Articles From the Team

The best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be!

For anyone who has read my previous blogs you will know that I am a fan of professional wrestling. No shame, it’s brilliant! WWE (formerly WWF) has given us some of the most recognisable characters & personalities known in & out of the world of professional wrestling. Characters such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson who is now one of the highest grossing actors in Hollywood, Hulk Hogan who needs no introduction & “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to name a few. These larger than life characters aren’t just athletes & wrestlers, they’re entertainers. One thing that stands out about a character in wrestling is their catch phrase. For anyone reading this who may have been a fan in your younger days you’ll no doubt remember the Rock grabbing the microphone & bellowing “If you smell what the Rock is cooking?!” Hulk Hogan would face his opponents & ask, “what you gonna do brother when Hulkamania runs wild on you?!” & who could ever forget the ultimate anti-authority figure Stone Cold Steve Austin simply putting two middle fingers up at the boss & saying “that’s the bottom line, because Stone Cold said so!” The title is the catchphrase of the iconic Bret “the Hitman” Hart, one of the greatest professional wrestlers to ever step inside the squared circle. To this day he is one of the greatest characters in wrestling history but it’s unfortunate that the thing that stands out most in Bret Hart’s career is the Montreal Screw Job.

At the Survivor Series pay-per-view in 1997 Bret Hart entered as the Champion, a fan favourite & the face of the industry. He was performing in front of the home crowd, being Canadian born & somewhat of a Canadian hero. At the time Bret was seeking a move away from the WWF & had just signed a contract to join rival company WCW. The Championship match against Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series was due to be his last. This was all fine in theory but Bret was not scripted to lose the Championship. If he retained he would either have to vacate the title immediately (what would be the point in him winning?) or he’d leave the WWF as the Champion taking the belt with him to their arch rivals. Vince McMahon (the Chairman) was having none of this so he colluded with other WWF officials, i.e. the referee, to ensure that Bret would lose. Shawn Michaels locked in Bret’s sharp-shooter submission early in the match, Bret didn’t tap out but the referee called for the bell & Bret lost the title in a shameful & embarrassing fashion. He was absolutely screwed & the event has gone down in history as one of the most controversial moments in wrestling history. Bret went on to WCW & continued to have an illustrious career. He’s a wrestling legend & remains to be the best there is, the best there was & the best there ever will be. So, why am I rambling on about all of this? Well the short version of the story is that Bret Hart handed in his notice & was all set to join his new employers but on his way out not only did his boss embarrass him publically but he genuinely attempted to ruin his career. I can’t help but think that Bret might have come out of the situation a little better if he had an experienced recruiter guiding him through the process.

I have been a specialist legal recruiter for nearly two & a half years now which in the grand scheme of things may not seem that long but in that time I’ve lost count of the amount of conversations I have had with candidates guiding them through the process of handing in their notice & reassuring them of their fears. It’s never an easy conversation to have especially when you like the people you work with. But if you feel that you might be the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be & your current firm aren’t giving you the opportunities you deserve, or the work you’re undertaking isn’t what you want to be doing, or perhaps you just feel that you’ve gone as far as you can in your current position & you need a change then it might be time to have that conversation. BCL Legal has been assisting lawyers across the country & throughout the world for the last 13 years. As specialist legal recruiters we strive to be the best there is, the best there was & the best there ever will be. We’re a team of experts in our field helping candidates throughout the entire process from start to finish. We’ll help you write your CV, prepare you for interview & guide you through the possibly tricky & awkward moment of handing in your notice. We’re there the whole way to make it all as easy as possible for you. When handing in your notice we probably wont tell you to flip two middle fingers at the boss like Stone Cold did & we probably wouldn’t recommend you run wild like Hulkamania, but no matter what the circumstances are we’re able to offer you professional & unbiased guidance to ensure that when you do have that conversation you won’t need to worry about having that conversation. Can you smell what I’m cooking?

Gishan Abeyratne Senior Associate – Private Practice BCL Legal 0121 237 5619