The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/271291
by Andy Spiegel Andy is a creative director and freelance writer. A lifelong movie lover, he maintains a movie review blog called Andy's Private Screening Room at jasscreeningroom.blogspot.com. Andy can be contacted at jandy1943@gmail.com. GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT (1947) Highly controversial at the time, this landmark film is about a Gentile writer-reporter who pretends to be Jewish in order to write a no-holds-barred story for a magazine about post-World War II anti-Semitism. In one of many unsettling scenes, Phil Green (Gregory Peck) tries to register for his honeymoon at a "restricted" hotel and experiences first-hand the anger and humiliation of being turned away by the bigoted hotel manager. FIVE EASY PIECES (1970) In one of his earliest and best-known films, Jack Nicholson plays a drop-out from upper-class America who picks up work on oil-rigs and spends his free time in bars, motels and elsewhere. Who doesn't remember or hasn't at least heard someone quote the pop-classic coffee shop scene in which Bobby Dupea (Nicholson) tries to order "a plain omelet, no potatoes, tomatoes instead, a cup of coffee, and wheat toast." The sullen waitress' non- negotiable response – "NO substitutions!" – launches a verbal and physical skirmish between her and Bobby that will have you laughing and squirming with discomfort in equal measure. NO LAUGHING MATTER As you peruse this month's issue and consider its customer service theme, think about how happy you are that these eight examples of onscreen customer disservice happened to fictional characters. Customer disservice might be something to laugh about in front of a movie or TV screen, but in your work life, nothing is more serious. But then, you already knew that, right? You're an ILTAn. With special thanks to IMDb, Wikipedia and YouTube. The six previous examples are comedic, but these last two portray customer service far more darkly. SKIP LOHMEYER What city do you live in? Charleston, West Virginia How long have you worked in legal? Since 1997 What does quality customer service mean to you? Everything What advice would you give to other professionals about achieving success? A great leader has the highest integrity and a strong sense of ownership. He/She listens more than speaks and applies urgency appropriately. Do those things well, and everything follows; do one or more poorly, and things will begin to unravel. What bands are on your playlist? A little bit of everything, but I mostly listen to talk radio. What book are you currently reading? "The Demographic Cliff" by Harry S. Dent What do you do for fun? Fishing (to calm the nerves), researching interesting topics (to discover new things) and volunteering (to give back)