Some law students dream of a gig that involves litigating from day one; that usually means working for the government.
Government experience -- whether working for a city, state, or the feds -- is certainly valuable, but it's often a stepping stone in a legal career. At least, it was for Gregory Mouton, Jr.
Wanted: Young, Black, Female, Muslim Attorney experienced in Herpes defense.
That’s the short version of this excruciatingly intricate request from a prominent member of the Marin County, California community. We could make tasteless jokes about the thirty-year age difference between the man-behind-the-ad and his baby mama, or about herpes transmission (eww), but that just wouldn’t be becoming.
Instead, we’re just going to use this as an opportunity to warn you of a few signs of the hypothetical client from hell.
Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to be called out by a federal appellate court for neglecting to update your email address in the electronic case filing (ECF) system?
No? Let's it keep it that way.
Aside from a self-serving desire to avoid public shaming, it could also help your clients. Unfortunately, we learn that lesson this week from a cautionary tale.
There are two ways to increase your profits when running a law firm. The first, and most obvious method, is to bring in more business. The second method is to cut law firm expenses.
We've written about rainmaking and trying to bring in more business on several occasions. You can read about it here, here, and here.
In this post, we focus on how you can grow your bottom line by cutting down on expenses. Here are five tips:
You have enough to worry about when trying a case. You have to make sure that your arguments are in order, exhibits are ready, and that your client is prepped. But one thing you may not be able to control is jury bias against fat people.
Let's say that you represent an obese client. Whether it is a criminal or civil trial, you may be behind the eight ball even before opening arguments. At least that's what a recent Yale study found, reports Reuters.
Connecticut lawyer Irving Pinsky filed a Newtown school shooting claim last week, the precursor to what he said would be a $100 million lawsuit. But now Pinsky has dropped his claim amid backlash and accusations of attempting to profit off the terrible tragedy.
While Pinsky represented a very sympathetic figure in the shootings -- a 6-year-old survivor who allegedly overheard the entire ordeal over the school's intercom system -- the lawyer went about the lawsuit all wrong, leading to the embarrassing rescission.
Pinsky can still refile his claim at a later date; however, for now, the lawyer will have to lick his wounds and think about his next steps. So if he had a chance for a do-over, what should Pinsky have done differently? Here are three lessons for lawyers:
Highly paid expert witnesses played a pivotal role in the patent infringement lawsuit between Apple and Samsung. But for a small firm or solo attorney, when do you need to hire expert witnesses for your own case?
Apple's legal team reportedly paid their experts more than $50,000 each to take the stand. Of course, the high-stakes lawsuit involved complex patents and technology that most laymen do not understand. In that case, the use of experts made sense.
However, paying expert witnesses tens of thousands of dollars could bankrupt many small firms. As a result, you should ask yourself the following questions before hiring an expert:
So you decided to start your own firm.
You got your practice areas set, a name for your law firm, and you might even have a website.
But before you jump in and start doing legal work, it's probably a good idea to brush up on the rules of professional responsibility. It could end up saving you a lot of heartache -- and possibly your bar card.
Ask most trial attorneys what's the hardest part about their job and they'll probably say winning over a jury. It's no easy task. People are fickle and can be influenced in very unpredictable ways. So wouldn't it be great if you could just hack a juror's minds?
It might actually be possible. And no, this doesn't require some "Matrix" type human modifications. All you need for this feat is your voice, according to an article in Psychology Today.
How does it work? It's actually pretty simple.
Small claims court can pose a conundrum for attorneys. In many states, lawyers are not allowed to represent clients in small claims -- a ban that's meant to keep things simple when small amounts are in controversy.
But if a litigant asks for help with a small claims case, you don't have to turn her away, the Out-House General Counsel blog suggests. Even states that don't allow lawyers in small claims courtrooms do allow parties to consult lawyers outside of court to help prepare their cases.
If you find yourself in the role of a small claims consultant, here are four general areas you'll want to discuss with the party:
