Legal Writing Doesn't Have to Be Boring

Lawyers often look outside the law for examples of good writing, and there's a reason for that. Few attorneys, if any, have gone on to Pulitzer or Noble fame for writing. That includes Erle Stanley Gardner, Scott Turow, and John...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2Coq3tH

Is It Time to Become a Tax Lawyer?

The president's new tax law promises to be a boon to business, as the trillion dollar tax cut benefits large corporations and wealthy investors. Average Americans will see reductions, too, but another strata of society will actually make money...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2E7Jbwd

Do I Really Need Books for Legal Research?

If you haven't noticed, unless you are in a Third-World library without internet access, nobody really does legal research using books anymore. So do lawyers really need those old law books? And what about those skills that came with...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2pMpMxO

Preparation Saturation: Can You Ever Be Too Prepared?

The age old quote about success being partly inspiration but mostly perspiration rings as true today as it did when Thomas Edison strung those words together. For lawyers, and especially trial lawyers, being over-prepared can bring peace of mind....

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2Dlf03G

'Smarter Not Harder' Holiday Tips for Solo Lawyers

For solo practitioners, the holiday slowdown can often be a challenge. If you just don't have anything going on around the end of the year, just trying to get yourself into the office could be an exercise in futility. After...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2DfDOKe

When Is It Time to Quit a Professional Organization?

Unless you really don't like lawyers, it's a good idea to hang out with them socially sometimes. It's about camaraderie, networking, and professional associations. And for every business-minded attorney, it's also about referrals. But if we're talking about the...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2kUcSIw

Is Your Law Firm Culture Stifling Innovation?

James Goodwin, an attorney/author/columnist, is sort of a counter-culture guy. He says that law firms should not use "firm culture" to stifle innovation. In a column on "The Culture Card," Goodwin says culture can be good or bad. "In...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2z7ghcc

Tax Bites: Is the Season of Giving Over?

Taxpayers are rushing to claim deductions before the new tax bill goes into effect, and few know what their final bill will be. According to reports, the tax legislation will be approved before Christmas and bring an end to...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2BLfYcr

What Do You Do When Employees Disappear On a Holiday?

It is absolutely bound to happen during the holidays, a staff member, or even an associate, will just not show up. If there's critical work to be done, or a Christmas Eve court date, there's almost no time to...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2BfzTk6

Beyond WFH: Practice Law on the Go, Anywhere

Shreya Biswas Ley sometimes practices law from home, but what makes her different is that her home is a boat. Ley represents a different breed of lawyer, not the kind you find behind a mahogany desk in a traditional...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2klqdKx

How to Clear Your Calendar Last Minute for the Holidays

You ever load up your calendar for the month of December because you just knew that those cases would settle and then you'd magically have free time? And then, when the cases didn't settle or go away, you were...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2Bv7BiE

Best Practices to Screen 3 Bad Types of Clients

While lawyers can have a difference of opinion as to what constitutes a bad client, it's likely that there are a few common types of problem clients that can be screened out through careful conversation. Basically, the best and...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2BC8EQj

How to Handle Clients With Substance Abuse Issues

A client was late to a DUI hearing, so I called him on the cell phone. "I got you a good deal. Get down here now," I said. He showed up 20 minutes later, reeking of alcohol. What do...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2kzdbIn

How to Decide Which Clients Get Gifts

If you're like most lawyers, you know that your very presence in the life of a client is a gift in and of itself. As such, when the holidays roll around, an unbilled phone call just to check in...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2CvEqvL

Longshot Exit Strategy: Seek a BigLaw Buyout

The start-up strategy, often, is to build until you're bought. It has made millionaires and billionaires out of tech company founders. Small firm lawyers, not so much. That's because BigLaw typically doesn't buy budding practices, especially not solo attorneys'...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2C8IktH

Did Your Firm Keep Its 2017 Diversity Pledge?

The lack of diversity in the legal profession is nothing new. Law firms, small to large, tend to all say they want a more diverse team, but few actually do anything about it other than talk. And while many...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2o1bUz1

3 Tips to Stay Focused When Working From Home

Turn off the television. Disconnect the phone. Unplug the refrigerator. Well, you could lock the refrigerator but it probably doesn't have one. The point is, you have to get rid of the distractions when you are working from home. It's...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2zajgUi

Why Lawyers Should Job Hunt Over the Holidays

While fighting off the holiday-itis at work is hard enough, trying to take on a job search during that time can feel daunting. However, it is actually a great time to update your resume and actually apply to jobs for...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2yj77ZE

Should You Hire a Recent Tech Savvy Law Grad to Fix Your Firm's Tech?

