An intrepid attorney (with nothing left to lose after the deaths of his wife and daughter) scales the state government ladder to solve the murder of a potential witness and expose the corruption that leads all the way to the governor’s mansion.
That is the plot of Breach of Trust, one of the three finalists for the 2012 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. ABA Journal web producer Lee Rawles spoke with author David Ellis about the real-life influences behind the novel: his own experience with the impeachment trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Ellis also speaks about what To Kill a Mockingbird has meant to him, and how he feels about being a finalist for the Harper Lee Prize.
The reader’s choice poll will be open until July 8. The winner of the 2012 Harper Lee Prize will be announced in August.
Reviews:
Chicago Tribune: “Bullets and bureaucrats: New thriller lifts veil on villainous state government”
Library Journal: “Fiction Reviews, January 2011”
Kirkus Reviews: “Breach of Trust, by David Ellis”
Corrected: When does dealing with a manipulative person go from difficult to dangerous?
ABA Journal reporter Martha Neil talks about psychopathy with Jim Silver, one of the authors of Almost a Psychopath: Do I (or Does Someone I Know) Have a Problem with Manipulation and Lack of Empathy?
He discusses how a true psychopath differs from an “almost psychopath;” techniques for dealing with one at work or in your personal life; the neurological differences in their brains; and what treatments are available.
Reviews:
CapitolGazette.com: “Are you ‘Almost a Psychopath’?”
Harvard Gazette: “Six fresh books worth perusing”
Updated July 6 to correctly identify Jim Silver as the co-author interviewed for this podcast.
The previous winter at Avanti Law Group had been a slow one, and with January quickly approaching, the partners didn’t want to sit around and wait for business again, managing member Raquel A. Salas said. So they bought an accounting firm housed in the same building as their Michigan law firm. Hear Salas discuss her experiences as an ancillary business owner with ABA Journal Podcast moderator Stephanie Francis Ward, as experts in legal ethics and marketing weigh in.
Are you in control of your digital self? ABA Journal web producer Lee Rawles talks with Lori Andrews, author of I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy about the lack of online privacy rights and the need for a social media constitution.
They discuss the changes that social networks have brought to all areas of the law, including evidence gathering; what evidence is admissible in courts; how social media can affect the right to a fair trial; and the right to control one’s image. Andrews touches on how secret data aggregation about your online activities can affect the price of your health insurance, the advertisements you see, what jobs you qualify for and the limits on your credit card balance.
Reviews:
The New York Times: “The Dangers of Sharing”
Kirkus Reviews: “I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did”
The Diane Rehm Show: “I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy”
As the breakdown of complicated legal tasks among both expanded in-house departments and outside non-firm vendors becomes the new normal, law firms are at greater risk for malpractice and mismanagement claims.
ABA Journal business of law reporter Rachel M. Zahorsky discusses with Beazley’s Brant Weidner and solo practitioner and legal ethics professor John Steele the challenges of this trend for outside law firms and what lawyers can do to protect themselves and their clients when faced with the increased disaggregation of legal work.
Welcome to the ABA Journal’s new podcast, The Modern Law Library.
On the second and fourth Mondays of each month, we will discuss a law-related book with its author and listen to a short excerpt.
In today’s podcast, ABA Journal Web producer Lee Rawles speaks with Peter Afrasiabi about his recently released book Show Trials: How Property Gets More Legal Protection than People in Our Failed Immigration System.
Reviews:
“A powerful critique of our failed immigration system. In beautiful prose and with moving stories, Peter Afrasiabi tells of the unfairness and inhumanity of immigration proceedings. His proposals for change provide a blueprint for essential reforms.” – Erwin Chemerinsky, constitutional scholar and dean of the University of California, Irvine School of Law.
Kirkus Book Reviews: “Show Trials, by Peter Afrasiabi”
Check out our monthly discussion show, regular @LawScribbler chats and new books discussion, “The Modern Law Library” here on iTunes.
Thinking on your feet means being on your feet and doing your prep work, say seasoned litigators on this month’s podcast. Standing to address the courtroom may feel awkward, but juries feel it shows respect. Hear more trial tips and tricks they shared with ABA Journal Podcast moderator Stephanie Francis Ward.
Welcome to the ABA Journal’s new podcast, The Modern Law Library.
