Name and shame

I’m known for many things.

 

I’m known for an ability to drink 4 pints of Guinness in one sitting, and still be able to walk afterwards, although not necessarily in a straight line.

 

I’m known for my blogging – and making law funny (or at least trying to).

 

I used to be known for my superb elephant like memory but that was before I had children and ran my own businesses.  Now I’m known for my ability to forget the boys names and stop mid sentence because I cannot remember what I was talking about (highly embarrassing when you’re in front of a Judge!)  My family joke that the only reason the company had name badges made especially for me, is so I don’t forget my own name!

 

So it should come as no surprise to most people that know me, that my ability to forget peoples’ names sometimes gets me in to trouble.  Last week, however, I surpassed even myself!

 

Allow me to explain.

 

Some weeks ago I received an email from the lovely Mark Newton, commenting that we keep bumping in to each other at networking events, but we’ve never actually sat down and had a conversation, and perhaps we should remedy that.  I agreed and there followed an exchange of emails where we arranged a date, which then needed to be rearranged due to our ever changing diaries.

 

A few days later I had a message from Mark on LinkedIn, asking if we had a date in the diary to meet up.  I assumed he’d just forgotten that we’d made a new date, and I reminded him of the details which he thanked me for.

 

On the day in question, I was out for lunch with the lovely Ugo Arimzeh when I got a LinkedIn message from Mark, asking if we could change the time.  Fine, I said, if we can also change the venue to tie in with meeting up with my son.  All agreed.

 

I was happily sitting at a café in Euston, when Mark walked in, but just not the Mark I was expecting!  I giggled to myself about how stupid I was not to have realised which Mark I’d been messaging, and we sat down to a lovely catch up over coffee.  My son turned up, and to demonstrate just how bad my memory is, I even introduced him to Mark as my eldest son, when he’s my youngest!

 

Later in the day I was checking my emails, and saw one from Mark, asking if I was still ok to meet, and then one shortly after saying that as he hadn’t heard from me, he assumed not and we’d catch up another time.

 

So I was having two different conversations with two separate Marks, about meeting up at the same place and time, thinking they were the same person!!!!!

 

In my defence, on looking closer, I realised that not only do they have the same first name, they also have the same last name but I’d never noticed!

 

It also occurred to me that if LinkedIn Mark hadn’t asked to move the time, which then meant we had to move the venue, they might both have turned up at the same place at the same time, and that really would have blown my mind!

 

To Mark Newton of Insolve Plus, my profuse apologies for our missed meeting – I hope you’ll forgive me and allow me to take you out for a pint or two soon.

 

To Mark Newton of Compass Residential, thank you so much for your time and company – my apologies if I looked slightly surprised when you arrived.

 

To everyone else out there, it shows how important it is to be certain who you are dealing with.  In my case, provided that Mark Newton of Insolve Plus forgives me, and you all have a bit of a laugh at my expense, there is hopefully no harm done. 

 

In legal terms, it’s essential to be clear on who the parties are on both sides of an agreement.  I have recently helped a client who is owed money by a business, but because the other sides’ emails refer to three separate legal entities in their footers and on their website, there is a degree of ambiguity as to who we should sue (no doubt done deliberately) and we may have to sue all three entities which adds to the costs.  If you run more than one business, make sure that you make it clear on whose behalf you are communicating, as a failure to properly identify yourself could put you in breach of the Companies Act.

 

Kleyman & Co Solicitors.  The full services law firm.   Making law memorable!