Make More Rain : hr, partner agreements

Marcus Speaks Out On Mandatory Retirement for Lawyers

Admin — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:01:00 GMT

Bruce Marcus lays out the case the ABA overlooked in addressing the issue of mandatory retirement. The ABA delegates voted to encourage firms to discontinue the practice, but as Marcus notes, ” …they came up with the lesser solution to the greater problem, which, is, I think, the question of judging a lawyer’s capabilities by his or her age, rather than by capability.”

He then proves his case that older can be (and often is) better. As he puts it, “A stupid lawyer at 30 will be a stupid lawyer at 80. A smart lawyer at 30 will be a smarter one at 80 (which, I’ve been told, is the new 39).”

Being on the other side of 65, I agree with Marcus regarding prospects of improving with age, but there is more than just competence at state here that lead one to ask, if not mandatory retirement, then what?"

Mandatory retirement has been crutch, a mechanism, for achieving the transfer of control and earning from one generation to the next. That transfer has to happen. As I often say, you will eventually leave. The question is, do you walk out, run out or get carried out?

There are two recurring problems, other than professional competence, related to the retirement issue that have to be addressed successfully if a law firm is to have a life of its own. The first problem is the founding or senior partner who is reluctant to give up power and control as the risk grows that illness, disability or death will leave the law firm headless. The second problem has to do with disproportionate compensation. It is a frequent problem. Many maturing partners shift their priorities in their life. They began to devote more time to leisure activities and non-firm activities. The problem isn’t with the diminishing work load. The problem arises as the compensation they are pulling out of the firm becomes disproportionate to the aging partner’s continuing contribution.

No question about it, law firms benefit from retaining their most senior talent—they are often the best rainmaker and there will never be a substitute for experience. But the peaceful coexistence of generations requires an orderly transfer of power and earnings. For midrange law firms, the lack of continuity planning, of which mandatory or voluntary retirement plans are a part, puts survival of the firm at risk and the disproportionate distribution of income usually leads to a revolt or splintering of the law firm.

Bruce W. Marcus is an author, consultant, and pundit for professional services marketing. In addition to his books and articles, he shares his insight and wisdom through his blog, THE MARCUS PERSPECTIVE. His 424-word essay on the ABA mandatory retirement resolution is titled They Labored Like Lions and Produced a Mouse.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris®. For information about Juris products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income contact Juris National Sales Center:

877/377-3740, e-mail info@juris.com or go to www.Juris.com.

Unfunded Liability Results in Law Firm Dissolutions

Admin — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 19:58:00 GMT

In a previous post I asked, “How old is your partner team?” An even more critical question is, “Does your partnership agreement or operating agreement create an unfunded liability?” If so, it could be a fatal flaw unless corrected.

Partner agreements can call for significant continuing compensation to retired partners. Given our tax laws, law firms pay out their profits on an “as they go” basis. There is no material retained earning—no significant ownership equity for the retiring partner. Law firm income isn’t distributed based on monetary investment. It is required to compensate active partners for their relative contribution to revenues and profits.

Agreements that provide for continuing origination credits, or other amounts, to be paid to an inactive partner place a burden on the next generation of partners. As baby boomers reach retirement age, the problem is worsening. The number of situations where the burden has broken the backs of remaining partners is increasing. Their response isn’t surprising—they simply dissolve the firm.

Retirement plans need to be funded by the individual or jointly by the firm and the individual during their productive years. Because profits have been paid out as earned, the retiring partners have no claim on future income once they are out of the picture. If your firm has this problem, it is in the interest of all parties to find a win/win solution that will preserve the firm and treat all the partners fairly.

How Old is Your Law Firm Partner Team?

Admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 19:22:43 GMT

While reminding members of the firm's mandatory retirement age, Mike Collins realized "there wasn’t a single partner in the group that could finish out the next 10 years …….I gave everybody 18 months to find their own replacement."

