24 May Star Wars Fans at Skadden Arps Save Time

The lawyers at big law firm Skadden Arps had a daunting task, according to the ABA Journal. Working on Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars creator Lucasfilm last year, they had to check whether Lucas actually owned the rights to more than 10,000 characters in the various films.  The partner decided to recruit only Star Wars fans to the working group. He said that completing the huge task would be easier if he doesn’t work with people who don’t even know who Princess Leia is. As he put it,  “I was shocked by how many people knew the intricacies of whose father-in-law was married to whose sister.”

A cute story but showing how out of the box thinking can bring creativity and better results for our clients and customers. Years ago I had a client in Arizona who only invited men to an annual cigar evening with customers and suppliers. The senior female executives in the company certainly were not pleased. But instead of simply telling the client this was illegal and discriminatory (which it was), I worked with him to devise a lawful alternative: the following year all were invited and could choose either of two outings, cigars or a day at the spa. It turns out all the women (and one man) chose the spa. But this way they were not denied the chance to be at the previously all-male event.

Thinking of smart solutions to difficult problems should not be limited to how folks have done it before. But if you blaze a trail, do it carefully and thoughtfully.