Technology can be rather confusing. For some small firm and solo practitioners, bringing on a tech savvy recent grad could be immensely helpful in figuring out what to do when it comes to cybersecurity and updating your firm's tech....

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2iTzW9D

New Guidelines on When Judges Should Use Internet Research

Sometime after Al Gore invented the internet, judges started including internet sources in their decisions. That was then. Now the American Bar Association has invented guidelines for how judges should use the internet for legal research. And if you...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2nOOL2u

Crowdfund for a Worthy Legal Cause?

Lisa Walinske, an attorney, is not homeless. It just looks that way. She's on a type of strike, living in a shack to raise money for a non-profit law firm to help homeless, poor and underprivileged people. But her...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2knvssl

What Can You Learn From the Attorneys Who Abuse 'Google My Business'

The best things in life are free. And, surprisingly, when it comes to internet marketing for law firms, this is very true. But, just because so much SEO is basically free if you can do it yourself, you surely...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2Amv0W7

Law Firms Aided Weinstein's 'Sexual Enterprise,' Lawsuit Claims

It's not like we told you so, but we did say nondisclosure agreements make Weinsteins possible. Now six women have sued Harvey Weinstein for civil racketeering and hiring lawyers "to prevent, hinder and avoid the prosecution, reporting, or disclosure...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2BSHPVj

Federal Appellate Judge Provides 'Helpful' Tip for Litigators

Judge David Hamilton of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has a rather simple and helpful tip for litigators filing administrative motions: Talk to your adversary before filing the motion. As Judge Hamilton explains in a recent order granting...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2BP6Dxc

Best States for Small Firm 401(k) Plans

Class standings. Law school rankings. Salary comparisons. The list goes on in the competitive law business. But there's a new list: best retirement plans. Unlike salary increases -- which law firms announce to attract top talent -- nobody really...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2kw4XEV

What to Do for Immigrants and Clients in a Hostile Social Environment?

A murderer, a drug dealer, a drunk driver -- a few of my least popular clients. They were not accused; they were already convicted. But clients like that are practically dead men walking into the courtroom because of a...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2jiG5wE

Crash Course for Law Firm Year End Accounting and Tax Prep

If you run a law practice, or are jointly responsible for running one, the end of year could signal the end of the fiscal year too. Sole proprietors have a matching tax and fiscal year end of December 31,...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2BBs4Rt

How to Convince Clients Not to Pursue Revenge via the Courts

Just about every lawyer out there has had to give a client 'the talk.' You know the one where you explain to them that the civil courts aren't really about justice, but rather about moving money around. That, at...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2Au5eMg

How to Respond When Your Opponent Calls You Stupid

'OMG, are you stupid?' When your opponent says that in the midst of litigation, it means at least one of two things: either you are stupid or your opponent is stupid. It could also mean you are both stupid,...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2iPEtOb

Best Niche Practice Areas for Bilingual Lawyers

Language is a cultural thing, not a legal thing. But they can intersect in law practice, and the work depends on the community where lawyers serve. Attorneys who speak that community's language typically have an advantage over those who...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2Ay4N6f

Where to Get Free Online CLE Credits

CLE compliance reporting is right around the corner. If you're anything like most people, you've waited until the very last minute to make sure you have all your credits. And if you are in fact in that "most people"...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2BzItqB

How to Leave Work at the Office -- and Not Worry About It

Anchoring is a special skill for sailors. It requires knowing something about the bottom terrain, the tide, the type of anchor to use and more. But when an anchor is set well, the sailor can sleep peacefully knowing the...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2jzEwd2

Best Gifts for Your Secretary, Paralegal, and Admin

The holidays are a fun time of the year around the office. People are often in good spirits and are looking forward to a little break, and maybe even that end of year bonus and merit raise (if they're...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2AJoGI1