It is surprising how often we fail to see clearly or take stock of those who are around us every day. That goes for your partners. How long has it been since you took "partner" inventory. How old is each? How is the health of each? What plans for the future does each have? It would not be unusual for that inventory to show that the majority, or all, of the firm’s partners are in their mid-50s. Health issues are likely to have some partners leaving the firm earlier rather than later. And personal or family objectives of some partners may mean they are already planning for retirement.

The opening quote appeared in a February 2006 Nashville Business Journal article by Janel Watson. Mike Collins is the CEO of 2nd Generation Capital, LLC, a private investments firm. While 2nd Generation isn’t a law firm, it is a professional service firm, and Mike is one of my two brothers. Having completed its plan, 2nd Generation is now prepared for the future. It has the organizational depth to assure the long term continuity of the firm by transitioning leadership to the next generation.

For a law firm to have a life beyond that of its current partners, intentional and deliberate effort is required to transfer, in an orderly fashion, the leadership and ownership to the next generation of firm partners. If your partner team is already over 50, then you, like my brother Mike, have some catching up to do.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris, Inc. For information about Juris® products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income, go to www.Juris.com.

Law Firm Business Survey

Admin — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:28:15 GMT

Last year's survey of Law Firm Managing Partners conducted jointly with Managing Partner Forum and Juris, Inc. identified three key challenges that law firms face in achieving their growth objectives. Survey results and recommendations based on the survey were reported in the August and September 2005 issues of Managing Partner Advocate,. For printed copies of those back issues or to subscribe to the free Managing Partner Advocate, e-mail your request to morepartnerincome@juris.com with your name, title, and the firm’s name and address. Now the 2006 Law Firm Business Survey (for the year ended 2005) is underway. There are two ways you can participate:

You can complete the survey manually by filling out the survey form and then mailing it to Juris Managing Partner Forum, Juris, Inc., 5106 Maryland Way, Brentwood TN 37027 or faxing it to (615) 377-3230.
You can complete the online survey questionnaire. When completing the survey online, it may be easier to first print the manual survey form and gather the survey information, then complete the online survey questionnaire.

Why should you participate? The confidential survey takes a little research on the part of your staff for some of the numbers, but the payback makes it worth the effort. Consider the valuable items you will receive as a survey participant:

· The completed survey results with analysis and commentary.

· Your firm’s key performance metrics compared to peers.

· An Excel® spreadsheet business model that you can use to analyze the results of “what-if” questions.

· Information about Juris® Managing Partner Forums, where partners from non-competing firms can share ideas and best practices.

· For those who complete their survey online, a money green “More Partner Income” hat for that next firm retreat.

Don’t miss this chance for valuable business intelligence that can increase per-partner income for your firm. Print out the survey form and get your staff working on the answers today! The information you provide in the Law Firm Business Survey is held in confidence. The survey data is reported only in aggregate form or in a manner that does not identify information about any individual law firm.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris, Inc. For information about Juris® products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income, go to www.Juris.com.

Law Firm Trends

Admin — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 19:55:04 GMT

Bob Denney is President of Robert Denney Associates, Inc., a strategic marketing and management consultancy. Bob’s assessment of Trends and Issues as well as the temperature of practice areas and geographic markets was published in the January/February 2006 issue of Law Practice, published by the ABA’s Law Practice Management Section. Here are just a few of the trends that caught my attention:

· Succession planning is up as the number of partners in their 50’s and 60’s is increasing.

· Firms are discontinuing perpetual origination credit and, in some cases, eliminating it all together.

· There is a shift to performance-based compensation plans away from equity-based and “eat what you kill” places—It is a shift toward salary and bonus.

· More firms are requiring partners to prepare a personal business plan including nonbillable activities for use in evaluating performance.

· The book of business that comes with laterals is often much less than expected

· More clients are looking for business advice in addition to legal advice

· Emergency/disaster plans and measures are a high priority again, particularly for electronic storage and backup.

· Spin-off and start-ups are increasing in a cause-and-effect response to mega firm mergers and large firm acquisitions of mid-sized firms.

· Clients are still ambivalent about hourly billing. Why haven’t they bought into alternative billing? Hourly billing is almost the only way they can monitor outside counsels’ invoices.

