Question of the Week

Do you doodle at work? Does it help you stay focused?

Fast Company recently reported that doodling at work may help people be more productive.

Sep 4, 2019 9:45 AM CDT

What was your best or worst public speaking experience?

Whether you’re a public speaking pro or a sometimes-nervous Nellie, most people at some point in their lives have had to address a crowd of people—albeit small or large. In the latest Asked and Answered podcast, Gerard Gregoire of Allstate breaks down some do’s and don’ts for giving an impactful…

Aug 28, 2019 1:17 PM CDT

Did you do a clinic in law school? Was it a valuable experience?

In the latest Legal Rebels podcast, the ABA Journal talked to Rodney Smolla, who brought a greater emphasis on experiential learning to both Washington and Lee School of Law and Widener University Delaware Law School, where he is now dean. The program Smolla started at Washington and Lee in 2009—optional…

Aug 21, 2019 11:43 AM CDT

What do you do with your cellphone while you’re in court?

At the recent 2019 ABA Annual Meeting, the House of Delegates approved a resolution that encouraged courts and bar associations to review their policies on cellphone use and admittance in courthouses. The primary reasons that cellphones have been banned from courthouses are because of the possibility that they may disrupt…

Aug 15, 2019 12:42 PM CDT

Do you act like a lawyer with your family and friends?

Lawyers are often taught in their careers to develop proper communication, analytical and research skills; to be able to pay attention to detail; and to have plenty of resilience and self-confidence. But sometimes your lawyer tendencies show themselves in your home and personal life. In your spare time, you may…

Aug 8, 2019 1:20 PM CDT

What essay questions do you remember from the bar exam?

When test-takers took the California bar exam earlier this week, some say they might have had a leg up. An email from State Bar of California days before the test listed the essay question topics to be covered on the bar exam. The state bar had just mistakenly sent the…

Aug 1, 2019 11:45 AM CDT

What terms and phrases do lawyers overuse?

In lawyer Marcel Strigberger’s latest Your Voice column, he talks about how lawyer language and communication can sometimes be confusing. “It’s no secret that lawyers are generally perceived as being long-winded, even when we expect straightforward information,” Strigberger writes. “Lawyers also use confusing and excessive terms, including but not limited…

Jul 25, 2019 4:14 PM CDT

What do you wear to work in the summer?

As scorching temperatures roll across the United States, we’re wondering how people are dressing to cope with the summer weather. Just last week, Alaska was experiencing an unprecedented heat wave, according to the Washington Post, and the weekend is supposed to see thermometers climbing over 100 degrees in many Midwestern…

Jul 18, 2019 12:20 PM CDT

Do you think humor is helpful or harmful in the courtroom, and why?

Does comedy or humor work in the courtroom? Sometimes, writes Philip N. Meyer in a September 2016 ABA Journal article, “but you have to be careful when and how you use it. And always know what the purpose is and who is the subject and object of the humor.” Janet…

Jul 11, 2019 2:21 PM CDT

Who’s your favorite SCOTUS justice and why?

Justice Clarence Thomas is known for rarely speaking during oral arguments. But a chatty and jovial Thomas appeared in the courtroom last month in an interview before members of the Supreme Court Historical Society. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has risen to pop culture prominence, as shown in the ABA Journal’s…

Jul 3, 2019 9:56 AM CDT

What’s one thing you wish the public understood about the US legal system?

What did the Declaration of Independence do? Nonresidents who want to become U.S. citizens are expected to know. When the ABA recently posed the same question to a sample of U.S. adults, a correct answer wasn’t guaranteed. The proper response is that the declaration, which is the event we celebrate…

Jun 27, 2019 12:00 PM CDT

What was your summer associate experience like?

Summertime is summer associates season. Recent law school grads around the country will be soaking up everything they can in three months with their more experienced counterparts in the legal industry. Summer associate gigs are becoming more straight-laced, Above the Law reported in 2017. Associates are on their best behavior,…

Jun 20, 2019 1:13 PM CDT

What one thing do you wish you were told about legal practice?

Mark Herrmann takes on a flinty, severe persona to lay down the law on legal practice in the real world. But as law grads draft their first pleadings, the former Jones Day partner advises a light touch. “Law schools, they don’t tell you how ferociously busy judges are,” Herrmann tells…

Jun 12, 2019 3:34 PM CDT

How do you keep down your stress levels at the office?

Stress management doesn’t come easily to lawyers, who are paid to stay on top of things. In the ABA Journal magazine, columnist Jeena Cho notes that lawyers’ analytical nature can get in the way of staying in the moment. Cho starts simply in her six steps to starting meditation. Find…

Jun 5, 2019 1:07 PM CDT

Which fictional lawyer do you think is most true to life?

Three novels were named in May as finalists in the 2019 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. Each has a lawyer guiding the action. It’s quite a group of protagonists: a Sri Lankan-Canadian immigration attorney, a retired curmudgeon who lectures the neighbor kids on Goss v. Lopez, and a pioneering…

May 30, 2019 1:45 PM CDT