New Business Models for Law Firms

'Horseback Law' is probably not what you think it is. It is not equine law, where lawyers specialize in all things horse-like. "Horseback Law" is Google's law business model, a legal service tailored for fast-moving startups. "Lawyer rides up,...

via Strategist https://ift.tt/2GjEPa1

Can You Bill Clients in 15 Minute Increments? Wyoming Court Says Yes

A recent decision of the Wyoming Supreme Court upheld a law firm's billing practice of using 15 minute increments. The court held that barring evidence of abusive practices, so long as the billing increment is reasonable and not excessive,...

via Strategist https://ift.tt/2pRAWhL

Do You Advise Payment Plan Settlements?

When a government entity settles a lawsuit, it's rather uncommon for it to not actually have the present ability to pay for the settlement. Interestingly though, that is exactly the predicament one New Jersey city has recently stumbled into....

via Strategist https://ift.tt/2GToC8C

Plaintiff's Attorneys On Board Fatal Uber Crash Case

The lawyers at Bellah Perez are getting a head start in their case against Uber for a fatal accident involving a self-driving car. Their client, the daughter of Elaine Herzberg, wasted no time in retaining the Arizona firm. In the...

via Strategist https://ift.tt/2E2g5gM

Attorney Not Liable to Burned Third Party Litigation Funder

While the world of litigation funding is often castigated into the realms of the seedy boardrooms of evil banking corporations, litigation funders are taking big risks, particularly given that third party litigation funders are prohibited from having any say...

via Strategist https://ift.tt/2pNsmjV

Social Media Shouts '#MeToo' and BigLaw Listens

In case you missed it, social media is a force to be reckoned with in the law. It's not just a medium for social connections, like Facebook. And it's more than a referral medium, like LinkedIn. Social media has...

via Strategist https://ift.tt/2urYwqQ

Is Lawyering Out of a Food Truck Style Office Ethical?

With gourmet food trucks still riding high on the popularity wave, there's bound to be at least one lawyer out there asking: Why not set up a mobile law office a la a food truck? After all, it could...

via Strategist https://ift.tt/2pHAZ0p

Working Long Hours Is Healthier Than Being a Workaholic

Attorneys are often expected to put in long hours at the office. Just because the courts or businesses close at 5, that doesn't mean you have to (or can) stop working. Associates know all too well that after 5...

via Strategist https://ift.tt/2Gi79J7

Florida Amends Referral Rules to Include For-Profit Online Sources

When it comes to lawyers in the state of Florida, playing fast and loose with the rules seems to be in line with what the internet has come to expect from the entire state. However, in an uncharacteristic move for...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2HYnEY5

Why Lawyers Should Care About Fonts

Believe it or not, your font choice, or lack thereof, can tell a reader something about your writing. For example, Times New Roman has become regarded as the font of least resistance and can tell readers that the writer...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2u7Z7Od

Former Model's Lawsuit Against Cosby and His Lawyer Proceeds

Litigating in the press is one thing; litigating against the press is another. Neither is a good idea. That's a tip from -- among others -- the press. Attorney Martin Singer apparently hasn't learned it, even after the California...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2G95t4F

Can Lawyers Bill Virtual Assistant Time to a Client?

Sadly, lawyers across the country can't just shout out in unison: 'Alexa! Make me a thousand dollars a week!' Well, while we can say the words, neither Alexa nor Siri are likely to comply. However, one day, we could...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2prY7iq

The British Are Coming -- to American Law Firms

So the British are coming, but this time to American law firms. The last time -- if you exclude the Beatles' invasion -- the English came to crush the colonies. We all know how that ended, but what about...

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

Tips to Make a Coworking Space Work for a Solo Lawyer

'Coworking space' is not new anymore, and so we have learned how to use it. It wasn't even new when people started using the term; it used to be "office sharing." It meant sharing expenses by working with other...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2G1Shi3

Is Facebook Live Good for Free Attorney Marketing?

If your law firm has a Facebook page and you don't use Facebook Live, you'll want to pay close attention to this post. Facebook Live presents an excellent, free marketing opportunity for lawyers and law firms. In case you...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2Gw4KIt

Lawyers Sues Client Over Bad Yelp Review

Alisa Levin knows the client from hell. Like most horror stories, it didn't start that way. Levin, a Chicago lawyer, was ghostwriting documents for another lawyer who represented Paul Abramson, a California resident. She literally never met the man,...

