Authors Rosemary Coates and Sarah Rathke address supply chain and legal readership

SILICON VALLEY AND CLEVELAND, CA AND OH, USA, January 28, 2016 /EINPresswire.com/ -- This week, supply chain expert Rosemary Coates and Squire Patton Boggs partner Sarah K. Rathke published a first of its kind legal and operational guide to successfully managing supply chain relationships. The book, Legal Blacksmith: How to Avoid and Defend Supply Chain Disputes, written for both supply chain and legal professionals, is a comprehensive guide for optimizing supply chain relationships, beginning with the first stages of supplier-buyer relationships through handling legal disputes when supply chain relationships fail.

Global supply chain operations are critically important to business performance and success. Supply chains have grown longer, more complex, and more global, and as a consequence, have become increasingly stretched and prone to disruption. Although modern companies acknowledge the strategic importance of supply chains, they rarely dedicate sufficient executive and legal resources to ensure that supply chains are effective and protect company interests.

Legal Blacksmith is for both in-house counsel and supply chain executives. This book is for attorneys to understand supply chain operation and for executives who want to better understand the law that applies to their field. It discusses US and international supply chain relationships across industries, and reveals traditional and emerging supply chain issues, such as managing supplier risk, working with third-party logistics providers, corporate social responsibility issues, and managing litigation when it arises.

“Supply chain operations are not one-size-fits-all activities and should not be treated as such,” says Rosemary Coates. “We want to help companies shock-proof their supply chain and improve processes while avoiding the numerous pitfalls and disputes.”

“Typically, Rosemary and I become involved in supply chain relationships once they are failing,” says Sarah Rathke. However, in many cases, early intervention and a better understanding of the law could help companies collaborate better and maximize profits. We wrote this book to help companies manage their supply chain relationships and to provide structure and discipline for these relationships before trouble begins.”

Legal Blacksmith has been favorably reviewed within the industry. According to a recent book review by SCM World, “The authors should be congratulated for their practitioner (and practical) focus, for taking an integrated view of supply chain management, and for tackling complex issues in a clear and concise way. Judged against their stated aim of encouraging practitioners to ‘think ahead to avoid supply chain disputes – and…to maintain harmonious and effective supply chain relationships,’ this book certainly scores well.”

Sarah Rathke and Rosemary Coates are available for interviews and appearances. For booking presentations, media appearances, interviews, and/or book-signings, contact rcoates@bluesilkconsulting.com or sarah.rathke@squirepb.com.

About the Authors
Rosemary Coates is the President of Blue Silk Consulting, a global supply chain consulting firm and the Executive Director of the Reshoring Institute. She has worked with an impressive list of over 80 clients worldwide, helping companies with global supply chain strategies and architectures for more than 25 years. She is an Expert Witness in cases involving supply chain disputes, especially those involving sourcing and manufacturing in China. Ms. Coates is an Amazon.com Best Selling author. She currently teaches Global Supply Chain Strategies at UC Berkeley.

Sarah Rathke is a trial attorney whose practice focuses on supply chain disputes and related litigation involving manufacturers – an area in which litigation is increasing and where hundreds of millions of dollars or more can be at stake. She has argued and tried supply chain cases in forums throughout the US and her clients include foreign, domestic, and multi-national entities across industries, including automotive, aerospace, media, construction and office products. She is a partner in the Cleveland, Ohio office of the international law firm of Squire Patton Boggs.

Legal Blacksmith (http://www.amazon.com/Legal-Blacksmith-Defend-Supply-Disputes/dp/0692561366/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453938481&sr=8-1&keywords=legal+blacksmith)

Rosemary Coates or Sarah Rathke
Legal Blacksmith
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