Archive

Because in our line of work, time is money, I keep close track of my billable hours. I write my time entries down after each billable event. When I hear about lawyers not writing down time for a couple of days and having to go back and recreate it, I shudder. People are generally lousy […]

In January of 2018, in the middle of the college football national championship game, Nick Saban substituted out his quarterback Jalen Hurts, who had led Alabama to its second consecutive national title game. Saban sent in his true freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa, who by all accounts was expected to be the next great quarterback. In […]

Good goals are a beacon to let you know you’re headed in the right direction. They enable you throughout the course of a year to review your list to affirm whether you are taking actions to help you achieve the goals you’ve set.  Without goals, you are a boat adrift at sea. You can paddle […]

When I look at my traffic on the blog every month, the same few articles are at the top of the heap every time: Objecting to Discovery Requests under the new FRCP 34; Beware of Bogus Requests for Admission; Your Client Died during the Case – How about a Suggestion of Death?; and What Is a Party’s Duty […]

How many times have you heard something to this effect: “The key to getting clients is to just do great work.” Well, I’m here to tell you that’s a partial truth, at best. Clients expect you to do great work. Clients expect great work. That’s what happens when you pay upwards of $150/hour for someone’s […]

I was involved in a multiparty email exchange about a pre-trial scheduling order. As sometimes happens in conversations among many lawyers about how much time to allot to discovery, expert disclosures, and dispositive motion deadlines, things went a little sideways. And since all this communication was occurring by email, no one could read anyone’s tone, […]

Before going to law school, I was a high school teacher. I stood in front of classrooms of kids all day. During the fall, I coached football. In the winter, I helped with the basketball program. In the spring, I went to a lot of baseball games. And when on summer break, I framed houses […]

A couple of weeks ago, I got a message on LinkedIn from a headhunter asking if she could talk to me about an available job with another firm in town. I’m happy where I’m at and not interested in moving, but I told her I would talk to her anyway. I’ve long tried to operate […]

If you are a lawyer who’s been grinding away for a couple of years at a job that makes you miserable, a job you hate, you need to read this. You need to stop whatever you’re doing, to receive some hope and encouragement. Maybe you don’t know there are other options. Perhaps you don’t think […]

Myth: Marketing Is for Extroverts In times gone by, marketing was done by wining and dining clients and potential clients. Wining and dining is the preference of extroverts. Those personalities who thrive on engagement with others. It was the way of the world. And there is still a place for that, but there are also […]