Recently in People and Events Category

It looks like there’s a holdup in Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Jill Pryor’s confirmation. Georgia Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson have not submitted “blue slips” to allow the Senate Judiciary Committee to proceed with a hearing on Pryor, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Chambliss and Isakson indicated to the White House in January that they would not block Jill Pryor's nomination to the bench, though they preferred Troutman Sanders partner Mark Cohen for the position. The Journal-Constitution noted that Cohen served as executive counsel and chief of staff to former Gov. Zell Miller, a conservative Democrat, while Pryor often donates to Democrats, and gave $2,500 to Obama's re-election campaign.

After years of Head & Shoulders' "You never get a second chance to make a first impression" commercials, we're basically convinced that initial perceptions are how we will be judged in life. Sure, it was a marketing campaign, and we shouldn't base our life choices on what Madison Avenue says, but repetitive messages have a hypnotic effect.

For lawyers, that message is probably true. If a prospective client goes online to find an attorney and is unimpressed by a lawyer's website, the attorney probably won't get the gig. That's just one reason why lawyers need to focus on building an effective brand.

It’s time to celebrate pro bono work in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The American Bar Association’s (ABA) Celebrate Pro Bono Week is October 23-29.

ABA Model Rule 6.1 recommends that every lawyer provide 50 hours of pro bono service each year, but a recent survey administered revealed that only approximately one-fourth of respondents had provided 50 hours or more of free legal services to persons of limited means or to organizations that support the needs of persons of limited means.