Where can I get templates?
Can someone suggest some resources to get templates for retainer agreements (specific to state and practice area), contracts, riders, settlement agreements, etc?
View ArticleNotary Public: Should Lawyers be / not be Notaries?
What say you Lawyerist fellows? Should a lawyer, particually in a smaller office, be a notary? Or, do you require your secretary to be a notary in order to separate the responsibility? In Michigan a...
View ArticleHow to Have a Bad Day in Court (the Prenda Law Saga)
I am not even going to try to do justice to the royal clusterf--k that is the Prenda Law litigation, especially since others have done a far better job than I could hope to. See Popehat's coverage, for...
View ArticleWhat motivates you (or not) to do pro bono?
The death of an important figure in Minnesota's pro bono community has me thinking about the importance of pro bono legal work. For a long time, I have been working on a post encouraging lawyers to do...
View ArticleBusiness emails sent during non-business hours
I'm a solo and I do a lot of work during non-business hours, particularly since I became a dad. A lot of my work involves drafting and responding to correspondence with clients, opposing counsel, and...
View ArticleLegal Writing in Plain English: Just try to stop it!
It was heartening to get to work today and open a contract that began with: This Master Lease Agreement (“Lease Agreement”) has been written in clear, easy to understand English." This was followed by...
View ArticleABA Annual Meeting
Making my maiden voyage to an ABA event. Any idea what the dress code is for CLE and that sort of thing. We tend to be business casual or less for these types of events in Indiana. Appreciate the...
View ArticleHow (and when) is it appropriate to deal with opposing counsel who is also a...
There are plenty of good old boys out there practicing law, and I'm sure many of you have encountered one in the course of litigation. In my blog post this afternoon, I said in a parenthetical that...
View ArticleAny good practice manuals for estate planning?
Hello everyone,I have been lurking for a few weeks now. I am happy to have found a blog and forum with so many helpful articles and posts as I start my own practice. I have spent pretty much my whole...
View Articlehow to predict opposition's argument in a legal battle?
any idea?how to know what the opponent is going to argue? if they are going to object my argument or not? what evidence, questions they are going to ask in response to my argument?what a judge thinks...
View ArticleLetterhead On Work Product?
I generally put my letterhead (logo on top, contact info on bottom) on most documents I generate except actual work. Some examples in which I use my letterhead are, of course, letters to...
View ArticleSample Plan of Liquidation for a Delaware Corporation
Does anyone have a sample plan of liquidation for a Delaware corporation they would be willing to share? I need a starting point.
View ArticleReferral Fees
I've been asking around, but I can't seem to get a straight answer out of anyone regarding referral fees between attorneys. I'm trying to poll the audience to get a sense of what I should be giving a...
View ArticleGetting your clients to understand you
My Insider note today:How (not) to talk to clientsMost of the time you are talking, your clients probably have no idea what you are talking about. You use normal words like complaint, agreement, and...
View ArticleRebut Counter Arguments Like the Supremes Do
U.S. Supreme Court Justice’s that is. As a legal researcher and writer for attorneys, rebutting a counter argument is fun to me (yes, I’m actually serious). It’s like a delicate salsa dance. Being law...
View ArticlePro Bono Work -- Use a Fee/Engagement Agreement?
It's good policy to have any paying clients sign an engagement agreement (I prefer that term to "fee agreement"), setting out the terms and scope of representation. Does anyone do this with pro bono...
View ArticleManaging Closed Files
I am about a year into practice and am just now getting enough closed files to make a storage solution necessary. Right now, I have the files packed into accountant boxes and stashed in our basement....
View ArticleVeterans representation
I'm in the process of opening my practice with a focus of representing veterans before the VA... Is there anyone on the Lab who already has such a practice?
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Avoid Hangry Judges; Schedule Hearings After Meals
[J]udges appear to be much more inclined to approve a parole request when they’ve just come off a break. In contrast, they reject far more requests than usual the closer they get to break time — and...
View ArticleCLEs from National Business Institute Seminar?
Has anyone used these folks for their CLEs? They have a $1299/year for unlimited CLEs in person and over the web. I am venturing into a new practice area and it seems like an efficient way to get up to...
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