Is Your Personality to Blame for Lost Business?

What do you get when you cross a lawyer and a pig? Nothing, because there are some things a pig won't do. If you didn't laugh at that one, maybe it's because you heard it before. But maybe it's...

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Lawyer Tips: Do's and Don'ts of Speaking to Reporters

Lawyers should always be ready to interact professionally with the media. You never know when a reporter will call to ask about a case. For example, there was an incident when TMZ was reporting on my case before I...

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Should Lawyers Be Able to Sue Their Firm Anonymously?

In a $50 million sex discrimination lawsuit by a BigLaw partner against her firm, the judge is allowing the plaintiff to proceed as "Jane Doe." U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson granted the partner's motion to litigate anonymously, although...

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Lawyers Are 'Chronically Under-Performing,' Survey Finds

If you're sitting at your desk waiting for the phone to ring, that's usually not a good sign. It could be that you are not busy enough, and you know what that means. A new survey of law firm...

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Selling Without Really Selling: Easy Sales Tips for Lawyers

A new client arrived at my office on a motorcycle and parked next to mine. We talked about our rides, then went inside to talk business. In that first meeting, I told him he would need to deposit a...

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Prenda Copyright Troll Disbarred, Faces Fraud and Money Laundering Charges

For John Steele, who now has been disbarred for his part in a copyright-trolling scheme, it could have been worse. He could be dead, like his law partner. Actually, it does get worse for Steele. He is awaiting sentencing...

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Emergency Roadside Kit for Trial Lawyers

It may sound like a tool for ambulance chasers, but actually an emergency roadside kit for trial lawyers is a good idea. There's nothing as rookie as having to borrow a pen from the bailiff or a notepad from...

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Should Jurors Be Removed for Crying?

After a police dog named Rocco was stabbed to death, jurors at the trial of his accused killer listened to a recording of the dog barking. It was too much for one juror, who started to cry. The defendant's...

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To Co-Counsel or Not to Co-Counsel ... What's the Question?

Deciding whether to engage co-counsel really is not a question in some cases. For example, if you are admitted to practice in one state and you need to file in another, there's no question. You have to associate with...

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Does Marijuana Insurance Policy Cover Wrongful Death?

If marijuana insurance were available anywhere, you would think it would be in Colorado. Colorado was one of the first states in the country to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Since 2012, it has been a boon to business...

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Myths About Lawyers Working From Home

Maybe it's a generational thing, that some lawyers still believe certain myths about working from home. A generation ago, perhaps "working at home" meant you were a homemaker or perhaps not working at all. It was more a euphemism...

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How Safe Are FDA-Approved Drugs? New Study Confirms: Not Very Safe

Many drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration are not as safe you might think. According to researchers, about one third of the drugs that are FDA-approved have safety issues later on. That results in recalls, warnings added...

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How to Start a Part-Time Law Practice as a New Lawyer

Sur, yu can start a law prac part-tim. If you understood that last sentence, then you know what I'm saying: "Sure, you can start a law practice part-time." But it is going to be missing a few things --...

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Must-Have Credentials for Your Law Career

This blog is not about writing a resume. It's about getting the right stuff on your resume. Once you have completed law school and started practicing law, your career tends take a natural course. Hard work, opportunities, and even...

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Should Your Firm Drop Performance Reviews?

One of the world's largest law firms has stopped performance reviews, at the same time leading the way against evaluations that have disfavored women in the past. Allen & Overy, a London-based firm with more than 2,800 attorneys worldwide,...

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Oregon High Court to Have Female Majority

Oregon will soon have a majority of women on its highest court. Gov. Kate Brown has elevated Judge Rebecca Duncan to fill a vacancy that will be created when Justice David Brewer retires in June. Duncan's appointment marks the...

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Measuring Lawyer Performance: What's the New Normal?

If you scratch your head when you hear about the "new normal," I get you. What happened to the "old normal"? Who said there is a "new normal"? And when it comes to law practice, is anything normal? If...

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Lawyer Fined for Refusing to Answer Yes-or-No Question in Court

'If you plan to have children, try not to have teenagers.' That's my joke to friends, and it came to mind when I read about the debate between a judge and a lawyer over a "yes-or-no" question. You see,...

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How to Write a Great Closing to Your Brief

A closing argument should be like opening a door, not closing one. After writing a brief to persuade your audience, you want to finish it by inviting your reader to step through that door to reach your conclusion. It...

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Talcum Powder Cases: Lawyer Advertising Done Right?

A jury has awarded $110 million in another talcum powder-cancer case, a further indictment against Johnson & Johnson and an endorsement for lawyer advertising. Attorneys rarely get public approval for their ads, especially when it comes to late-night solicitations,...

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How to Save Client Relations If a Case Goes Over Budget

When it comes to going over a client's budget, there really are two sides to the coin. On one side, you have a client who is not happy with the bill. On the other side, you have a lawyer...

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New Group Helps Women Lawyers Open Law Firms

Women have closed the gender gap in law schools, and they are gaining in the attorney ranks. But they are far from parity in law firm ownership. Nicole Galli, who left BigLaw to found her own law firm, wants...

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What to Do If You Have Bad Facts?

It's hard to laugh at Bill Cosby's jokes anymore. But it is ironic that one of his jokes was at issue in a critical hearing during his sexual assault case pending in Philadelphia. Prosecutors sought to introduce something Cosby said...

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Law Firm Sues Insurer After Ransomware Attack, $700K Lost Billings

Like other embarrassing crimes, malware attacks often are not reported -- especially when law firms are the victims. It took a lawsuit for this one to come out. A Rhode Island law firm has sued its insurance company for...

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What Are the Tax Implications of Confidentiality Clauses and Settlement Agreements?

As the tax season has passed and the basketball season winds down, here's a story about how they crossed over years ago and still affect lawyers today. It was 1997, and the NBA's most flamboyant player had just tumbled...

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Real Judges Use Social Media

Judge Don R. Willett has more Twitter followers than any other judge, except perhaps Judge Judy. But Willett is a real judge. In fact, some say Willett is more real because he is on Twitter. Willett is a member...

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How Would Law Firms Be Affected by Trump's Tax Plan?

President Trump's proposed tax plan -- touted as 'the biggest individual and business tax cut in American history' -- would be a big break for lawyers, too. Compared to setbacks for the president's travel bans and orders against sanctuary...

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