What were the top legal words of 2017?

After Dictionary.com named “complicit” its legal word of 2017, someone asked legal journalist Robert Ambrogi what he considered to be the legal technology word of the year. (His eventual answer in his Above the Law column: Blockchain.) Ken Bresler of Massachusetts Weekly (via Clear Writing Co.) published a list of…

Dec 20, 2017 10:38 AM CST

Barbie v. Bratz: What happened when toy titans took each other to court (podcast)

In this month’s Modern Law Library, we read a thrilling tale of dueling toymakers, corporate espionage and a group of brats taking on the queen of the Dreamhouse.

Professor Orly Lobel, author of You Don’t Own Me: How Mattel v. MGA Entertainment Exposed Barbie’s Dark Side, speaks to the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles about how an intellectual property dispute between the maker of Barbie and the creator of Bratz spun into a legal battle that would last more than a decade.

Dec 20, 2017 8:30 AM CST

Which colleagues and clients do you buy gifts for?

We’re in the thick of the season of holiday parties and year-end bonuses. And possibly gifts for co-workers and clients. This week, we’d like to ask you: Which colleagues do you buy gifts for? Your bosses? Your direct reports (or do you just give them cash)? What about clients? Do…

Dec 13, 2017 11:00 AM CST

Tech coach Adriana Linares translates tech for lawyers (podcast)

Adriana Linares considers it a badge of honor to work in the legal profession without being a lawyer.

Dec 13, 2017 8:30 AM CST

Cartoon Poll: Which emoji caption makes you LOL?

This month’s caption contest had us laughing out loud as we sorted through about 100 submissions. Now it’s your turn to decide what these emoji jurors are really feeling. The caption that receives the most votes will appear in an upcoming issue of the magazine. Vote in the cartoon poll…

Dec 11, 2017 4:37 PM CST

Can you write a happy legal-themed story in 4 words?

On Wednesday morning, the hashtag #writeahappystoryin4words was trending on Twitter. Some of the super-short happy stories we found: Eating without getting fat. Baby shoes, well worn. Twitter introduces “Edit” button Inspired by this, we’d like to ask you: Can you write a happy legal-themed story in four words? Answer in…

Dec 6, 2017 11:59 AM CST

Georgetown law prof calls for reimagining of criminal justice system in ‘Chokehold’ (podcast)

As a former federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., Paul Butler once worked to put people in prison. Now, he has come to believe that prisons should be abolished.

Dec 6, 2017 8:30 AM CST

10 Questions: From plaintiffs to patients, Don D. Bush shifts careers at 70

Don D. Bush left his position as a magistrate judge with the U.S. District Court for work as a medical technician for a nonprofit urgent care clinic and an ambulance service.

Dec 1, 2017 1:40 AM CST

Lessons from the past can propel your future

Dec 1, 2017 1:35 AM CST

How serendipity, ‘Star Wars,’ Sunstein and constitutional law intersect

Justice requires great artistry. The narrative arc of our constitutional law saga is full of surprise, mystery and plot reversals.

Dec 1, 2017 1:15 AM CST

How to start a sentence

Many writers mistakenly think it’s the beginning: They begin a disproportionate number of sentences with the grammatical subject, and they rarely depart from the subject-verb-object pattern. Boring legal writers create paragraphs of sentence after sentence beginning with a client’s or litigant’s name; interesting writers, by contrast, spice their prose with syntactic variety.

Dec 1, 2017 1:05 AM CST

Web 100: Best law blogs

Our inaugural year of the Web 100 list honors 50 blogs (and adds five more to our Blawg 100 Hall of Fame.)

Dec 1, 2017 12:02 AM CST

Welcome to the 2017 ABA Journal Web 100

Our inaugural year of this feature honors 50 blogs (and adds five more to our Blawg Hall of Fame), as well as 25 law podcasts and 25 tweeters for lawyers to follow.

Dec 1, 2017 12:01 AM CST

Did you or your spouse work during labor and delivery of your child?

“How many of you worked while you (or spouse) were at hospital during labor/delivery of your child?” That question was posed by Keith Lee the other day on Twitter and brought to mind the birth of my first child. I went into labor while at the office and decided it…

Nov 29, 2017 1:00 PM CST

Podcasts, social media share spotlight with blogs in ABA Journal Web 100

ABA Journal editors have published their year-end choices for best online media. For 2017, the annual list includes podcasts and social media on legal topics as well as blogs.

Nov 27, 2017 4:05 PM CST