Business of Law

Expert Analysis

• Series

  Why I Became A Lawyer: A Circuitous Path To The Law

  

  Instead of going to college after high school, I followed in my father’s footsteps and became an electrician. Later I became an electrical engineer, and then an IP attorney. Every twist and turn along the way has made me a better lawyer, says Joseph Maraia of Burns & Levinson.

• Series

  Judging A Book: Conrad Reviews 'The Jury Crisis'

  

  In "The Jury Crisis," jury consultant and social psychologist Drury Sherrod spotlights the vanishing jury trial, providing a fascinating canary-in-the-coal-mine warning for lawyers, litigants and society at large, says U.S. District Judge Robert Conrad of the Western District of North Carolina.

• Revamping Your Approach To Client Development

  

  As a former general counsel for both public and private companies, my advice to law firm attorneys who want to attract and keep clients is simple — provide certain legal services for free, says Noel Elfant, founder of General Counsel Practice.

• What Lawyers Must Know Before Acting As Escrow Agents

  

  The moment an attorney agrees to serve as an escrow agent for a client, the attorney assumes some of the most important obligations in the legal profession. Significantly, these obligations potentially extend to third parties who are not clients, say Scott Watnik and Michael Contos of Wilk Auslander.

• The Need For New Legal And PR Strategies In The #MeToo Era

  

  As a result of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements, organizations should take a stand to strengthen corporate culture against misconduct, and activate those values through communication and training, say David Weiss of Epstein Becker Green and Matt Purdue of Peppercomm.

• Freelance Attorneys Are An Asset To In-House Legal Teams

  

  With recent technological advances and a broader acceptance of flexible work arrangements, the opportunity for freelance attorneys is greater than ever, as is the value that this freelance workforce can create for companies, says Ben Levi of InCloudCounsel.

• Book Excerpt

  'Big Tech' Questions Echo Early Days Of US Corporate Law

  

  The current calls to curb the power of Google, Facebook and Amazon recall an earlier time in American history, when the “bigness” of oil, steel and tobacco was front and center in national politics. And in those debates, the top lawyers of the day had a major voice, says John Oller, author of the new book "White Shoe."

• Setting The Record Straight On Women In Court Reporting

  

  Today, 89 percent of court reporters are women, but I remember sitting behind my steno machine in the '80s and being asked by a judge if I, as a woman, would have the emotional fortitude to work a murder case, says Karen Santucci, chairwoman of the Plaza College court reporting program.

• Opinion

  Limiting Supreme Court's Size Is Not Enough

  

  The proposal by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for a constitutionally mandated nine-justice U.S. Supreme Court does not address any of the well-known problems with the current system — problems that could be solved through a nonpartisan package of reforms, says Gordon Renneisen of Cornerstone Law Group.

• Lenders Score Major High Court Victory In Foreclosure Case

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous ruling on Wednesday in Obduskey v. McCarthy & Holthus LLP removes nearly all activities taken by creditors seeking nonjudicial foreclosure of liens and mortgages from the ambit of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, says John Baxter of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP.

• Trial Counsel's Role On A Mass Tort Virtual Law Team

  

  Trial counsel’s contribution to the virtual law team throughout the life cycle of a mass tort litigation rests in the key skill of viewing the case through the eyes of the ultimate audience for the defense, the jury, say attorneys at Covington & Burling LLP and Faegre Baker Daniels LLP.

• Tech Trends From SXSW Pose Unique Questions For Lawyers

  

  These days, a popular theme in media is that lawyers' jobs will be taken by robots. However, based on the tech issues discussed at the South by Southwest technology conference in Austin, Texas, last month, robots may in fact need lawyers, says Nick Abrahams of Norton Rose Fulbright.

• In Bar Admissions Process, It's Candor Or Bust

  

  You passed the bar exam and are ready for the character and fitness committee interview. Time to think about how to discuss that minor incident in college, that misdemeanor in high school or that mental health issue that you have totally under control, says Richard Maltz of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC.

• Series

  Judging A Book: Bashant Reviews 'Doing Justice'

  

  My initial reaction to "Doing Justice" was that author Preet Bharara may have bitten off more than he could chew — an accusation leveled against him when he served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York — but I found the book full of helpful gems, says U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant of the Southern District of California.

• Firms Can Leverage Communications When Economy Is Slow

  

  Though most experts believe that an imminent recession is unlikely, slowdown fears are increasing. Now is the time for firms to consider how to best leverage their communications and marketing teams to lessen impacts from a potential economic slowdown, says Tom Orewyler of Tom Orewyler Communications LLC.