Question of the Week

Are you able to be tracked electronically?

A man was charged earlier this month in the December 2015 murder of his wife after police were able to demonstrate through the timing of her Facebook postings and messages—and most notably, data from her Fitbit activity tracker—that his account of events on the day of her murder could not…

Apr 26, 2017 2:28 PM CDT

What’s the word you’re most worried about mispronouncing?

Law books are full of words we rarely speak. Even if they studied Latin in school, litigators can be unsure how to pronounce nisi prius, ratio decidendi and sine die, to name three troublesome phrases Bryan A. Garner cites in A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage. Legal Latin is not…

Apr 19, 2017 3:25 PM CDT

Have you taken a bar exam in more than one state?

At Attorney@Work, Phoenix lawyer Ruth Carter writes about her decision to take the California bar exam. “I have had to decline too many opportunities to help potential clients in California, and since they shortened the bar exam from three days to two (only one day for attorneys practicing for the…

Apr 12, 2017 3:38 PM CDT

Have you ever quoted a song lyric or poem in a legal submission?

Bob Dylan is the most-cited songwriter in U.S. judicial opinions, law prof Philip N. Meyer writes in the April issue of the ABA Journal. “And these citations are not merely add-ons or throwaways providing appellate judges and Supreme Court justices with the opportunity to display stylistic flair or pop culture…

Apr 5, 2017 1:44 PM CDT

What’s the telecommuting policy for your workplace?

In the past month, two large law firms—Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and Jackson Lewis—have announced telecommuting policies for associates. Morgan Lewis is providing computer hardware for lawyers to work from home up to two days per week. Jackson Lewis is letting associates work from home “as needed.” This week, the…

Mar 29, 2017 1:20 PM CDT

What grammar battles do you find yourself fighting?

Last week, it was widely reported that the lack of a so-called Oxford comma made a Maine law regarding overtime pay ambiguous, according to the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. An opinion by Judge David Barron interpreted the law in favor of dairy workers who distribute milk. “For…

Mar 22, 2017 1:53 PM CDT

Did you take note of the US News rankings when deciding on a law school?

This week, U.S. News & World Report’s annual law school rankings were released. As always, this year’s results were eagerly anticipated. They’re also continually criticized. Law.com notes the critique by sociologists Wendy Nelson Espeland and Michael Sauder in Engines of Anxiety that rankings penalize lower-tier schools and nontraditional students. On…

Mar 15, 2017 12:22 PM CDT

Do you use a tablet computer in your law practice?

Are smaller, lighter laptop computers and larger smartphone screens making tablets obsolete? San Diego solo Jeff Bennion asks that question this week at Above the Law, citing reports of flagging iPad sales. “Unless you travel on planes a lot or are constantly out of the office for extended periods of…

Mar 8, 2017 1:30 PM CST

What’s your workout?

Last month, 27-year-old journalist Ben Schreckinger got Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s personal trainer to take him through her twice-weekly workout, using double the weight that the 83-year-old Ginsburg does on the strength exercises to achieve the same effect. Ginsburg’s twice-weekly exercise routine, Schreckinger revealed, involves bench presses, pushups, dumbbell curls,…

Mar 1, 2017 1:40 PM CST

Would you ever want to be on a reality show? If so, which one?

On Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week, it was announced that Rachel Lindsay, an associate at Dallas law firm Cooper & Scully, would be the first African-American lead on The Bachelorette. This week, we’d like to ask you: Would you ever want to be on a reality show? If so, which…

Feb 15, 2017 4:15 PM CST

Do you apply lessons you learned playing sports to your work in law?

This month in the ABA Journal, legal writing expert Bryan Garner talks about the golf instruction he received as a youth by Harvey Penick—author of Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book Lessons And Teachings From A Lifetime In Golf. Penick “was the gentlest imaginable coach, always saying, ‘Why don’t you try…

Feb 8, 2017 12:00 PM CST

How do you—or how does your employer—promote ‘wellness’?

“Wellness” is catching on. Lawyers at Kirkland & Ellis can now enroll in firm-sponsored classes to help cope with stress and increase productivity. And this week at Above the Law, bankruptcy lawyer and meditation instructor Jeena Cho lists practices that law firms can implement to create a healthier office culture.…

Feb 1, 2017 12:30 PM CST

What’s your means of transportation for getting to work?

Relentless rain in the Northeast this week has made getting to the office a very difficult—and wet—proposition. This week, we’d like to ask you: What’s your means of transportation for getting to work? Do you drive? Ride a train, bus or bicycle? Walk? Or do you have a home office,…

Jan 25, 2017 10:45 AM CST

What do you think were the most significant legal actions of the Obama administration?

The second term of President Barack Obama—the United States’ 25th lawyer-president—ends Friday, Jan. 20. This week, we want to look back before we face the future of our executive branch of government. We’d like to ask you: What were the most significant legal actions of the Obama administration—whether you agreed…

Jan 18, 2017 12:10 PM CST

Who should Trump nominate for the Supreme Court?

There has been speculation this past week that President-elect Donald Trump has winnowed his initial lists of potential U.S. Supreme Court nominees to fewer than 10. However, Trump said at his Jan. 11 press conference that he was working from a list of 20 potential nominees and hopes to name…

Jan 11, 2017 2:20 PM CST