Question of the Week

Are You More Productive Working at the Office, or Working from Home?

Last month, we did a post on the findings of a research report stating that work-at-home employees “end up getting lower performance evaluations, smaller raises, and fewer promotions” than those who put in more face time at the office. This may or may not be an issue for you personally—you…

Aug 8, 2012 7:46 PM CDT

What Was the Strangest Thing You Saw at the Bar Exam?

We’ve heard many stories of bizarre occurrences at the bar exam, and not all of them were tall tales. Last year we reported about a Northwestern law grad who went into labor during the bar exam but stayed until she had completed the test–and she passed! Last week, Bloomberg Law…

Aug 1, 2012 7:48 PM CDT

Where Were You Five Years Ago?

On Monday, July 23, ABAJournal.com celebrated its 5th anniversary. Ah, 2007–how long ago it seems! The iPhone had just been released. Spider-Man 3 was the top-grossing movie. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows had just come out. No one had heard of our most prolific commenter, B. McLeod. It was…

Jul 25, 2012 4:45 PM CDT

What Is Your All-Time Favorite Legal Novel?

This week, Michael Connelly’s legal thriller The Fifth Witness was named the winner of the 2nd Annual Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. The book features recurring Connelly character Mickey Haller (aka “The Lincoln Lawyer” and the inspiration for that 2011 film), a maverick Los Angeles lawyer who after having…

Jul 18, 2012 8:22 PM CDT

What’s Your Favorite Legal Show on TV Right Now?

Last week, actor Andy Griffith died at the age of 86. While he is best known for the 1960s sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, many lawyers and others also remember him for his role as Ben Matlock in the show of the same name. While Ben Matlock only garnered an…

Jul 11, 2012 8:33 PM CDT

What’s the Best Lawyer Vanity License Plate You’ve Seen?

Deadspin noticed a vanity plate—JLA ESQ—on the SUV of Joe Amendola, who recently represented former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky at his trial on sex abuse charges. (The website also noticed an expired vehicle registration sticker.) Earlier, the ABA asked readers on Facebook about lawyers’ license plates. As you hit…

Jul 3, 2012 8:19 PM CDT

Do You Think Your Law School’s Name and Reputation Affected Your Career Path? For Better or Worse?

This week, U.S. News & World Report took note of where the 46 Fortune 500 CEOs with JDs went to law school. Eight of those 46 went to Harvard, the story noted, and five went to law schools outside of U.S. News’ top 100. But how much did it ultimately…

Jun 27, 2012 7:16 PM CDT

How Does Your Firm Handle Unlicensed Law Grads? What Happens If They Fail the Bar Exam?

Last week, Maricopa County, Ariz., currently in a billing dispute with Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak and Stewart, filed a would-be class action claiming fraud and breach of contract stating that there were 36 instances in which Ogletree Deakins classified nonattorney law grads as associates for billing purposes. The firm previously…

Jun 20, 2012 5:39 PM CDT

Ever Had Job-Related Weight Gain? If So, How Did You Battle It? Or How Have You Always Prevented It?

This week, we noted a Careerbuilder survey reporting that lawyers and judges are among those most likely to report a weight gain at their current job. We’d like to know if this is true for you. Have you ever had job-related weight gain? What were the specific culprits? If so,…

Jun 13, 2012 6:08 PM CDT

Tell Us About the Best Law School Professor You Ever Had

All over the nation, school years are coming to a close, and many law school graduates have just left teachers and classrooms—well, aside from bar exam prep—behind them forever. So this week, at the suggestion of a reader, we’d like to ask you to tell us about the best law…

Jun 6, 2012 5:56 PM CDT

Do You Curse in Your Workplace? If So, in What Situations?

A story in last week’s Wall Street Journal explores whether cursing on the job can hurt one’s career. Fired Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz said at a conference last month that she “probably wouldn’t have said the F-word” as often if she had a do-over with the Internet corporation, the newspaper…

May 30, 2012 7:33 PM CDT

Did You Get a Prenup Before Marrying? Would You Ever? When Would You Tell a Client to Get a Prenup?

Many news outlets took notice of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s surprise wedding one day after his company’s initial public offering, and speculated that Zuckerberg and his now-wife probably signed a prenuptial agreement before walking down the aisle. This week we’d like to ask you: Did you get a prenup before…

May 23, 2012 4:51 PM CDT

Have You Ever Asked a Particularly Bold Question on a Job Interview? Did It Succeed or Backfire?

Last week at the Careerist, Vivia Chen took note of a post at Forbes’ Crossing Borders blog in which the post’s author, Maseena Ziegler, described a bold interview move she used repeatedly while in her 20s. At the end of the interview, when her interviewer would ask her if she…

May 16, 2012 4:51 PM CDT

Should All Lawyers Be Required to Do Pro Bono or Monetarily Contribute to Legal Services Offices?

Many readers and law bloggers had a strong reaction to last week’s Law Day announcement by New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman that all would-be lawyers will have to perform 50 hours of pro bono before they can get a law license in the state. Most who had something to…

May 9, 2012 5:17 PM CDT

What Continues to Inspire You About the Practice of Law?

This week, the American Bar Association and lawyers across the country celebrated Law Day on May 1 with essay contests, mock trials, town hall meetings to inspire Americans to reflect on the role of law and recognize its importance. So this week, as we recognize Law Day, we’d like you…

May 2, 2012 6:05 PM CDT