On the second and fourth Mondays of each month, we will discuss a law-related book with its author and listen to a short excerpt.
In today’s podcast, ABA Journal Web producer Lee Rawles speaks with Susan Madden Lankford about her recently released book Born, Not Raised: Voices from Juvenile Hall.
Reviews:
Publishers Weekly: “Born, Not Raised: Voices from Juvenile Hall”
KPBS: “‘Born, Not Raised’ Explores The Links Between Development And Juvenile Crime”
Check out our monthly discussion show, regular @LawScribbler chats and new books discussion, “The Modern Law Library” here on iTunes.
As the difficult economy intensifies pressure on lawyers and law firms to keep billings and collections up, clients are finding it difficult to pay large legal fees on time. This combination is fueling an uptick in fee suits filed by lawyers looking to collect and the boomerang malpractice claims filed in response by their clients.
Hear ABA Journal business of law reporter Rachel M. Zahorsky discuss with Beazley’s Brant Weidner this dangerous trend, along with key points for lawyers to contemplate when weighing the risks and rewards of a fee suit and ways to prevent the predicament altogether.
If you work with bullies, backstabbers and queen (or king) bees, work can make you crazy. But it doesn’t have to, and employees might find the best solutions by first looking at themselves, say employment experts. Hear them share their thoughts with ABA Journal podcast moderator Stephanie Francis Ward.
Related article:
ABA Journal: “No Jerks: Some Firms Argue that Collegiality Pays”
We received nearly 200 emails and online comments on “The Law School Bubble” cover story in January. The second installment of the Paradigm Shift series, it showed how traditional U.S. legal education paradigms, driven by federal loan underwriting, are not responding to the market forces as law schools continue to add students and raise tuition rates in a mature legal services industry.
Hear ABA Journal business of law reporter Rachel M. Zahorsky host follow-up discussions with law school deans and professors to explore the merits and critiques of federal loan programs, examine the root causes of the deep debt students face and propose potential solutions to combat future tuition hikes.
Never include your head shot or hobbies in a resume, but do mention your GPA, providing it’s a good one. What else should you include? Hear veteran legal recruiters discuss their likes and dislikes with ABA Journal podcast moderator Stephanie Francis Ward in this month’s podcast.
A client can try to preserve his or her assets during a divorce, but if the judge sees actions more along the lines of hiding money, the court will likely take more. Matrimonial lawyers Ira Friedman and Randall M. Kessler discuss this and other battle stories with ABA Journal Podcast moderator Stephanie Francis Ward.
Many lawyers dream of opening their own law firm, but sometimes the golden handcuffs are cinched too tight to make it a reality. Some lawyers who actually did it discuss the challenges, and rewards, with ABA Journal podcast moderator Stephanie Francis Ward.
Cravath, Swain & Moore on Dec. 28 announced 2011 associate bonuses, and a handful of New York-based law firms matched them within a few days. ABA Journal podcast moderator Stephanie Francis Ward and Bruce MacEwen of Adam Smith, Esq., discuss how Wall Street law firms—and those that would like to be seen as Wall Street law firms—decided on the numbers.
Jim McElhaney’s 25-year run as Litigation columnist for the ABA Journal will come to a close next fall. During those years, McElhaney’s straightforward advice on trial practice became one of the most popular features in the magazine. In this podcast, ABA Journal editor James Podgers talks with McElhaney about his popular column, and how he developed the character of Angus, the voice of wisdom and common sense on all aspects of trial work. Read a reprint of Angus’ first appearance in this month’s magazine.
You’ve identified a target client, made a good connection, and they say they want to hire you. But no fee agreement has been signed yet. ABA Journal Podcast moderator Stephanie Francis Ward talks to lawyers from a variety of practice areas about ways to ethically seal the deal.
Have you ever dreamed of opening your own appellate practice? The 2011 U.S. Supreme Court term opened Oct. 3, and along with the government lawyers and big firm attorneys, many solo and small firm practitioners will be entering the doors at 1 First St. ABA Journal Podcast moderator Stephanie Francis Ward talks with two lawyers about how and why they built their own appellate practices.
Just when you mastered Twitter and Facebook, Google+ joins the mix. ABA Journal Podcast moderator Stephanie Francis Ward talks with lawyers and a social media expert about the marketing opportunities the new site offers, and the tradeoffs for privacy concerns.
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