Question of the Week

What’s your best presentation skills tip?

Practice improves presentation, says lawyer and author Faith Pincus. That holds for any attorney, not just the litigator. In the most recent podcast of the Modern Law Library, Pincus suggests that lawyers give at least one trial run of their presentation. Note when your story veers off topic. Then boil…

May 22, 2019 11:58 AM CDT

If you had a do-over, would you still go to law school?

Lawyers early in their career often are conflicted about their choices. In a survey of the Florida Bar's Young Lawyers Division, released earlier this year, 30% of respondents would not enroll in law school knowing what they know now, and 32% gave the paper chase a lukewarm "maybe."

May 15, 2019 12:11 PM CDT

What punctuation errors have you come across in your legal career?

In this month’s Bryan Garner on Words column, lawyer-lexicographer Bryan A. Garner explains the importance of punctuation and offers a quiz. “Attentiveness to punctuation is a matter of temperament, I’ve come to believe,” Garner writes. Some people get thrilled about punctuation, while others “see a reference to placement of periods…

May 9, 2019 3:30 PM CDT

Do you enjoy lawyer jokes? What do you like or not like about them?

Miss Manners, a syndicated etiquette column, lately took on a faux pas that hushed the room at a community event: a disparaging remark about lawyers from the master of ceremonies. Who committed the bigger error—the tactless emcee or the lawyer’s wife who confronted the speaker privately? The spouse asserted that…

May 2, 2019 12:22 PM CDT

How do you make meaningful social media connections?

A law practice is built on referrals, and many lawyers build their online presence to meet that basic business development need. But how does an attorney make productive connections online? In a Your Voice essay, lawyer-writer Wendi Weiner gives tips for building a legal brand on LinkedIn, the business-focused social…

Apr 25, 2019 4:01 PM CDT

Do you think apprenticeships are an acceptable substitute for law school?

In a recent Vogue story, media personality and socialite Kim Kardashian West said she has hopes of following in President Abraham Lincoln’s footsteps by not attending law school and becoming a lawyer through “reading the law.” “Took my first test, I got a 100. Super easy for me. The reading…

Apr 17, 2019 1:43 PM CDT

How do you stay alert during long meetings or trials?

Sleep can be hard to come by for a lot of working professionals in the legal field—whether you’re fresh into law school, a midlevel associate or even a seasoned partner at a large law firm. Lack of sleep can make people short-tempered and distractable, but having a sleep-deprived lawyer could…

Apr 10, 2019 3:05 PM CDT

What advice do you give your clients about social media?

Social media is a way that people can share their triumphs—or be the cause of their ignominious defeats. The same medium that lets grandparents coo over their grandchildren also can tank a tort case or spark public outrage against a company. But drawing wider attention to an injustice could be…

Apr 3, 2019 11:26 AM CDT

Have you adapted your law practice for an aging population? If so, how?

It stands to reason that elder law will provide new opportunities for lawyers. Yet elder law covers a wide range of practice specialties, which makes this emerging discipline hard to pin down. In a recent ABA Journal story, Marc Davis notes how the legal practice has followed the demographic shift…

Mar 27, 2019 3:20 PM CDT

Is there an optimum age to go to law school?

The typical trajectory for a lawyer’s education is a high school diploma to an undergraduate degree to a JD. With this life plan, you can be a practicing attorney by your mid-20s—which is not uncommon. About half of all law school applicants from 2011 to 2015 were between 22 and…

Mar 20, 2019 2:09 PM CDT

Should we eliminate daylight saving time and why?

Sleep is a resource that can be hard to come by, especially for legal professionals. When daylight saving time struck this past weekend, lawyers, judges and others who work in the legal industry across the country lost an hour of sleep—a sacrifice that can take a toll on health. The…

Mar 13, 2019 2:59 PM CDT

Who do you think is an inspiring woman in law and why?

March is Women’s History Month in the United States, a time to recognize women from the past and present who overcame adversity to excel in a male-dominated society. Within the American Bar Association, women were not admitted until 1918, and black people were not allowed to join until 1943—meaning not…

Mar 6, 2019 2:13 PM CST

What tech gear do you use at your law firm, and how is it helpful to you?

In the 21st century, law firms no longer run on just paper and pencil. Legal technology is a booming industry, which is why lawyers and professionals come together annually for the ABA Techshow in Chicago. This year, from Feb. 27 to March 2, attendees will scour the expo floor and…

Feb 27, 2019 2:57 PM CST

Should defendants be forcibly medicated to be competent for trial?

When a defendant shows signs of mental instability, their competency to stand trial comes into question. The Supreme Court case Sell v. United States sets guidelines for when defendants should be forcibly medicated so that a trial can proceed. The ruling recommends that a judge order medication in select situations…

Feb 21, 2019 3:17 PM CST

If lawyers made candy hearts, what would yours say?

Nothing says Valentine’s Day like a box of conversation hearts. If you’re a fan of the sweet treats, your heart might break over this recent news: The New England Confectionery Co., the makers of the iconic Sweethearts candies, went out of business last summer, according to CNBC. While the Spangler…

Feb 13, 2019 3:45 PM CST