For copies of the “What’s Hot and What’s Not” report, contact Robert Denney Asssoicates at 110 W. Lancaster Ave., Wane, PA 19087, or call (610) 964-1938. For more information about the Robert Denney Associates visit www.robertdenney.com.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris, Inc. For information about Juris® products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income, go to www.Juris.com.

What Makes an Effective Law Firm Managing Partner?

Admin — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 19:51:09 GMT

As I noted in a prior post, the Harvard Business Review is one of my windows to the outside world. The February 2006 issue included “What Executives Should Remember”, a special section recapping contributor Peter F. Drucker’s articles.

The HBR special section included excerpts from his June 2004 article “What Makes an Effective Executive.” Drucker identifies nine practices that effective executives had in common:

They listened first and spoke last.
They asked, “What needs to be done?”
They asked, “What is right for the enterprise?”
They developed action plans.
They took responsibility for decisions.
They took responsibility for communicating.
They were focused on opportunities rather than problems.
They ran productive meetings
They thought and said “we” rather than “I”.

To expand on Drucker’s nine practices I would point you to Jim Collins, the author of “From Good to Great” and a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review. For Jim Collins, there is a place above Drucker’s effective executive. It is the place of the truly great leader. The culture where the truly great leader would exercise Drucker’s nine practices is one where the individual possesses both humility and professional will. These extraordinary leaders are modest and willful, shy and fearless. They do not have egos that get in the way. They understand and remain consistent on three things

- What their organization can be the best at in the world
- How its economics work best
- What best ignites the passions of its people

For more on Jim Collins’ view of the truly great leader see my prior post, Level 5 Leadership in the Law Firm.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris, Inc. For information about Juris® products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income, go to www.Juris.com.

How Should a Law Firm be Selected?

Admin — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 19:45:00 GMT

Robert (Bob) S. Burns at Brouse McDowell's office in Akron, Ohio recently authored an article for Of Counsel Magazine titled “An Ongoing Saga:The Still Imperfect Relationship Between In-house and Outside Counsel. “ Among other subjects covered, he asks the question—“So how should outside counsel be selected?”

Answering his own question, he wrote: “I believe that a business should consider the ‘Five C's’: (1) competency; (2) capacity; (3) commitment; (4) communication; and (5) cost.” The summary below is his explanation of each of his Five C’s:

Competency: The key word here is quality. Simply enough, the firm must be able to competently perform the work. The difficulty of the work should be the main driver. If it is a "bet the company" issue, a client needs the best firm it can afford. But for commodity type work, a client does not need a senior partner at an American Lawyer 100 firm. Basically, a client should only pay for what it needs.
Capacity: The key word here is quantity. The firm must be able to completely handle the volume. The amount and location of the work should be the main driver. The firm must have enough attorneys, locations and affiliations to handle all or most of a client's needs (locally, regionally or globally, as well as functionally and specifically).
Commitment: The key words here are dedication and collaboration.…, Clients expect you to know their people, know their business, know their industry and know their problems. Outside counsel are always convinced they know their clients, yet clients are rarely convinced that that is the case.
Communication: The key words here are speed and clarity. The lack of both gets more firms fired than anything else. You never want a call or message saying "I can't ever get hold of John…Where are we on this?" Do not try an impress the client with your knowledge of Latin phrases or sub-sub-sub-section references to regulations. In other words, do not talk like a lawyer. Quite often, in-house counsel's greatest value-add is to translate the Company's business language into legal language for outside counsel and then to reverse the process. If there is no in-house counsel, make sure your clients understand by encouraging them to ask, "What do you mean by that?"
Cost: The key words here are cost and value. Budgets are becoming the norm. Both sides should sit down before any major project to evaluate ways to reduce legal costs. Here, however, outside counsel should also emphasize any and all "value-added services" they can provide. ….. While law firms are touting their expertise and working hard to strengthen relationships, clients are focusing on costs and value added services. Therein is the biggest and longest running disconnect between in-house and outside counsel.

