Images can be powerful storytelling tools

I often wonder why, assuming court rules permit it, lawyers don't incorporate more visual images—photographs and diagrams, including depictions of exhibits introduced at trial—directly into their briefs and court filings, especially after this type of evidence is introduced at trial.

Feb 1, 2016 2:10 AM CST

Duty to report cases of child abuse involving clients is not absolute, says state ethics opinion

Jan 1, 2016 2:40 AM CST

Life experience and cognitive science deepen the case for mindfulness in the law

It seems a lifetime ago, when I lived in the South. A little girl in Kinston, North Carolina, I was at the local grocery store when one of the white men who ran it saw me place something in my pocket, rushed over and snatched my hand, expecting to find…

Jan 1, 2016 2:30 AM CST

Behavioral economist’s work offers lessons for legal storytellers about judgment and decision-making

In these pages last May, Bryan Garner referenced the "halo effect" from behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman's 2011 book, Thinking, Fast and Slow.

Jan 1, 2016 2:20 AM CST

Lawyers engaging in debt collection may be regulated by a New York City ordinance, say courts

The New York Court of Appeals has ruled that a New York City ordinance regulating lawyers who serve as general debt collectors does not intrude upon the state's authority to regulate attorney conduct and the practice of law. The Court of Appeals, New York's highest court, issued its decision June…

Dec 1, 2015 3:00 AM CST

30 more words to test your pronunciation skills

If you took the pronunciation quiz in last month's issue, you may well have had any of several reactions, some negative. (1) Denial: That can't be right! I've never heard it that way. (2) Dismissiveness: This is trivial. This stuff doesn't really matter! (3) Defiance: Who the heck is Charles…

Dec 1, 2015 2:50 AM CST

How to appear confident and self-assured, even when you’re not

Into your mind pops the image of a lawyer. Is it Atticus Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird? Is it the Atticus Finch of Go Set a Watchman? Vinny Gambini in My Cousin Vinny? In other words: Who is your role model? And how do you measure up?

Dec 1, 2015 2:40 AM CST

Disciplinary actions against lawyers who commit acts of domestic violence appear to be on the rise

One in three women and one in four men in the United States above the age of 18 have been subjected to acts of physical violence by an intimate partner, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and some experts describe the problem as a national epidemic. To mark…

Nov 1, 2015 2:30 AM CST

Is your pronunciation on point? Take this quiz to find out

Every so often a news item appears about how a particular legal term is most properly pronounced. Certiorari, for example, surfaces from time to time. Last year an article on this very point by James J. Duane, appearing in The Green Bag, went viral. Duane documented six different pronunciations of…

Nov 1, 2015 2:20 AM CST

Litigation is no laughing matter to your clients

Humor is the lubricant that enables us to slide through the obstacles life places in our way. That's why we say: "If I didn't laugh, I'd cry." But for lawyers, in the serious business of helping our clients, humor is a no-no. I don't mean in your personal life. I…

Nov 1, 2015 2:10 AM CST

Drastic change needed in ‘outdated and unworkable’ lawyer advertising rules, says report

The Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers is calling for a drastic streamlining of ethics rules governing lawyer advertising. APRL says the change would make it easier for attorneys to reach out to consumers without having to navigate a maze of regulatory barriers adopted by the states, despite rulings by the…

Oct 1, 2015 8:29 AM CDT

Tips on organizing your table of contents for statutory and contractual interpretations

Oct 1, 2015 7:55 AM CDT

How social emotions can influence jury deliberations

I am driving to the law school where I work, listening to Sirius radio. The Bridge plays music from the 1960s and '70s. Carly Simon sings "You're so vain. I bet you think this song is about you, don't you, don't you?" with Mick Jagger adding a sneering background vocal…

Oct 1, 2015 7:50 AM CDT

Good headings show you’ve thought out your arguments well in advance

The most important part of a brief? That depends on whom you ask. Some say the issue statements. Others say page 1 (which ought to amount to the same thing). Still others say the statement of facts. A few say the conclusion. But one of my favorite answers is the…

Sep 1, 2015 6:00 AM CDT

Which materials do lawyers have to turn over to ex-clients? ABA committee cites 1977 opinion

Sep 1, 2015 2:30 AM CDT