Law Firm Secretary Awarded $277K for Overtime

It's not a good look when a firm practices employment law, but doesn't pay overtime. For one Los Angeles law firm, it looked even worse when a court ordered the firm to pay almost $277,000 in attorney's fees to...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2neqSkJ

Colorado Lawyers Can Avoid Disciplinary Issues With Online Program

Lawyers can avoid disciplinary problems by completing a new online program launched in Colorado. Administered by the state's Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel, it is the first program like it in the nation. Attorneys who use it also can...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2AiQ7VX

How to Avoid the Calls You Don't Want Over the Holidays

For most lawyers, Thanksgiving is the beginning of the end ... of the year, that is. And even for those lawyers that have to meet a billable hour requirement, like every other person employed in a non-retail job, once...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2BikhYP

Should Your Small Firm Look Like a Large One?

Running a small law practice can be overwhelming. In addition to being a (or the) revenue generator, you also have to be the boss and manage the business side of things too. Fortunately, small firm clients understand that since...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2jrEi7J

What to Do If Your Judge is Overly Festive During the Holidays

Judges are people. It might not always feel like it, but they are human beings that can get drunk on holiday spirit (or just spirits), act stupid, and embarrass themselves like everybody else. Not only is there an annual...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2zyysN1

Why Oppose When They Can Amend?

"Judicial economy" is a hard-sell to some clients. They don't really care about the judge's workload or the time it takes to prepare, oppose, or argue a motion. They want results, and they want it now. If you change...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2jhzYb9

5 Gritty Tips to Persuade Clients to Settle

Being a lawyer means seeking justice on behalf of clients. However, lawyers understand that justice, particularly in the civil sense, is about dollars and cents, more so than justice. When it comes to persuading a civil client that it...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2zYlTJZ

Don't Give Inmates Anything But Advice

Steven M. Cohen apparently was concerned about his client's oral hygiene in jail, so he gave the man a toothbrush. That resulted in a felony conviction for delivering illegal articles to an inmate. Then the state Supreme Court suspended...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2mRQ2oZ

Against People-Pleasing: Why Lawyers Should Be Hardcore

Troubling the leaders of his day with questions, Socrates was the gadfly of Athens. So said Plato, his student and chronicler of his trial. Of course, Socrates accepted a death sentence for his self-appointed role in society. Today, lawyers...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2zUBVor

Are Elder Bankruptcy Cases a Growing Niche?

For elder law attorneys, an unfortunate trend seems to be on the upswing among the client base: individuals over the age of 65 filing for bankruptcy. However, given that the number one cause of bankruptcies is medical debt, this...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2z6wKxZ

How to Help Your Settlement Get Government Approval

Tom Petty will likely be forever remembered by plaintiff's lawyers for one reason, and one reason alone ... wait for it ... wait for it ... the wai-ai-ting is the hardest part. And if you've ever had to wait...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2hP5O2t

How to Say 'Seasons Greetings' on a Budget

It's not too early to think about seasons greetings, and for some things it's probably too late. So let's just talk about what you can do this season -- especially if you're on a budget. Assuming you're not a...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2hzkP4y

Should Juries Know If a Witness Is Undocumented?

The legal issues surrounding undocumented immigrants are varied and often controversial. When it comes to disclosing a defendant, litigant, or even a witness's immigration status, courts must exercise a careful balancing act between the probative value and the potential...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2j4NVZR

Can 'Best Practices' Be Bad for Your Law Practice?

Before Copernicus published his book 'On the Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres,' the scientific community traditionally thought that the Earth was the center of the universe. That's thousands of years of wrong. So what does that have to do with...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2zLVgWn

What's in a Footnote? An Answer to THE 'Internet' v. 'internet' Question

For years, grammarians and spell checkers have been telling you to capitalize the word "internet." Then, a couple years back, a change in the capitalization tide took place, and over time, the word lost its proper noun status. It...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2AQ4a5f

Tips When Asking Clients for Testimonials

Testimonials are the next best thing to referrals -- real people saying good things about your practice. There are pluses and minuses, however. And when it comes to lawyer advertising, of course ethics rules apply. But if there is...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2zCS2qx

How a Mistranslation Can Ruin Your Case

It's a rare condition, in this day and age, that a non-English speaking litigant in a courtroom will get an unqualified translator. However, when it does happen, and it does happen, the consequences can be rather pronounced. Given the semantic...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2zXTjsV