You can read Bob Burns’ entire article in PDF format here. His five C's are a useful outline for organizing your presentation to new business prospects. They can service as a guide for the firm's team to live by. Outside of the legal community, business leaders are quick to say "it all starts with sales". For the law firm business, "it all starts with the client"--getting them and retaining them.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris, Inc. For information about Juris® products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income, go to www.Juris.com.

Law Firm Recruiting: Test Before You Hire

Admin — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 19:50:00 GMT

I love it when someone puts their finger on the overlooked obvious.

In commenting on Sullivan & Cromwell’s recent action increasing base salary of first-year associates to $145,000, Larry Bodine’s Professional Marketing Blog advises law firms to “Know what you're getting...”

Bodine writes “Here's my radical suggestion: Why not hire associates based on their potential to bring in new business? Give them a personality test to see if they have what it takes to become a rainmaker. Have the marketing director or marketing partner interview them to probe their inclination to develop business relationships and open new files.”

Most first-year associates going after the big bucks aren’t planning to stay put. They have plans other than sticking around to make partner. The majority of those with initial partner intentions wash out within five years. "Keepers" in mid-sized law firms must be able to bring business into the firm. They have to make rain to make partner. So why not first test to find out if they have a rainmaker’s personality? Tests are not foolproof, but they improve your odds.

Larry Bodine writes more extensively about the personality required to be a rainmaker in the Law Maketing Portal’s post Personality:Why 25% of Lawyers Can’t Sell.

2006 Law Firm Business Survey

Admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 19:01:06 GMT

If you missed the opportunity to participate in the previous Law Firm Business Survey, now is your chance to get onboard and find out how your firm compares to its peers.

Why should you participate? For participating in the confidential survey, you will receive:

· The completed survey results with analysis and commentary

· Your firm’s key performance metrics compared to peers

· An Excel® spreadsheet business model that you can use to analyze the results of “what-if” questions.

· Information about Juris Managing Partner Forums, where partners from non-competing firms can share ideas and best practices

· For those who complete their survey online, a money green “More Partner Income” hat for that next firm retreat

The information you provide in the Law Firm Business Survey is held in confidence. The survey data is reported only in aggregate form or in a manner that does not identify information about any individual law firm.

The survey takes a little research on the part of your staff for some of the numbers, but the payback from learning how your firm compares with others makes it worth the effort. Add in the value of the free customizable business model, and participation is an option you just don’t want to pass up. There are two ways to participate:

You can do it by manually filling out the survey form and then mailing it to Juris Managing Partner Forum, Juris, Inc.,5106 Maryland Way, Brentwood TN 37027 or faxing it to (615) 377-3230.
You can complete the online survey questionnaire. When completing the survey online, it may be easier to first print the manual survey form and gather the survey information, then complete the online survey questionnaire.

Why bother doing it online? The bonus is a money green “More Partner Income” hat for that next partner retreat! Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris, Inc. For information about Juris® products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income, go to www.Juris.com. © 2006 Juris, Inc.

If you are an attorney with a BlackBerry, you have a GPS!

Admin — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 20:13:00 GMT

In the hands of an attorney, PDAs like BlackBerrys are money makers. They convert downtime into productive time, improve responsiveness to clients and make capturing billable time easier and faster. Ipsos-Reid, one of the top 10 research firms in the world, reported that surveyed firms averaged 53 minutes per day of recovered productive time using mobile devices like the BlackBerry--almost an hour per day per fee earner! Their small cost and high value make them a sound investment even with the uncertainties regarding patent issues. I expect BlackBerrys to be around for a long time. Now there is even more added value for this productivity-increasing device.

Andy Bailey, the blackberry guy sent me the following intruiging notice about TeleNav, a next-generation GPS navigation system that works directly on your BlackBerry.

Telenav - GPS Navigation—Free for 30 days to try it out:

Here’s how it works:

First you call TeleNav and dictate your destination, or type it in on the phone keypad. Then start TeleNav and receive timely directions. After you tell it where you want to go, TeleNav gives you detailed information regarding your trip including:

Your current street

The street you are turning to

The distance to your next turn

The number of miles and minutes left on your trip

Your compass heading with speed

And of course, these turn-by-turn directions will be displayed on the phone screen and audibly announced. Sometimes you may miss a turn, but don't worry, TeleNav will automatically find another way to get you to your destination.

