Question of the Week

Who would you like to see become the next Supreme Court justice?

Over the weekend, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died at the age of 79. His “great intellect, dedication and service to the nation, the law and the American Bar Association will be missed,” ABA President Paulette Brown said in a statement, also expressing sympathy to Scalia’s family. Scalia’s time…

Feb 17, 2016 11:00 AM CST

Should all states adopt the Uniform Bar Examination?

In an order (PDF) filed last week, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals confirmed that it will begin administering the Uniform Bar Exam this summer, Above the Law reported. According to the National Conference of Bar Examiners, D.C. joins 18 other states that offer the exam, which is a…

Feb 10, 2016 11:35 AM CST

What software products are essential to your law practice?

At Attorney at Work, law practice management adviser Jared Correia notes how in the last few years, the ABA and 20 states (see Lawsites) have revised their ethical guidelines to take technology into account. “Lawyers who have traditionally prided themselves on buying a local software application with a single log-in…

Feb 3, 2016 11:40 AM CST

What are some of your go-to words and phrases in your legal writing?

This week, we wrote about computer scientists who developed an algorithm to help discern the authors of unsigned U.S. Supreme Court opinions. The program analyzed signed opinions and identified words, phrases and sentence structure characteristic of each justice’s writing style. For instance, it determined that Justice Antonin Scalia likes to…

Jan 27, 2016 12:00 PM CST

Have you ever heard sexist remarks while working as a lawyer?

Last week, we took note of a lawyer who was sanctioned after telling his opposing counsel that it wasn’t “becoming of a woman or an attorney” to raise one’s voice at a deposition. The sanctioning judge called the remark “an indefensible attack” and said such remarks “reflect and reinforce the…

Jan 20, 2016 1:25 PM CST

Why did you leave your last job?

It’s a new year, and for some, time to seek another job. Should you move on? The Greedy Associates blog notes three reasons to leave a law firm: your career is going nowhere; the partners don’t know you; you feel your work is routine yet overwhelming. So this week, we’d…

Jan 13, 2016 2:34 PM CST

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Has your personality type helped your career?

In our January cover story, we talk to Ariana Rodrigues, an intellectual property lawyer and an introvert. “I wondered why I’m a content lawyer and like private practice when that’s not a universal experience,” she says. “I have my own office. I’m not at a tech company or a startup…

Jan 6, 2016 11:55 AM CST

What case do you think the Supreme Court needs to hear?

The U.S. Supreme Court is in full swing, granting or denying petitions of certiorari on a regular basis. Recently, they’ve granted a petition over the constitutionality of state laws that make refusing blood-alcohol tests a crime; they’ve denied a petition challenging a Chicago suburb’s assault-weapons ban; and have yet to…

Dec 21, 2015 1:25 PM CST

Where did you apply to law school, and how did you decide where to go?

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was rejected by Princeton University when he applied there for his undergraduate degree, according to American Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a 2009 book by Joan Biskupic. Before that, Scalia failed to test into Regis High School in…

Dec 16, 2015 2:50 PM CST

Tell us about acts of kindness and generosity you have seen from other lawyers

Last week, we invited readers to vent their stories of lawyer incivility. This week, at the suggestion of a reader and in the spirit of the season, we would like to ask: What acts of kindness and generosity you have seen from other lawyers? Have they inspired you to be…

Dec 9, 2015 12:45 PM CST

What uncivil behavior have you seen from other lawyers?

This week we noted the disbarment of a lawyer who, according to the Indiana Supreme Court, recorded and mocked his clients in front of staff and state disciplinary authorities. He also at times lied to his clients and opposing counsel about his whereabouts. (Trust account violations were also cited.) So…

Dec 2, 2015 1:15 PM CST

What changes would you make to your favorite legal TV show?

In Fox’s new sitcom The Grinder, Rob Lowe plays the lead actor of a hit legal TV show that just ended its run. He returns to his hometown, moves into the family home of his lawyer-brother (Fred Savage), and starts “working” at the family law firm, fully believing that his…

Nov 23, 2015 10:45 AM CST

Have you ever seen humor fall flat in a courtroom?

In this month’s ABA Journal, retired trial lawyer Janet Kole cautions against using humor in the courtroom, citing an example from the trial of Aaron Hernandez, the New England Patriots football star who was convicted of murder in April. Hernandez’s lawyer, while questioning a state trooper about tire pressure, asked…

Nov 18, 2015 2:00 PM CST

Do you have a standard ‘work uniform’?

The notion of a “capsule wardrobe”—a smallish wardrobe entirely made up of pieces that can be worn together—has gained popularity in the last year or two. But some men and women see a minimalist wardrobe not as a passing trend but a success strategy. In April, Saatchi & Saatchi art…

Nov 11, 2015 12:15 PM CST

What words do you always hear mispronounced?

In the November issue of the ABA Journal, Black’s Law Dictionary editor Bryan Garner has assembled a quiz on the pronunciations of 30 different words, keyed to Charles Harrington Elster’s Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations. Since there are far more than 30 words in American English that tend not to…

Nov 4, 2015 2:40 PM CST