Recently in Lawyer's personal life Category

This post was written by Cheryl: "Last week, everything in my house broke. There was the house generator that needed a new starter; there was my internet connection that wouldn't stay connected, and the spring on the garage door broke, and my car was held captive for a day. So there I was ...on the phone lodging complaints.

So how does a person effectively complain over the phone? Here are my suggestions based on a week of personal experience, research and investigation.

• It is very possible you will have to leave a voice mail...
• When someone does call you back, be reasonable...
• Initially assume good faith about the company and staff...
• Make sure you get the agent's name, identification number, date and time of call and follow-up in writing...
• If there is a language barrier...
• Stay calm...
• Compare policies of other companies...

I also noticed that most companies have a message at the beginning of the customer service menu advising the caller that the calls may be monitored for quality assurance. Companies do take complaints seriously, and although no one wants to complain, it does mean there is a problem. Make sure you follow-up with a written correspondence, and if all else fails, a customer's main revenge is to abandon the company and move on to their competition."

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Source: Service Untitled, 1 March 2010. © 2006-2010 Service Untitled Group, reproduced with permission of Douglas Hanna.

In the news: "Turning 50 has triggered some reflection by consultant Frank Michael D'Amore on what he's learned in 25-plus years in the legal profession. He discusses four important lessons that can help lawyers in both their professional and personal lives, including, 'Don't hold happiness hostage.'"

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Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 26 February 2010. Copyright 2009.  ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe <http://store.law.com/registration/register.asp?subscribeto=nw>.

This post was written by StephanieWestAllen: "Excerpt:

This year, about 2.5 million Americans will die...

With all due respect to the loved ones and friends you leave behind, it's your life, and the way you want to recognize the end of your life is up to you. By having a plan that thoughtfully reflects your wishes, you'll not only do this but also lift a lot of stress and worry from the loved ones you leave behind. That's not a bad final gift for you to make.

Click to read the rest of "8 Steps to Prepare for Your Final Act" (U.S. News & World Report).

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Source: idealawg, 20 February 2010, reproduced with permission of the author.

This post was written by StephanieWestAllen:  "Excerpt:

With the new year now here it is time to take stock of where you have been and where you want to go. A book can help you make the changes you want this year. Transforming Practices, Finding Joy and Satisfaction in the Legal Life by Steven Keeva, an editor for the American Bar Association's The Lawyers Magazine, shows lawyers how to "find profound satisfaction, pleasure, and joy in his or her work," according to its cover..."

Click to read the rest of "Teaching lawyers to be in the now" (The Lawyers Weekly). Or pdf (begins on page 23).

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Source: idealawg, 11 February 2010, reproduced with permission of the author.

In the news: "In anticipation of Valentine's Day, Texas Lawyer talked to four married lawyer-couples to find out how they came to sign the ultimate contract with each other. Find out how things like bad restaurants and a high school debate team played parts in these legal love stories."

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Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 12 February 2010. Copyright 2009.  ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe <http://store.law.com/registration/register.asp?subscribeto=nw>.

This post was written by Gregory A. Mattacola: "A lawyer today need only perform a cursory scan of his or her mail and e-mail to be hit with all the various areas one supposedly needs to manage in order to be an effective attorney. The seminars and webinars range from rainmaking to real estate and everything in between. Yet glaringly missing from all these learning opportunities is mention of that lawyer's health - both mental and physical.

All of these offerings purport to make one a better lawyer and businessman but how about simply making the lawyer better - whether that be mentally, physically or spiritually? There is a deafening silence when it comes to these issues and it makes one wonder why. Is there not a need?..."

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Source: Lawyerist.com, 10 February 2010. © 2007-2010 Lawyerist Media, LLC. Reproduced with permission of the site editor, Sam Glover.

In the news: "The number of lawyers who commit suicide each year in the United States may be six times greater than the national average, according to some studies, notes Ann D. Foster, the director of the State Bar of Texas Lawyers' Assistance Program. She discusses some steps lawyers can take if they sense a colleague may need help. As members of one of the original healing professions, Foster says, lawyers may be in a unique position to help friends, colleagues and clients out of a mental health crisis."

What to do:

1. Pay attention to suicide warning signs...

2. Consider risk factors for suicide...

3. Be prepared to ask questions and to listen...

4. Get help and advice...

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Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 3 February 2010. Copyright 2009.  ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe <http://store.law.com/registration/register.asp?subscribeto=nw>.

This post was written by Penelope Trunk: "I've been walking around with the July/August 2007 issue of the Harvard Business Review constantly, for close to three years. Sometimes, if I'm getting on a plane, I'll put it with the other heavy stuff into my luggage, and then get it out later. When my last car broke down in the middle of an intersection, I got the magazine out of the trunk before I abandoned the car.

The article that I'm attached to is The Making of an Expert by Anders Ericsson, Michael Prietula and Edward Cokely. I would not normally bother to tell you all three authors for one article in my blog. This is not a medical journal. But I love the article so much, that I want you to know all of them.

The article changed how I think about what I am doing here. In my life. I think I am trying to be an expert.

Being an expert is not what you think, probably. For one thing, the article explains that "there is no correlation between IQ and expert performance in fields such as chess, music, sports, and medicine. The only innate differences that turn out to be significant--and they matter primarily in sports - are height and body size.

So what factor does correlate with success?..."

Continue reading this interesting post and reach the active links by clicking on the author's name. Be sure to read the comments at the end of the post - there's more great info there!

Source: Penelope Trunk's Brazen Careerist, 28 January 2010. © 2009 Penelope Trunk, reproduced with permission of the author.

This post was written by StephanieWestAllen: "Click to read an interview (PsychCentral) of lawyer Daniel Lukasik, creator of the Web site LawyersWithDepression.com and owner of the blog Lawyers with Depression. He answers the questions "Why are so many lawyers depressed?" and "What can lawyers do on a daily basis to help their depression?".

I was very happy to see that one of the five recommendations he makes for dealing with depression is

Practice mindfulness..."

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Source: idealawg, 31 January 2010. Reproduced with permission of the author.

This post was written by StephanieWestAllen: "From "TAU Psychologist Busts A Myth And Offers Tips To Counter A Mid-Life Crisis" (Medical News Today):

"First, and most important," Prof. [Carlo] Strenger suggests, "invest some sincere thought in the fact that you have more high-quality adult years ahead of you than behind you. Realize what that means in planning for the future."

...

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Source: idealawg, 26 January 2010

Reproduced with permission of the author.