Iconoclast and "shameless self-promoter" Michael Bradley wants to reshape the way law is done ... He has produced a new manifesto on law and lawyers in an e-book that can be snapped-up for $4.50 from Hampress ... He's on Justinian's couch answering 21 pertinent questions
Michael Bradley: Author of "Kill All The Lawyers"
MICHAEL Bradley is the managing partner of boutique Sydney law shop Marque Lawyers.
He and a handful of colleagues left Gadens in 2008 to create the new firm, where he practises in trade practices and intellectual property.
His was one of the first firms to get rid of time-based costing.
Bradley has long had an irreverent view of the way the legal profession functions. So much so that he has just published an e-book, Kill All The Lawyers.
His thesis is that the profession's malaise, and the lack of regard in which the community holds it, is a dangerous thing.
The risk is that the "progressive corruption" of lawyers will ultimately undermine civil society.
Michael Bradley is on Justinian's couch ...
Describe yourself in three words.
Quiet, calm, unafraid.
What are you currently reading?
Paul Ham's "Sandakan".
What's your favourite film?
The Godfather (Part One).
Who has been the most influential person in your life?
Seriously, my wife. She holds me to account, keeps me from being a fool and believes in me.
What is your favourite piece of music?
Nina Simone, "My Baby Just Cares for Me".
What is in your refrigerator?
Always a lot of cheese ... rosé ... and for the next six months, mangoes.
What is your favourite website?
Apart from www.marquelawyers.com.au (which secretly and self-indulgently is my favourite), I’m totally obsessed with Twitter.
What do you recommend as a hangover cure?
Coco Pops with very cold milk.
What words or phrases do you overuse?
I'm pretty sure I say "ultimately" too much and I call way too many strangers "mate".
What is your greatest weakness?
Inability to multi-task and failure to understand my greatest weakness - whatever it is.
Why did you want to be a lawyer?
I didn't really. I got in to law, thought it was quite cool, got a job, and didn't give my career any further thought for another 19 years. That's when I realised that I wanted to be a lawyer, just not the usual kind.
What is the essential message of Kill All The Lawyers?
Lawyers have always been unloved, but they used to be respected. Now they're despised. I think that's because the legal profession long since ceased being a profession, and everyone else knows that, but lawyers still think and act like they're special. The disconnection between perception and reality is the cause of the profession's demise. I also think it's going to get worse, and that's a big problem for civil society - if lawyers are held in contempt, the law itself will follow.
Why did you publish your work as an ebook?
It's a short book, and Hampress is pioneering a new approach to e-publishing short books at a very sharp price point. I was keen to support the attempt - not that I'd say no if someone wanted to publish a hard copy version as well.
What do you consider is so special about Marque Lawyers?
We're carving out a different path and being quite open about it, in the most conservative industry on earth. Also, we have an office dinosaur called Bronte (she’s a diplodocus).
What's your most glamorous feature?
My wife and daughters are gorgeous and make me look way better than I should.
If you were a foodstuff, what would you be?
God I wish I could say something colourful and tasty, but that would be completely untrue. I'm probably a potato.
What human quality do you most distrust?
Moral certainty.
What would you change about Australia?
I'd get rid of the state and territory governments. The federal system is an expensive and wasteful anachronism. Also, I'd change the definition of "marriage" in the Marriage Act to "whatever".
Whom or what do you consider overrated?
Conventional wisdom ... and all economists.
What would your epitaph say?
I'd really like it to say "He gave respect; he was bold; he had fun". Equally happy though with "And not a moment too soon".
What comes into your mind when you shut your eyes and think of the word "law"?
Roddy Meagher in a dress. Weird, huh?