"No Jerks Need Apply, Law firms Take Measures to Cull Cads From Their Ranks"

Nossaman partner and head of the firm's Litigation department, Patrick Richard, is quoted in the California Lawyer article, "No Jerks Need Apply, Law firms take measures to cull cads from their ranks."

The article focuses on the lessons of a book about building a civilized workplace, written by Stanford University professor Robert Sutton. The book contains several vignettes about law firms and includes an "inner jerk" self-test, which Mr. Richard shared with his partners at an offsite litigation department meeting as a tool to open dialogue about each person's impact on their environment. He is quoted in the article as saying, "Lawyers are paid to be vocal ... and give opinions," but adds, "the things that work when you're negotiating or litigating may not be the best for your personal relationships in the office."