Articles

Want a New Year’s Resolution that’s free, painless and guaranteed to improve your Law Life? Resolve to make 2023 the Year of Managed Expectations.  To succeed, you don’t have to join a gym, swear off Ghirardelli Premium Chocolate Squares, or cancel Netflix. You will have to change your thinking – and perhaps a behavior or two. But if you stick with it, great riches will come your way. Read More +

Over the years, I have represented lots of lawyers who had unsatisfying Law Lives because they were chasing after the wrong things.  This was not my judgment, mind you. This was by their own admission, though it often took them a while to realize it. For years – sometimes decades – they had been too busy waking up each morning, putting on their lawyer hat, and doing what they did the day before to indulge in career introspection. Besides, it seemed to be working. Their practices were thriving, their appointment calendars full, their in-box overflowing.   Read More +

I love old buildings – the grander, statelier and more steeped in history the better. It’s one reason I was attracted to the law in the first place. This attraction dates back to my childhood in Kingstree, South Carolina. Three blocks west of the house I grew up in was the magnificent Williamsburg County courthouse. Its multilevel front steps opened onto a wide portico with towering columns and a massive door like the door to a castle.   Read More +

This story begins with a $10 million dollar Mickey Mantle baseball card and ends with the statute of limitations. In between is a lesson for your Law Life on letting go of the past.   Read More +

Friends, lawyers, colleagues, lend me your ears: I come to bury “work-life balance,” not to praise it. The phrase belongs in the Dustbin of the Obsolete, along with the pet rock, Chevy Vega, Blockbuster Video membership card and Ronco Rhinestone Stud Setter. And good riddance, I say. The idea that your “work” and your “life” are two separate, distinct things on opposite ends of some cosmic scale has long passed its expiration date. The stress of finding the perfect balance between your personal and professional selves, the struggle to maintain it for a minute, an hour, a whole day. Who needs it?   Read More +

Once there was a lawyer who froze. It happened at a bad moment – a terrible one, professionally speaking. He was standing before a room full of other lawyers giving a CLE presentation on the 10 Building Blocks of a Successful Law Practice. Within minutes of starting, an attendee asked an impossible question, and his brain shut down.    Read More +

There are many times you need to ask that your clients send you files. Most everyone knows how to attach files and send via email, but is there a better way? Are there a lot of files? Large files? Do the files hold sensitive information like bank records, taxes, or insurance claims? There are many ways to securely request files that will make it easier and more secure for you and your clients. And you probably have the tools to do so already!   Read More +

This is the story of a young basketball fan, a perfect season that ended in heartbreak, and a mother who kept things real. Tucked in there like a cross-hand dribble is a little message about law, life and what really matters in both.   Read More +

This year for my birthday I gave myself the gift of hernia surgery. I cannot say it was the most fun gift ever, but still, I am grateful. Technically what I had was an Inguinal Hernia Repair – the awful name suggests the unpleasantness of the procedure – and I came away with not only a reinforced abdominal wall but also some valuable Law Lessons and the World’s Best BLT Sandwich. Here’s hoping this story will add a little brightness to Your Law Life too.   Read More +

Here’s some free advice: if you want to make your clients happy, don’t give them too many choices. That may sound counterintuitive. After all, it’s their case. They’re the Ultimate Deciders. Your job is to supply the map, point out different routes to the destination, and let them choose. Read More +

This Valentine’s Day, if you’re seeking a sweet role model for your Law Life, look no further than Minnie Minoso. Saturnino Orestes Armas Miñoso – better known by baseball fans as “Mr. White Sox” or “The Cuban Comet” or just Minnie – was not only a wonder on the ballfield. He was also a trailblazer ...   Read More +

Here’s a tip for a terrific Law Life: make room for a little astonishment each day. You may find it’s easier said than done. Nothing surprises us anymore. We’ve seen and heard it all. We can stream any movie ever made, listen to any song ever recorded, google the answer to any question ever asked.   Read More +