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This post was written by Enrico Schaefer: "I thought you'd be interested in this ABA Journal story by Senior Writer Debra Cassens Weiss:  Middle-Class Dilemma: Can't Afford Lawyers, Can't Qualify for Legal Aid

"The whole system of justice in America is broken," Tribe said. "The entire legal system is largely structured to be labyrinthine, inaccessible, unusable."

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Source: The Greatest American Lawyer, 23 August 2010, reproduced with permission of the author.

From the e-newsletter: "The American Bar Association House of Delegates has adopted new model rules for client trust accounts. The new rules reflect changes in banking laws, technology and legal practice."

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Source: FindLaw's Modern Practice: Law & Technology. 26 July 2010 Copyright © 2010 FindLaw, a Thomson Business. Subscribe <http://newsletters.findlaw.com/>.

This post was written by Evan Schaeffer: "There's a good article about civility in this month's Illinois Bar Journal: "Uncivil Action," by Helen W. Gunnarsson.

Some tips from the lawyers interviewed for the article:

• It's a waste of time to try to outbully a bully; make a decision not to respond to incivility with incivility;
• You can't reform the small percentage of lawyers who use incivility as a litigation tool; those lawyers, though, will become known for their incivility, which will tend to make it harder for their strategy to work;
• Your own bad behavior will come back to bite you; always treat people with courtesy, even when they're inept at doing it themselves.  

Here's my own tip: get more sleep. In my experience, many of the ugly outbursts I've witnessed at depositions, which often lead to apologies later, are caused by stress exacerbated by lack of sleep."

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Source: Trial Practice Tips Weblog, 20 August 2010, reproduced with permission of the author.

Podcast description from the site: "In this edition of the BU Law podcast, host and media veteran, Dan Rea of WBZ-Radio 1030 welcomes Stanley Z. Fisher, Professor of Law at Boston University School of Law and founding member and trustee of the New England Innocence Project.  Dan and Stanley take a look at the New England Chapter of the Innocence Project, how cases get to the Innocence Project, wrongful convictions, police procedures and explore Professor Fisher's 2008 Study of Eyewitness Identification Reform in Massachusetts.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:40 -- 27.4MB)

Related Podcasts

May 13, 2010 -- Justice Finally Prevails for Joseph Salvati

May 6, 2010 -- The Power of Song in Law School

April 7, 2010 -- Judicial Philosophy in Legal Interpretation at the Supreme Court

January 21, 2010 -- Two Big Stories: Stunning MA Senate Election and The Haiti Disaster - What Lawyers Can Do to Help

December 3, 2007 -- The Daniel Tavares Case: Legal and Political Deja Vu

Active links and podcast are available at the source site listed below.

Source: Legal Talk Network, 3 August 2010. © 2010 · Legal Talk Network. Reproduced with permission of Scott R. Hess.

This post was written by Stephen Seckler: "Are you placing too much emphasis on professional achievement in order to derive your own self esteem. That was the diagnosis offered in the WSJ (subscription req.)-way back in early 2009 when we thought hoped 2010 would be a big year for job growth.

While there is nothing wrong with striving for high levels of achievement (and as any parent knows, achievement is the cornerstone of self esteem), the problem arises when professional achievement becomes your principal source of self esteem..."

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Source: Counsel to Counsel, 3 August 2010, reproduced with permission of the author 

This post was written by Mark Bennett: "Back in March (sometimes posts percolate for a few months before bubbling to the surface) Norm Pattis wrote something about Gerry Spence that caught my attention.

I recall years ago his complaining that he could not get into court. His cases kept settling. I offered him a chance to come on board in a gang murder. He declined. "I can't win that case," he said.

I wonder: what if a criminal defense lawyer took only cases that she could win?..."

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Source: Defending People, 23 July 2010. © 2010 Defending People, reproduced with permission of the author.

In the news: "Consultant Frank D'Amore has some positive news about the future for law firms as he answers the three questions he's heard the most over the past year. He also discusses the practice areas he thinks are most likely to grow and be the most secure, and his take on trends regarding law firm fees."

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Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 21 June 2010. Copyright 2009.  ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe  <http://store.law.com/registration/register.asp?subscribeto=nw>.

This post was written by Brian Malcom: "Crazy attorneys.  They are out there.  In your practice, you may come across one or two.  Or you may be one.  If you are one, please click the "X" in the top right of your screen to proceed.  If you are not, continue.

The best way to learn how to deal with a crazy attorney is experience.  Crazy takes many forms.  Some attorneys manipulate, misrepresent, or twist your words.  Some even record your calls and present quotes out of context.  Some write you long letters that say nothing.  Some report you to various administrative agencies, control boards, or authorities to seek to harass you.  Some spontaneously cluck like a chicken in a courtroom.

A "crazy" attorney could be someone on your side of the case, a co-counsel or a colleague at your firm.  He or she could also be opposing counsel.  Heaven forbid, he may even be your client.  Knowing how to deal with a loose cannon is an important skill to develop in any industry and especially law, where an unpredictable or unstable attorney can make life hard on everyone involved or impact you or your client in a significant way.

Here are five things to do when a "crazy" attorney does something crazy..."

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Source: Young Lawyers Blog, 10 June 1020, reproduced with permission of the author.

This post was written by Laura Bergus: "Many states have adopted rules of professional conduct relating to multijurisdictional practice. These rules provide attorneys leeway in some circumstances when they are acting as lawyers outside of the state where they are licensed to practice.

But not all states apply the same rules. Failure to know the rules of the state where you're working can lead to the unauthorized practice of law, with dire consequences.

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Source: Lawyerist.com, 16 June 2010. © 2007-2010 Lawyerist Media, LLC. Reproduced with permission of the site editor, Sam Glover.

This post was written by Stephanie WestAllen: "Who is Atticus Finch and for what does he stand? Those questions flow from our recent article "Atticus Finch Would Not Approve: Why a Courtroom Full of Reptiles Is a Bad Idea" (The Jury Expert). As I said in my last post on this article:

... I was disappointed that the use in the article of Atticus Finch, archetype of a principled and honorable lawyer, was said by some to be a mistake because he lost. In an article looking at topics which included values inherent in a practice, I believe we could have included no better moral compass.

My thoughts about Finch are articulated well in an essay entitled "In Search of Atticus Finch" (Clark Memorandum -  J. Reuben Clark Law School) [pdf]. Excerpt..."

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Source: idealawg, 31 May 2010, reproduced with permission of the author.