Jay Reeves

Tired of spending large chunks of your day mired in email? Try scheduling specific time blocks for checking your mail. Three times a day – maybe only twice – should do it. Put these check-ins on your daily calendar. Guard those blocks as jealously as you would any other appointment. Another tip: t… Read More

Email impersonation attacks are on the rise, and law firms are feeling the pain. Not only that, but attackers have started bypassing low-level staffers and climbing the ladder to reach partners, managers and C-level executives. Those are some of the findings from a recent survey of IT professionals. “F… Read More

If you practice in Charlotte or Raleigh and are looking for new clients, try brushing up on your skills at representing startups and mom-and-pop shops. Both cities made the list of the Top 25 for 2019 Small Business Growth. In addition, both landed in the top 10 for attracting startups. Read the Biz2Credit Top… Read More

A story of how sometimes going the wrong way is the right thing to do. Read More

Does your system for checking for client conflicts of interest need a tuneup? If you’re only screening for conflicts when you accept a new matter – and not doing it as the case proceeds, especially as new parties get involved – the answer is yes. And if you’re relying on your memory al… Read More

When you think of disasters that can disrupt your practice, you probably imagine hurricanes, floods and other large-scale events. But small-scale interruptions – from a power outage to a computer crash – can cause major headaches as well. “Hiding from the possibility that a disaster will aff… Read More

Every lawyer – and every law student, for that matter – has had the experience of taking a big exam, or standing up in the courtroom, or facing a deadline on a critical project and going completely blank. You. Simply. Choke. It’s one of the worst feelings in the world. And though of course, … Read More

If you’re not convinced that diversity is vital to the success of your practice, you might want to ask your clients how they feel about it. Increasingly, clients – especially corporate ones – are choosing to do business only with law firms that embrace diversity and inclusion. Take Microsoft… Read More

Everyone loves the good feeling you get when you check an item off your to-do list. But that oh-so-gratifying rush could be the very thing that’s preventing you from making more progress at work. In fact, if you ditch the to-do list altogether, your career might really take off. “Lists can be pote… Read More

In a marketing world where branding reigns supreme, law firms can take some lessons from how Dove, Dairy Queen and Disney do it. Dove’s emphasis on simplicity, for instance, is a message that’s irresistible, easily grasped and works as well for law clients as bath-soap buyers. Dollar Tree’s p… Read More

If you’re marketing on social media, you should follow the 80/20 rule: 80 percent of what you post should be useful and interesting to clients and prospects. Twenty percent or less should be about your new hire, an award you just won, or other info promoting your firm. Another tip: every post should inc… Read More

A new support group is helping first-generation students navigate the bewildering – and often biased – landscape of law school. First Generation Professionals was founded at Boston University School of Law in 2017. It provides resources, tools and a sense of community for “first generation pr… Read More

Here’s a modest proposal: instead of 12 hours of mandatory CLE each year, maybe the State Bar should require 12 hours of silence instead. It would be a triple win. The world would be quieter, clients would be happier, and our law lives would improve. Though I suspect some lawyers would howl. Forcing me … Read More

If you’re looking to land a job at a law firm, the best strategy is to get your foot in the door as a summer associate. “There are, of course, people I have known who have gotten jobs in large law firms without being a summer associate first (Yale graduates who work in the State Department during t… Read More

A story of how taking care of self can improve your work life as well. Read More