Professor George Siedel was a pioneer in developing the concept of law as a source of competitive advantage. This concept originated in his 2002 book: Using the Law for Competitive Advantage. In an article in the Academy of Management Executive, Robert Thomas (past president of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business), concluded that the book "is trailblazing in its assertion that legal issues are critical strategic variables in business planning." Siedel later emphasized an international dimension to his work in his 2010 book: Proactive Law for Managers: A Hidden Source of Competitive Advantage. This work has served as a foundation for academic and practitioner interest in the design and simplification of contracts and other legal documents.