I recently started listening to podcasts again after getting out of the habit for some reason. (Isn’t it interesting how even successful and enjoyable habits can erode if we don’t stay on top of them?) My new favorite podcast that’s also available via video: Good Life Project™, by Jonathan Fields. The Good Life Project™ presents […]
When you talk, you want others to listen, right? Whether it’s a now-or-never event (making a key point in an oral argument, for instance) or one in a long stream of communications (talking with a colleague about some aspect of a representation), getting your point across and making an advance in what you’re doing is […]
The end of the year always strikes me as a good time to reflect on what works well in the law and why we lawyers do what we do. Today, I’d like to introduce readers to one of my legal heroes, The Hon. Elbert Parr Tuttle. Judge Tuttle served on the Fifth and Eleventh Circuit […]
I enjoy working with law students; I consult with a law school and often join in panels and roundtable discussions with and for students. Beginning just before Thanksgiving, students get very quiet, and those who aren’t quiet are anxiety-ridden. That always prompts me to overwhelming gratitude that I no longer have to suffer law school […]
I’ve decided to do a series of posts based on the most popular search phrases that take people to my blog. It’s an experiment, and I’d be curious if anyone has any comments or requests for specific topics. Some version of “how to ask for work as an associate” is a common search, and that’s […]
Have you ever received a legal bill? It’s an interesting moment; all too often there’s a sharp intake of breath (it costs that much?), quickly followed by an investigation into why it costs so much. What do you want your clients to find when they read your bills? What you don’t want is pretty clear. […]
Last week’s Wall Street Journal featured an article titled, BlackBerry Orphans (subscription required, free preview available). If it weren’t so serious, it would be funny: As hand-held email devices proliferate, they are having an unexpected impact on family dynamics: Parents and their children are swapping roles. Like a bunch of teenagers, some parents are routinely lying […]
In World War II, fighter pilots spoke of the danger of target fixation. During bombing runs, pilots could become so focused on their targets that they’d dive, drop a bomb on the target, and yet remain so intent on hitting the target that they’d fail to pull up in time. They’d end up hitting their […]
One reflection exercise I suggest to disenchanted lawyers is to contemplate what they’d be doing if not practicing law. The reason is not to identify the lawyer’s next career, but instead to get in touch with what might be preferable and why, and then to consider whether that quality could exist in a legal practice. […]
Imagine for a moment being a client, trying to select a lawyer for a representation in a case you may or may not fully understand, in which you likely have no expertise at all. And imagine that your case is one of your top priorities: a divorce or child custody case, a bet-the-company business case, […]