You may love practicing law, but not every case or assignment is going to be engaging, interesting or fun. When you find yourself putting off an assignment, try to work on it first thing in the morning. With a cup of coffee in your hand and the morning’s motivation at your disposal, you will be […]
These days, it seems like everything that is supposedly good for us is often called a “challenge” such as diets, exercise plans, fundraisers, etc. Calling it a challenge encourages you to start doing it, but it also suggests that it will be difficult, mildly inconvenient and that you get to stop doing it one day. […]
“If you want to see time fly, ask for a two-week adjournment.” I heard a Judge say this during a CLE a few years ago and he was absolutely correct. As the work load becomes heavier the time seems to fly faster and faster. Time moves at an unnatural pace when you are a lawyer. […]
My fellow litigators, have we all experienced this, or is it just me? You meet with a potential client, even though you usually don’t do free consultations. You spend over an hour with them, going over the strengths and weaknesses of their case. They thank you for your time and say they will be back […]
Last week, I argued a fairly straight forward Motion in Superior Court. My co-counsel, adversary and the Judge were all women. There were pointed questions on and off the record regarding the case status and the implications of the grant or denial of the Motion. All parties were prepared and passionate and after nearly an […]
You are a first year associate and it took you 2 hours to fully research an issue and 3 hours to write and proofread a 2-page memo. There’s no way you can bill the time that you actually spent on the project, right? Absolutely. Unless your supervising partner tells you otherwise, bill your time honestly […]
My fellow litigators: how do you save your billable time? Throughout the day, I have so many potential distractions lurking around my work desk. Social media websites and apps on my phone, the temptation to look up sports experts’ reactions to the Detroit Lions’ chances of winning a playoff game (Lions fans: we’ve been here […]
My fellow litigators, as you are aware, you will win some cases and will lose some cases. In reality, you, personally, are not really winning or losing. You are taking the facts you are given in each case and trying to tell the best story that you can. Sometimes those facts are good, sometimes those […]
My fellow Litigators: it is a new year. Do you know how many hours you need to bill this month to be on target for the billable year? Have you estimated how many days you need to work each month this year to satisfy your billable hour requirement? Does the thought of answering these questions […]
To all the litigators out there: If you died tomorrow and you had time to think before you died, would you say to yourself “I wish I had billed more hours” or would you say I wish I spent more time with my family” or “I wish I had spent more time with my friends” […]