The trial period is 30 days. After the 30 days, if you do not disconnect the service, it is billed to your cellular account at $9.99 monthly.

If you would like to have the TeleNav GPS system loaded on your BlackBerry or to get a BlackBerry with the program already loaded, you can contact Andy Bailey at NationLink Wireless. Call 615/567-2224 or email info@BlackBerryguy.com.

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris, Inc. For information about Juris® products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income, go to www.Juris.com. © 2006 Juris, Inc.

Tips for the Law Firm Rainmaker

Admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 19:51:31 GMT

Recently, Guy Kawasaki’s blog “Let the Good Times Roll” has shown up on the radar screen. His postings are frequently referenced by other blogs.

His blog is packed with tips and sound advice for the would-be rainmaker. He is clearly a master sales person. While not directed toward the legal profession, his blog Let the Good Times Roll – by Guy Kawasaki deserves to be on your reading list.

I tell our folks that we were given two ears and one mouth with the intention that we use them in that proportion. Guy Kawasaki says it so much more eloquently:

"Ask good questions, then shut up. The mark of a good conversationalist is not that you can talk a lot. The mark is that you can get others to talk a lot. Thus, good schmoozers are good listeners, not good talkers. Ask softball questions like, “What do you do?” “Where are you from?” “What brings you to this event?” Then listen. Ironically, you'll be remembered as an interesting person." Guy Kawasaki is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, and a columnist for Forbes.com. Previously, he was an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc., where he was one of the individuals responsible for the success of the Macintosh computer. Guy is the author of eight books including “The Art of the Start”, “Rules for Revolutionaries”, “How to Drive Your Competition Crazy”, “Selling the Dream”, and “The Macintosh Way”. He has a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA, as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.

The Purposeful Law Firm

Admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 19:41:00 GMT

The best ideas for improving any organization, including law firms, are often discovered by paying attention to ideas and practices occurring outside of one’s close-knit community. In other words, to improve the law firm’s performance, pay attention to what is happening outside of the legal community.

The Harvard Business Review (HBR) is one of those windows to the outside world. The February 2006 issue included a special section recapping some of Peter F. Drucker’s previous articles that appeared in HBR. The section was titled “What Executives Should Remember.”

Drucker believes that an organization must be organized for innovation and engaged in constant change. What some executives overlook is that the drive to break away from what is old must be focused for success. Drucker put it strongly. “An organization is effective only if it concentrates on one task. Diversification destroys the performance capacity of an organization.”

There have been several posts in the blog community lately concerning law firm growth as an objective. Take heed, no organization can stand still. Growth is a by-product of success. If you aren’t growing, you aren’t succeeding. But the wrong kind of growth can put you out of business and, more commonly, make you weaker as an effective organization.

Don’t interpret Drucker’s “one task” admonition too restrictively. In Drucker’s book, that could be to “Save the World” or “Cure the Common Cold”. The point is the organization requires a defined purpose around which all of its talent is focused. Growth in pursuit of that purpose is good. Growth that distracts from it or diversifies the focus of the organization is destructive.

Importance of Market Position for Law Firms

Admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 19:46:00 GMT

Some time ago I wrote a piece relating the importance of a law firm’s local target market for strategic planning. A short-term competitive advantage is required to achieve market dominance which, in turn, becomes the firm’s long term competitive advantage. Management experts including my favorite, the late Peter Drucker, would say become one of the two top three or get out of the business.

In today’s environment, a tightly drawn market is required for a mid-sized law firm to achieve and maintain market leadership or dominance. Expansive markets have too many players to develop business strategies or to achieve a competitive advantage. What makes this exciting and opportunistic is that you get to define the market and then go after it. That is the essence of strategic thinking and planning. Most mid-sized law firms will start with a geographic market limitation, either a metropolitan area or a regional area, then overlay additional limits on that target. For example, a firm targeting the Southeast might further focus on the timber rights for the lumber industry. Even that is not enough for the interloper who might zero in even more narrowly on environmental issues related to harvesting lumber under timber rights agreements. A firm focusing on entertainment might zero in on music and even a particular style such as gospel. Another firm might gain its reputation among songwriters in the Nashville, Tennessee, music industry.

