Question of the Week

Have You Thanked a Lawyer Today?

To our delight, we learned that Tuesday was National Be Kind to Lawyers Day. The special day of recognition for lawyers was the brainchild of Steve Hughes, a nonlawyer from St. Louis who’s worked for years consulting with lawyers on presentation skills. Tired of lawyer jokes and pity from friends…

Apr 14, 2010 7:07 PM CDT

Ever Had an Unpaid Law Internship? Hired an Unpaid Intern?

In a post this week, we noted reports that some states and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division are stepping up enforcement of potential violations by companies that offer unpaid internships that violate Labor Department standards. “If you’re a for-profit employer or you want to pursue an…

Apr 7, 2010 9:03 PM CDT

What Was Your Most Grueling Year?

We did a post last week about a former associate at Sedgwick Detert Moran & Arnold who was suing the firm over his firing. Alan Levy said in his suit that he was fired upon returning from a seven-month medical leave after a breakdown prompted in part by working at…

Mar 31, 2010 6:34 PM CDT

Who’s More Equipped to Prompt Change: Clients or Lawyers?

We heard this week at the Georgetown Law Firm Evolution symposium that there’s a general expectation from in-house lawyers that private firms should lead the charge to collaborate and come up with creative solutions. But the law firms think it’s general counsel who should lead the way. This made us…

Mar 24, 2010 9:43 PM CDT

How Many Hours Per Week Do You Telecommute?

This week, Above the Law ran a blind item about a BigLaw partner who stated at a firm luncheon that he did not believe lawyers who said they were working from home; and if they are not in the office, he does not believe they were working. The post conceded…

Mar 17, 2010 5:32 PM CDT

Sunday Bulletins & Hot Dog Carts, What Advertising Method Works for You?

In this month’s issue of the magazine, we reported on lawyers who advertise their services in church bulletins. We soon after learned about a hot dog cart owner in Houston who sells ad space to lawyers who practice at the nearby courthouse. This made us wonder about what gimmicky or…

Mar 10, 2010 8:25 PM CST

Do You Plan to Practice Law Well into Old Age?

Last year, we asked readers about their retirement game plans as some lawyers were fighting for retirement benefits and others were acknowledging that retirement probably wasn’t an option. But lately all we seem to be seeing are lawyers determined to practice until the bitter end: There’s the 79-year-old law grad;…

Mar 3, 2010 7:52 PM CST

Which SCOTUS Opening Argument Do You Wish You Could Have Witnessed?

Georgetown University law student Mike Sacks has a blog and a plan: To be first in line at the U.S. Supreme Court the night before “every politically salient case from January through April,” report from the line, and cover oral arguments via Twitter and posts at First One @ One…

Feb 24, 2010 8:39 PM CST

Would Your Kid Mischief Have You Facing Suspension—or Police—Today?

We’ve read a series of stories lately about children being suspended and removed from Advanced Placement classes for complaining about a teacher on Facebook, nearly suspended for bringing a 2-inch Lego gun to class, arrested for doodling and charged with a felony for stabbing a classmate with a pencil. For…

Feb 17, 2010 7:21 PM CST

When Watching TV, What Makes You Scream: ‘That’s Not Legal!’

More than 38 million viewers stuck around after the Super Bowl last week to watch Undercover Boss—a reality show in which a senior executive at a major corporation works incognito in an entry-level position at his or her own company for one week. We look forward to seeing execs go…

Feb 10, 2010 7:29 PM CST

Do ‘Super Lawyer’ Designations and the Like Matter to You?

This week, Thomson Reuters announced it had purchased the consumer-oriented Super Lawyers attorney rating system. That move—along with the ABA Journal’s story this month about law firms being wary of client ratings from Avvo and ACC’s Value Index—had us wondering what you make of all this. So tell us ……

Feb 3, 2010 5:11 PM CST

Was Law School Part of Your Fallback Plan?

Reports this week that Vinny Guadagnino of Jersey Shore fame is considering law school as a fallback plan brought to mind similar statements we’ve heard over the years from those who went to law school because nothing else was working out at the time. This made us wonder how many…

Jan 27, 2010 8:10 PM CST

What Are You Charging in 2010?

This week, we had coffee with Blaine Kimrey, the managing partner of Lathrop & Gage’s new Chicago office. Kimrey says his former Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal clients couldn’t be happier with his move to the Am Law 200 regional firm because his rates are now less for the same expertise.…

Jan 20, 2010 10:21 PM CST

What Are the Unwritten Rules of Law Firm Life?

In a Slaw post today, blogger Dan Michaluk started listing, in no particular order, “The Dos, Don’ts and Truths of Law Firm Life.” Two of his rules: Rule #685 Don’t hang a picture of yourself wearing a bathing suit in your office. Rule #441 If you’re under 50 and using…

Jan 13, 2010 9:07 PM CST

What Was Your Starting Salary at Your First Law Job?

Controversy and debate over BigLaw starting salaries has been around far longer ABAJournal.com has been here to report it. Some firms, as layoffs and deferrals and salary freezes went on promised to bring salaries back to peak levels, and some of those firms have already done it. Other firms have…

Jan 6, 2010 6:33 PM CST