Articles

If you are a plaintiff’s lawyer, I’ll bet all too often you receive a responsive pleading contesting service of the summons and complaint and personal jurisdiction over the defendant. Sometimes your client’s case may be threatened if the statute of limitations has expired.   Read More +

Want to maximize what’s working in your Law Life and minimize what’s keeping you stuck? Try a Discernment Consultation.   Read More +

The most frequently asked question we receive in the Underwriting Department is “do I need tail coverage?”  This, of course, leads to questions about what it is, how does it work, and what is the cost. Every attorney’s situation is different, and you should speak with one of our underwriters about your specific situation.  With that said, let’s review the basic concepts of tail coverage to help you answer this question.     Read More +

Retirees returning to work is a rising trend in the workplace. Camille Stell interviews attorney Will Graebe on his unexpected return to work and lessons learned.   Read More +

Over the last few years, Lawyers Mutual has seen an increase in Estates and Trusts (E&T) claims.  In 2021, E&T claims were the third most common claims according to area of practice.  Only Plaintiff’s personal injury and residential real estate generated more claims by practice area.  Errors occur in both estate planning and estate administration. Two common E&T errors are:   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 +

Service by email? Ugh! If you are like me, you overlook important emails often. It’s understandable; most of them don’t need to be read anyway. Other times, essential emails go directly to my spam folder, and I don’t see them for days because I’m not diligent about checking my spam filt… Read More +

Have you ever wished for a group of experts down the hall who were available anytime to answer any questions about building your law practice? With a virtual community, you have just that – a group of experts ready and willing to help. A virtual community is simply a group of folks with common interests who use an internet platform to share ideas. 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 +

Is military disability retired pay divisible in divorce? Is Concurrent Disability and Retired Pay divisible? A recent administrative ruling by the Department of Defense sheds new light on dividing CRDP when there is a disability retirement and a divorce.  Let’s see what the new rule is.   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 +

Let me have a show of hands. Does a counterclaim relate back to the filing date of the complaint? (Raise your hand if you think so) or is the counterclaim governed by the applicable statute of limitations? (Same response). I know I’ve had this discussion with other lawyers over the years.   Read More +

Real Estate practitioners are frequently reminded in CLEs, email blasts and newsletters of the importance of blocking and closing equity lines. Unfortunately, title insurers continue to see claims presented because proper procedure is not followed, and all too often, we are presented with subrogation demands. T… Read More +

Thousands of servicemembers have been deployed in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  Naval frigates, surveillance aircraft, artillery units and brigade combat teams are all heading out as part of the first-ever NATO Response Force. Undoubtedly some of the servicemembers (SMs) will be involved in civil cases, administrative legal proceedings, and family law litigation.  Some of these SMs will likely ask the court to freeze the case during a deployment (or any period in which the SM is unavailable due to assigned duties), so the status quo will remain while the SM is not available.   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 +

What do you think is the number one complaint clients have about their lawyers? It is not lack of knowledge or competence. It is not even dissatisfaction with the outcome of a matter or the cost to the client.  A BTI Consulting Group Survey indicates that failure to keep a client adequately informed is far and above the number one complaint clients have.   Read More +

There are 1.3 million lawyers in the United States, and 30,000 of them live in North Carolina. Nationwide, there are approximately four lawyers for every 1,000 residents, but most lawyers work in urban areas. Many rural areas of the country have few or no lawyers. Legal experts call these legal deserts.   Read More +

The Pentagon has deployed thousands of servicemembers in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  Naval frigates, surveillance aircraft, artillery units and brigade combat teams are all heading out as part of the first-ever NATO Response Force.   Read More +