Lawyer Wellness Unhappy Attorneys and the Expectations-Reality Gap Steven J. Harper Recapturing the nobility that should accompany the lawyer’s role requires serious consideration of why so many attorneys are unhappy and what can be done about it.
Women at Big Law No Regrets (On the Record) Lori Lesser, Mary Beth Forshaw, Amelia Starr, Maria T. Vullo, Kathleen O’Connor, Jennifer Kennedy Park, Julia M. Jordan, Maura Barry Grinalds, Maeve O’Connor, Carrie Reilly A roundtable of women Big Law partners discussing their career experiences.
Women in the Law A Woman at Big Law No Regrets (Off the Record) A litigator relates how she eventually became the only woman in the room.
How I Created a Monster Gabriel A. Fuentes A litigator questioned the validity of fingerprints as evidence, only to find that his efforts backfired.
How Not to Regret Your Direct: Exploring the Human Story Benjamin K. Riley If you truly listen to and mentor your witness, it often makes their testimony more persuasive.
How Not to Regret Your Appeal: Ten Tips for Soothing Your Appellate Lawyer Marcia J . Silvers In the heat of combat, trial lawyers sometimes miss opportunities that might help get a loss reversed on appeal.
Opening Statement: We Get By with a Little Help from Our Friends Nancy Scott Degan Litigators can help the homeless through the Homeless Experience Legal Protection project.
From the Bench: Reflections on Judicial Regrets Hon. Mark W. Bennett A federal judge details his remorse over mistakes made on the bench.
iWitness: Lawyers Can No Longer Stick Their Heads in the Sand Daniel J. Siegel Technology is an essential, inescapable part of practicing law.
On the Papers: Communicating Preference: Fred and His Dog George D. Gopen How to use the structure of a sentence to influence what readers think of the actions it describes.
Global Litigator: Leave Me Alone! Europe’s “Right to Be Forgotten” Ashish S. Joshi Just how divergent are the European and American notions of privacy?
Advance Sheet: Do Lawyers Think about What They’re Doing? Robert E. Shapiro Litigators should start questioning the inclusion of standard provisions that actually make little sense.
Sidebar: Heroes Kenneth P. Nolan If they look around them, litigators will recognize many in the legal system as quiet heroes.
Ethics Scruples: Discovering an Adversary’s Medical Records Michael Downey An examination of the ethics rules around obtaining medical records.
E-DIscovery: Social Media: #RealDiscovery William Hamilton Social media have made a grand entrance onto the litigation stage. Stories abound about the tweet or the Facebook page that won or lost the case, sank or saved counsel, or was missed or lost. Lessons abound reminding us of the power of social media and how to get the “killer” social media artifact into evidence.
Experts: Political Cover and Consulting Experts Maria E. Rodriguez The Rules of Evidence tell us that the testimony of an expert is admissible to provide “scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge [that] will help the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue.” Fed. R. Evid. 702(a). Even before you think about what you want to present as evidence to a fact finder, though, you need to understand your case—what the facts mean, where your client is strongest or most vulnerable, and how much the case is worth. That’s where the non-testifying, consulting expert comes in.
Marketing: To Blog or Not to Blog? That’s a Question? Pamela Sakowicz Menaker With the advent of social media, law blogs or “blawgs” have become mainstream in the twenty-first century. A great blog can give a lawyer’s practice a personal voice and significant presence. But the onslaught of social media can make even veteran lawyers jumpy. With hundreds of law blogs in the blogosphere, lawyers hoping to separate their blog from the pack must learn the ins and outs of blogging.
Reply Brief: State Courts Are Not Second Class Hon. Michael B. Hyman After calling the federal system “special,” Nolan writes, “I realize that favors, often granted in state courts, occur in those majestic [federal] courtrooms as well. . . . Yet, there’s a belief that in federal court you’ll litigate before a judge who will listen and rule equitably.”
