected."
You asked for my point and here it is. Today you reported that Nation Media Group's owners committed to "patriotic, balanced and objective" journalism after meeting the CDF, Muhoozi. The man who sent soldiers to shut the newsrooms also was the one who supplied the official story of how the problem was resolved, and you published his version as ‘the news’. That is the problem with your method of reporting.
Your report did not mention that Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) both heavily condemned the shutdown of NTV and Daily Monitor. Muhoozi himself posted on X, in a since-deleted post: "In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press!"
When soldiers close your colleagues' newsrooms and the man who ordered it is the one announcing changes in their organization, by repeating his words you are not practicing balanced journalism, you are only conforming to the status quo. And, to repeat myself, you are allowing yourself to be used as a puppet.
Let me ask you this:
What does it mean to be a journalist in Uganda if the terms under which you operate are dictated by the same army general who shut down the biggest media house in the country at will?
Ssensalo Kasim Wasswa retweeted
As part of the orientation of judicial officers, they should each be given a weekend to spend in Luzira.
That way, they might learn to appreciate the real gravity of their decisions.
Ssensalo Kasim Wasswa retweeted
@MuhooziKainerugaba You thought deporting Karua and arresting Lukwago would break Besigye's defence.
You were wrong.
Today, 40 lawyers from 20 law firms have regrouped and reaffirmed their commitment to defend Dr. Kizza Besigye and Hajj Obeid Lutale. Lawyer Kakuru Tumusiime confirmed: "We still have instructions and about 20 law firms to represent Dr Kizza Besigye and Hajj Obeid Lutale."
Their position is clear: the deportation of Karua and the incarceration of Lukwago are deliberate moves to frustrate the legal team. The clients chose their lawyers — and the state is choosing to remove them.
40 lawyers. 20 law firms. United.
You can arrest one. Deport another. Intimidate a third. But you cannot silence an entire profession. The legal community has drawn a line in the sand.
The question now: Will the courts protect the rule of law, or bow to the general who thinks he is above it?
Ssensalo Kasim Wasswa retweeted
"Freedom is acquired by conquest, not by gift. It must be pursued constantly and responsibly. Freedom is not an ideal located outside of man; nor is it an idea which becomes myth. It is rather the indispensable condition for the quest for human completion.."Paulo Freire
Kudos Dr
Ssensalo Kasim Wasswa retweeted
At some point in the future, there should be a Commission of Inquiry and prosecution of the JLOS enablers of human rights violations of this era.
Ssensalo Kasim Wasswa retweeted
The purest love blooms when two givers who do not care much for themselves try to outdo one another's sacrifices by tenderly giving to each other what they do not give to themselves, and so within each other they find completion - their mutual deprivation becoming mutual fulfilment.
Ssensalo Kasim Wasswa retweeted
It is wise to remain silent than to speak and risk embarrassing one's self.
A whole ED of the UCC, a body with a clear mandate to regulate media.🤦🏽
As my nigerian brothers often say;
"Wonders shall never End"
The Uganda Communications Commission has noted the circumstances that have led to the Nation Media Group's outlets, including NTV Uganda, Spark TV, Dembe FM, and KFM, going off air.
Consultations have begun with the relevant government stakeholders to obtain verified information.
The Commission urges the public to remain calm and allow these consultations to proceed.
We will provide further updates as appropriate once the consultations conclude.
@MoICT_Ug
@UCC_Official
@UgandaMediaCent
Ssensalo Kasim Wasswa retweeted
General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni likely incapacitated from serving as President of Uganda on account of advanced age has been toppled by his infant son. I cannot remember his name. The infant tyrant has embarked on abrogating all freedoms and liberties entrenched in the post revolution Constitution. Our sympathies to the People of Uganda.