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

False Lawyer Advertising: Close but Now State Bar

Lundy Law did not break false advertising law with its commercials. However, according to a federal judge, the Philadelphia law firm did stretch the truth to the breaking point. Judge Cynthia Rufe said the managing partner lied in a...

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

What Metrics Should Law Firms Track to Make More Money?

When business is booming, it can often feel like a waste of time to track performance metrics. However, taking the time to measure what you are doing right is as important as figuring out what you are doing wrong....

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

3 Tips to Run Your Law Firm More Like a Business

When you opened the doors to your law practice, you probably didn't expect to spend the number of hours you do on administrative and management tasks and duties. And as most lawyers that run a practice learn, management responsibilities...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2pb7tzE

How and When to Use Secondary Sources

A funny thing about legal research methodology is that traditionally you started with secondary, not primary, sources. What's funnier today is that while technology has completely changed legal research, starting with secondary sources is still the go-to method. Only...

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

Succession Planning and Heading to Retirement for Solo Lawyers

Did you ever have that moment when a teacher or a speaker pointed in your direction, and you turned around only to see no one behind you? That's what it's like when you are a solo practitioner at the...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2tIJ6y3

No Implicit Bias Jury Instruction on Appeal

Implicit bias is not so easy to grasp, but the findings make it painfully clear: Everyone is biased, one way or another. Unfortunately, the solution is also not so easy as it requires individuals to recognize their own biases....

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2p5wT1D

Firm Develops Support Group for Attorneys With Families

Most lawyers are aware of one of the biggest risks inherent in practicing full time: It can be lonely at the top. If you work too hard and neglect life, your family and friends may end up hating you,...

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

New Ethics Opinion on Confidentiality in Lawyer Blogs Changes Nothing

For many small firm and solo practitioners, blogging is part of the job. In order to keep those search rankings up, and keep potential clients impressed by the freshness of your content, maintaining a blogging habit is good for...

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

Shocking! Judges Can't Electrocute People for Not Answering Questions

'Shocking' barely describes the treatment of Terry Lee Morris. When he refused to answer questions at his criminal trial, Judge George Gallagher ordered deputies to jolt the man with 50,000 volts of electricity. They administered the punishment through a...

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

Can a Secretary Run Your Practice During Semi-Retirement?

You spent years training your legal secretary (because an associate would've been too expensive, ungrateful, and wouldn't have learned anyway), and your secretary is really good. But if you plan to go into semi-retirement while relying on your secretary...

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

How Not to Get 'Ghosted' by Clients

If you get ghosted by a client, there's not much to say. Literally, it means the client is not talking to you anymore. No call-back. Nothing. Like a ghost. There's not a lot you can do about it, either;...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2He3atX

How the Administrative Procedure Act Stops Politics From Ruining Regs

It's hard to deny that President Trump is having a big impact on the government. However, an unforeseen one is the jamming up of the court system due to the executive branch's failure to follow the rules for changing...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2FrM0fj

Change of Venue Due to Publicity?

It's sometimes risky to ask for a change of venue based on pre-trial publicity. In the internet age, it's very possible that people have heard about a high-profile case beyond the borders of one courthouse. Plus, potential jurors in...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2HcP38p

Lawyers: Flip That Email Disclaimer Around

Picture this: you get on a roller coaster ride. They strap you in. The ride starts. Mid-ride, a sharp knife comes out and cuts your nose off. At the end of the ride, as you're returning, still strapped in...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2Fh2DH6

When to File a Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings Under FRCP 12(c)

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Rule 12 provides quite a bit of help to litigators looking to avoid trial. Apart from the various motions to dismiss that can be filed under 12(b), subsection (c) also provides an effective tool...

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

3 Reasons Why Plaintiffs Should File for Summary Judgment

When it comes to summary judgment, plaintiff lawyers are often guilty of forgetting the fact that either party can file one. If you have solid evidence that can't be disputed, you may very well be able to prove your...

via Strategist http://ift.tt/2FaDv4T

Best Lawyerly Email Sign-Offs

How do you end your emails? Do you do it the same way for adversaries, clients, colleagues, and prospects?For most attorneys, it can seem overly insincere to end a scathing letter, or any correspondence, with "Very truly yours," "Warmly,"...

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

How to Handle a High Profile Trial

You don't have to represent a celebrity to end up trying or defending the case of the century. The press and the media can take almost any case, and with enough work, force the public's attention towards it to the...

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