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...

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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...

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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...

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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....

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'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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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'...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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....

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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,...

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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...

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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,...

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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...

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