Columns

Software to power your personal injury law firm

Each month since April, I’ve been focusing on practice-area-specific law practice management software. This type of software is becoming increasingly prevalent as the overall demand for law practice management software increases.

Jul 23, 2021 9:18 AM CDT

Law professor makes a case against automating legal writing in law school

Give a dozen brilliant mathematicians the same problem, and they will give you the same answer. Math has an objective truth to it; however, legal writing is different.

Jul 21, 2021 9:00 AM CDT

Should you incorporate your firm as an S corporation?

The business entity you select for your firm has enormous implications for your annual tax liability. In addition, determining whether to make additional tax elections with the IRS can be one of the more confusing aspects when establishing a law firm. Which structure is right when you start your firm? Should you start with one structure and modify it down the line? What tax advantages could you gain from a change?

Jul 14, 2021 9:00 AM CDT

How influencers helped shape my legal career

Who were the influencers in your legal career? I am talking about people whose attitude, ideas or conduct shaped some of the major paths you took in practice.

Jul 12, 2021 12:00 PM CDT

Good cop, bad cop: What happens when police get too cozy with informants?

Over a year ago, I wrote a column for my “law and pop culture” series regarding the A&E show Live PD. In that column, I spoke about the problems these types of series can cause for defendants and law enforcement.

Jul 8, 2021 2:15 PM CDT

Solving civil justice issues in the classroom

“Throughout my time as an access-to-justice scholar, I have noticed a meaningful gap in our collective understanding of the scope of civil justice problems in the United States and of the real work needed to address the access-to-justice crisis.”

Jul 8, 2021 9:10 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: Supreme Court looks to common law for guidance in Fourth Amendment cases

The Supreme Court decided three cases concerning the Fourth Amendment during the October 2020 term. They shared several characteristics.

Jul 6, 2021 9:07 AM CDT

Are women lawyers paying enough attention to upward mobility?

“More seasoned women lawyers know that getting the job and demonstrating potential is only the beginning. While developing leadership skills and climbing the promotion ladder is the goal for many women lawyers, they must be strategic.”

Jun 29, 2021 10:13 AM CDT

Netflix’s ‘Operation Varsity Blues’ and the morality of parenthood

My son is weeks away from turning 3. Age 2 has been somewhat challenging, so I’m starting to believe all the horror stories friends have told my wife and me about “threenagers” and the difficulty they present.

Jun 28, 2021 12:58 PM CDT

CEO of cloud and mobile litigation company discusses the future of litigation workflow

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Erez Bustan, the CEO of American LegalNet, a leading cloud and mobile litigation platform.

Jun 25, 2021 9:29 AM CDT

The victory lap: Why I still go to the office after retirement

If your firm offers the opportunity to maintain an office after retirement, give it serious consideration. If the offer is to maintain a virtual relationship, consider that, too.

Jun 23, 2021 3:11 PM CDT

Demographics as destiny: Making the case for law firm diversity and inclusion

“For many years now, it has been well documented and reported that promoting diversity is an unequivocal pathway to success, and of the many routes that lead to law firm advancement, this pathway is simpler and less expensive to achieve.”

Jun 22, 2021 9:00 AM CDT

Run your immigration practice with this software

It’s not easy managing a law firm in 2021. That’s where cloud-based law practice management software can make all the difference.

Jun 21, 2021 2:00 PM CDT

A brief primer on LGBTQ allyship for lawyers

For the legal profession, allyship can be a challenging topic. But this doesn’t mean that lawyers are incapable of standing up for colleagues; it’s just that we have to be intentional about it, writes lawyer Ellie Krug.

Jun 15, 2021 9:16 AM CDT

HBO’s ‘The Scheme’ looks at corruption and college sports

I was an athlete when I was younger, playing baseball and football all through school. Even now, I still love the mental and emotional clarity physical activity brings. More than that, though, sports allow me to set aside time to share a common bond with the ones near my heart but distant in location. I cherish the group FaceTime calls with my pops and cousins (who live in Texas) as we complain about the Dallas Cowboys on a beautiful fall afternoon, for example.

Jun 10, 2021 12:20 PM CDT