Edward Wesemann, the author of Creating Dominance: Strategies for Law Firms, explains that a firm that establishes a level of dominance in even a small niche marketplace has an incredible advantage. A firm dominant in one area of practice is viewed as a boutique—the specialist for that particular segment of the market. Firms that have two or more dominated areas are viewed by the marketplace as dominant in all of their areas of practice. The dominated areas drive unrelated high value business to the firm.

Dominant firms get the best work and enjoy better fees. As Wesemann notes, once a firm acquires a market leader reputation, that reputation gains a life of its own. Dominance in anything is better than dominance in nothing. Of course, since you can define your target market, it makes sense to select one that is growing and values legal services. For that, you need to look into the future, considering social, economic, demographic, industrial, and other trends. What opportunities, for example, are offered by the aging population of the U.S. or other changes around us that are reshaping our world?

Morepartnerincome.com is sponsored by Juris, Inc. For information about Juris® products and services for increasing law firm performance and partner income, go to www.Juris.com.

The Law Firm's First String Team vs. Balanced Hours

Admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 20:18:00 GMT

It was another item of discussion during the LegalTech conference earlier this week. There is even a new book on the subject titled Solving the Part-Time Puzzle: The Law Firm’s Guide to Balanced Hours.

Yes, law firms can benefit profitably by taking advantage of part-time or "limited availability" resources. These resources can play a valuable role by rounding out the bench. There is a place for part-time availability in the law firm. There is a place for the dedicated attorney that must place personal priorities above professional requirements.

But will law firms in any significant number ever establish the issue of “a balanced life and work environment” as a primary objective of the law firm? Not in my life time or yours. If we are honest, a law firm has only a limited number of slots at the top, i.e., partners. A law firm has to have reasonable turnover as the bottom moves up. Likewise, existing partners have to move out and retire to make room for some of the associates who go through the professional maturing process. It is a profession where the young work long hours. Over time work hours decline as the professional matures and leverages their wisdom and knowledge off of the endurance of more youthful members of the profession.

Don’t get me wrong, the prize doesn’t go to those who work the hardest or longest. The firm’s first string varsity team is comprised of fee earners the firm can count on to get the job done. If they can do that and still make it to the soccer game or to the day care center, that is what counts. But as a service organization, a “balanced work/life approach can not take precedent over the requirements of the case or matter."

Out of Synch Law Firm Compensation Plans

Admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 17:53:00 GMT

I spent the last three days (LegalTech NY) talking to a lot of attorneys and their consultants. Times are pretty good, but many law firms have hit a ceiling in per-partner income that they can’t seem to break through.

Here is the reality. If you depend on your own productivity, fee revenues in most locations will max out in the range of $300,000 to $400,000. What you take home as personal income will be about half of that.

So how do mid-sized law firms push per-partner income into the half million plus range? The great thing about the law practice business is that the answer to that question is pretty well known. You have to make fee revenues depend on something other that the partner’s own physical effort.

Contingency billing arrangements shift financial success to accomplishments verses physical effort.
Flat fee arrangements let you leverage off of your efficiency including technology and process.
Leverage lets you eat what others have killed rather than depending on your efforts alone.

Most mid-size firms have some revenues derived from contingency and flat fee work, but the majority of their revenue is still dependent on the billable hour. Leverage is the prevailing strategy for making per-partner income less dependent on the physical effort of the partners.

Unfortunately, partner compensation plans tend to be out of synch with this reality. Too many law firms place major emphasis on each partner’s individual production rather than on the care and feeding of associates. If leverage is the key strategy for driving per-partner income, then rain making, recruiting, supervision and mentoring of associates, project management and firm management have greater importance than maximizing individual partner’s production. Partner productivity must be at a hygienic level rather than an exhausting level. Individual partner productive levels must leave time for the important team work aspects of the partner’s role in the modern law practice. Compensation plans should support the leverage strategy, not fight it.