Someone left a copy of the Robb Report in the library over the weekend, and just flipping through it and seeing ads for Prada sunglasses, $90,000 wrist watches, and learning that I could be golfing in Bermuda in just two hours made me remember that there are people out in this world with more dollars than sense. When I flipped through the magazine, I found a great ad on page 253 for Avantair (also here on page 22-23), a private aircraft provider, that featured a plaintiff’s firm of Robb & Robb, LLC out of Kansas City and with perhaps one of the most outlandish reasons for hiring a firm ever…

“Avantair allows us to be more productive and efficient as a law firm.”

Now granted, this may work as a selling point for a plaintiff’s firm, and this firm probably doesn’t bill back this cost directly to its clients, but could you imagine a BigLaw firm putting this claim in their response to an RFP?

“To improve efficiency and productivity, we have our own fleet of private aircraft standing by so that we can be more responsive to our client’s needs.”

Imagine a GC choking on that response! I know of firms that won’t allow their partners to accept free upgrades to first-class because they might accidentally be seen by clients that are sitting back in coach. And, firms where even business-class is discouraged for domestic flights. In BigLaw, the ads would read something like:

“Flying Southwest and Jet Blue may mean we can’t get to you in an hour, but you’ll love our bill at the end of the month!”

Although, the next time I present at a conference that discusses how to make law firms more efficient and productive, I’m bringing this ad as one potential method that probably no one in the room had thought to try.