Answering Legal has released its list of “11 Books Every Lawyer Should Read,” and Stop Putting Out Fires is among them. The article also contains a conversation with each of the authors. Here is a snippet of my interview: What are some of the biggest time management mistakes you see lawyers making today? Jeremy: “I’ll speak for myself here – being disorganized. In fact just yesterday, I spent a couple of hours updating the spreadsheet that tells me the status and next steps of all the matters in my caseload. When I’m disorganized, my stress levels are higher, I work...
Inasmuch as 2018 was a year of personal growth and development for my book choices, 2019 … is not. Last year, I read books like Ian Cron’s The Road Back to You and Susan Cain’s Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking. I wrote mini-reviews of all the books I read last year. The tone of what I’m reading in 2019 has been — it’s just been different. And fun. Here’s what I’m reading in 2019 In 2019, I’ve been reading gobs of science fiction and fantasy. I’ve re-read the entire Harry Potter series and...
Over the weekend, my first book Building a Better Law Practice had its first birthday. Of course, I didn’t have much time to revel in its launch last year since our second kiddo was born a couple of days later. It was rather a busy few … months for us after that. Actually, things haven’t really slowed down since then. We’ve just gotten acclimated to how much busier things are with two kids. Nevertheless, it’s a book that I’m proud of. I learned a great deal, not only in the writing of the book but also in going through the...
You likely know by now that my second book, Stop Putting Out Fires (Amazon), launched on Thursday, May 2. Thanks to the support of my regular readers, my friends in LawyerSmack, and others out there who have come across it, the book has had a pretty successful first few days in the wild. While I don’t know the exact sales numbers yet, I don’t mind telling you that between orders and pre-orders, Stop Putting Out Fires has already sold more copies than my first book, Building a Better Law Practice, did in its first two months of existence. Reviews of...
I can’t express how excited I am about today, launch day for my new book Stop Putting Out Fires. I have been thinking about it and planning it for months now. But before I tell you about the Launch Day Giveaway, I wanted to share an email I received this week from one of the lawyers who has read both of my books: “Building a Better Law Practice helped me think big picture on case management, and Stop Putting Out Fires gives me productive ways to fix my weakness of being disorganized and making clients happier. They really work well...
I consumed about 40 books last year. I say consumed rather than read because about 2/3 of them were via audiobook, and some people draw a distinction between reading and listening to books. Nevertheless, below are the books I read last year and a sentence or two about what I thought of them. For the last 15 years, I’ve kept a 4-star rating system for every book I’ve read, so I’ve included that here for some additional context. I hope you find this enjoyable and it gives you some ideas for future reading. Robert Olmstead’s Far Bright Star (***): A...
Ben Wright, of The Editing Lawyer, interviewed me on his podcast about episode why and how I started my blog, how I turned it into a book (Building a Better Law Practice) published by the ABA, and what my plans for future books are. Actually, this was the first time I publicly discussed future books that are in various stages of outlining, brainstorming, or are about 90% completed — you can infer from that last party that I will release my second book in 2019. You can listen to our discussion here: Episode 5 – From Blog to Book.
Lately, my reading has been pretty heavy with much of it consisting of cartels, the sinking of the Lusitania, and the strengths and weaknesses of being an introvert. So when my friend Alex told me he’d written a new book about a couple of dogs that get into some shenanigans, I was all in. Dr. Alex Valentine’s new book Zip & Milly is about two Spaniels who emigrate from Europe to Ducklingburg in the American South. The Old Lady who owns Zip and Milly is a scientist who has made an incredible discovery – eternal youth, and possibly immortality. As you might...
I have hobbies and interests that take away from time I could otherwise be working and billing clients. This blog is an example, as is my forthcoming book Building a Better Law Practice. It took me years to come to terms with it being okay to take time for myself. But now I understand that having a hobby and taking time to recharge are essential, not only for a healthy me, but also for a healthier practice. Although times are a-changin’ that’s still a minority view in many circles. If you are a lawyer considering or in the midst of pursuing...
It isn’t often that a novel is capable of hurtling you decades into your own past and rekindling thoughts of people and feelings long since buried in the hubris of life. For me The Barrowfields was such a book. We meet book’s protagonist Henry as an adolescent North Carolina boy and journey with him into adulthood, through both adventures and tragedy. When Henry went to law school and his experience was more-or-less appropriately harrowing, I looked to see if the author of The Barrowfields, Phillip Lewis, was a lawyer by trade. When I found that he is a lawyer with a...