Columns

Thoughts on jail mail, courtesy of HBO’s ‘Real Sports’

I regularly receive letters from incarcerated individuals. It’s not lost on me that after reading the preceding statement, those of you who regularly follow this column and know I practice criminal defense likely think, “Well, duh. ... You probably have clients in jail, and they probably send you mail.”

Jul 25, 2022 8:38 AM CDT

Reach new clients with chat tools for your law firm’s website

Did you know that bringing in new business is one of the top challenges for lawyers? The good news is that effective marketing is a perfect antidote to this problem. Unfortunately, most lawyers know very little about legal marketing, and with so many online and offline marketing choices available, it can be difficult to determine which ones will work best for a law firm's needs.

Jul 22, 2022 11:53 AM CDT

10 tips for lawyers to establish self-confidence and client compassion

Check out some tips to establish yourself as a competent and compassionate lawyer to potential clients, from North Carolina lawyer James Gray Robinson.

Jul 19, 2022 10:25 AM CDT

Netflix’s ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ and the public’s infatuation with criminal defense

It’s rare to find a dramatic character who becomes synonymous with a particular area of the legal profession. Think about it: Try to name a fictional attorney off the top of your head who is commonly associated with personal injury, product liability, taxation, immigration or any other legal field. It’s challenging.

Jul 14, 2022 3:00 PM CDT

Who has a stake in holding companies legally responsible?

I am not crazy about the company. No, I don’t mean the people near me. Let me explain. I am retired from my practice, but I am still reflecting on what about the legal system bugs me.

Jul 13, 2022 3:00 PM CDT

What the past 2 years have taught this firm about talent development

In the past two years alone, we went from rising unemployment rates to the “Great Resignation” to where I believe we stand now: the Great Reevaluation of Priorities. Today’s workers care about who they work for and how and where they do so.

Jul 12, 2022 8:00 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: This SCOTUS term moved the law ‘dramatically in a conservative direction’

The U.S. Supreme Court's October 2021 term was one of the momentous in history. The only analogy I can think of is 1937 for its dramatic changes in constitutional law. This is the first full term with Justice Amy Coney Barrett on the high court, and we saw the enormous effects of having a 6-3 conservative majority.

Jul 7, 2022 8:46 AM CDT

How to take a self-deposition to ‘right’ your future

How do you take your own deposition? When I was struggling with my retirement strategy, I took a self-deposition to prioritize my goals and find out what I wanted to do next. Through this process of self-interrogation, I discovered the answer was to retire in stages.

Jul 5, 2022 1:36 PM CDT

Asylum-seeker reflects on ABA pro bono assistance in pursuing American dream

“Sixteen years ago, I came to America with nothing but hope and aspiration for a peaceful and prosperous life. ... As former President Barack Obama once said, my story is possible only in America.”

Jul 5, 2022 8:37 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: Supreme Court gun ruling puts countless firearms regulations in jeopardy

It was no surprise that the U.S. Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the New York law limiting concealed weapons in public. Given the ideological composition of the court and the tenor of the oral argument in the case, that result was expected. The surprise was how the court did this, providing greater protection for Second Amendment rights than virtually any other in the Constitution.

Jun 29, 2022 10:10 AM CDT

Easy e-filing: Services designed to help attorneys file documents accurately and correctly

Ten years ago, most lawyers hand-filed paper documents with courts; however, that changed over time as online document storage became increasingly common and lawyers began to transition to paperless practices. As a result, even before the pandemic, court e-filing systems were in place in many jurisdictions; some even required it.

Jun 28, 2022 8:34 AM CDT

How to manage client expectations with help from the film ‘Michael Clayton’

“I want this case dismissed.” That’s how many of my new client intakes start, to one degree or another. It may not be the first phrase out of my prospective patron’s mouth, but it comes quickly nonetheless. The demand is often followed by an explanation of the person’s perspective: “I looked at the results on your website, and I know you’ve gotten these types of cases dismissed before,” or “I know (insert previous client’s name), and they said you’re the best and can get rid of this.”

Jun 27, 2022 1:32 PM CDT

Why law professors should co-author academic articles with law students

I started writing law review articles in mid-career, after many years of publishing academic articles in STEM journals. Arriving to academic law with an outsider’s perspective (my PhD is in engineering; I have a faculty appointment at UCLA in both engineering and law), I was surprised to learn that law is an exception among academic disciplines in relation to authorship of scholarly works. In most other disciplines, it is routine—and in fact expected—for faculty to co-author scholarly publications with graduate students.

Jun 22, 2022 12:23 PM CDT

How to apply business principles and legal tech to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Jeroen Plink, the chief operating officer of the Legaltech Hub, a board member at Casetext and the former CEO of Practical Law; and Jeroen Ketting, the founder and CEO of the Lighthouse Group, a provider of management and trade support to Western companies doing business in Russia and Ukraine.

Jun 21, 2022 8:37 AM CDT

Are legal lessons learned in the trenches more valuable than those learned in law school?

Is law school learning always practical? According to Albert Einstein, “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.”

Jun 16, 2022 8:46 AM CDT