The legal industry is principally focused on technology, new models, competition, reregulation and the sustainability of the traditional partnership model—issues that impact stakeholder livelihoods and career trajectories. Defending the rule of law is a less concrete but seminal challenge the industry must focus on in 2020 and beyond.
I have a confession. Until 2016, I thought criminal justice reform meant urban criminal justice reform. I’d been to rural jurisdictions and worked in a rural prison. But rural justice challenges seemed like brutal realities, not policy-driven injustices. One day in rural Louisiana, I learned that I was wrong. In…
Looking back at the past 50 years, life as a lawyer has been fairly stable and good. The legal profession has served as a foundation for all societies around the world, and legal services are in demand both during recessions and economic booms, which has secured legal professionals some incredible salaries.
Showing up on my first day as an associate at a prestigious law firm in Manhattan, the receptionist asked me whose daughter I was. She assumed I was visiting my father, presumably a partner.
We’ve all heard the cliches: You only get one chance to make a first impression, dress for success, and you are what you wear. While these maxims are familiar, they are also true. You are judged in less than seven seconds, so dressing appropriately can help you win or lose your case.
The acclaimed “Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again” exhibit of more than 400 of Andy Warhol’s works has been making the rounds from New York to San Francisco to Chicago. Even casual observers have a sense of Warhol’s groundbreaking pop-art style. Yet there is one surprising legal question of fair use and transformative value that begs consideration: Just what is a “Warhol”?
Being a lawyer is such a mental exercise that we often forget that we have physical bodies we need to maintain and nurture. This often results in poor health, stress, fatigue and even addiction. What better time to start a new habit than the new year! We all have unused resolutions. Here are some that are actually good for you.
The ABA Journal’s Your Voice column is a unique outlet for lawyers to talk to each other, peer to peer. Unlike our reported stories, which demand objectivity and broader looks at legal issues impacting the nation, the Your Voice column is specifically for those who are living and breathing the profession of law every single day.
We are nearing that time of year again, namely, the beginning of the next year. Resolution time. During the 40-plus years of my litigation practice, I made my share of resolutions on how to optimize my practice habits and routines, winning some and losing some. Given that I have more time now to reflect on these issues, I made a resolution to share some of my resolution experiences.
It’s Monday morning in October, and Jodi Goodwin, one of the Rio Grande Valley’s premier immigration lawyers, has just arrived at the big white tents set up as makeshift courts at the edge of the Rio Grande river in Brownsville, Texas. Her clients, a family from Guatemala, have an initial…
The ABA Journal wants to host and facilitate conversations among lawyers about their profession. We are now accepting thoughtful, non-promotional articles and commentary by unpaid contributors.
