ABA Journal

Who was your most difficult cross-examination?

In the July issue of the ABA Journal, litigators talk about how to cross-examine psychologists and psychiatrists. These witnesses can be tough to challenge because their testimony can have elements of hearsay as well as subjectivity. Lawyer William Chamblee of Chamblee Ryan in Dallas told the ABA Journal that his…

Jul 5, 2017 2:06 PM CDT

Meet this year’s finalists for the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction (podcast)

In this special mega-episode of the Modern Law Library, the ABA Journal's Lee Rawles speaks with all three finalists for this year's Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction about their novels, careers—and the first time they remember reading To Kill a Mockingbird.

Jul 5, 2017 8:30 AM CDT

10 Questions: Along the Texas-Mexico border, immigration lawyer Kimi Jackson deals with life and death

The ABA-sponsored South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project helps asylum-seekers and other detained immigrants in South Texas detention facilities. Kimi Jackson is ProBAR’s director.

Jul 1, 2017 1:55 AM CDT

Stop apologizing for who you are

Vinson & Elkins partner Hilary Preston: “If your choice looks a bit different from whatever the ‘norm’ is at your firm or company, don’t shy away from that. Be confident in your own choices. To be successful in the long term—because it truly is a marathon and not a sprint—we have to design our careers in a way that works for our lives, not the other way around.”

Jul 1, 2017 1:50 AM CDT

How lawyers can effectively cross-examine psychiatrists and psychologists

Psychatrists or psychologists are among the toughest witnesses to challenge because their testimony can have elements of hearsay as well as subjectivity.

Jul 1, 2017 1:30 AM CDT

Learn the fundamentals of writing first—experiment later

It’s often said that you must know the rules before you break them. But why is that, exactly?

Jul 1, 2017 1:20 AM CDT

Chatbot apps help users communicate their legal needs

Using natural language, chatbots can simulate human conversation, giving the user the impression that they are talking with an actual person instead of with artificial intelligence. Chatbots are already being used in a variety of ways, including addressing customer needs, educating children, providing investment advice and even debating the meaning of life.

Jul 1, 2017 1:10 AM CDT

ABA Day draws bar leaders to Capitol Hill to meet with Congress

Over 400 bar leaders from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands converged on Capitol Hill for hundreds of face-to-face meetings with members of Congress during the 21st annual ABA Day in Washington, D.C., which was held April 25-27.

Jul 1, 2017 12:40 AM CDT

Help the ABA Journal select the Web 100

Each year for the last decade, we’ve asked you to help us select the best 100 legal blogs. Now, we want your help as we expand our scope to include other forms of electronic media. While we still want to hear about the legal blogs that regularly pique your interest,…

Jul 1, 2017 12:10 AM CDT

What hacks have you learned from years of business travel?

Traveling can be a fun adventure or a hellish affair. In our July cover story, we talk to lawyers about their own strategies for efficient and even enjoyable business travel. We also showcase 13 different tech tools that help take the hassle out of business trips. This week, we’d like…

Jun 28, 2017 3:09 PM CDT

Cartoon Caption: An unexpected message from above

Are this judge, lawyer and witness about to get a ruling from a higher authority? Favor us with the gift of your best caption for this month’s cartoon. The winner of our July challenge will see their caption and credit printed in an upcoming issue of the ABA Journal. Congrats…

Jun 26, 2017 1:40 PM CDT

How to be your own advocate at work without stepping on toes (podcast with transcript)

Even trained advocates don’t get everything they want at work. But what are some good strategies for knowing when to accept a manager’s decision, or continue to press for what you want? In this episode of Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Dr. Artika Tyner,…

Jun 26, 2017 8:30 AM CDT

Do you use social media to market your professional efforts?

Last week, Daliah Saper wrote about steps lawyers can take to use social media to market their law practices. Lawyers who don’t use social media for professional efforts may be an exception to the rule: In a survey earlier this year by the blog Attorney at Work, 70 percent of…

Jun 21, 2017 12:20 PM CDT

How government actions, not personal choices, created segregated neighborhoods (podcast)

Richard Rothstein spent years studying why schools remained de facto segregated after Brown v. Board of Education. He came to believe that the problem of segregated schools could not be solved until the problem of segregated neighborhoods was addressed—and that neighborhoods were de jure segregated, not de facto.

Jun 21, 2017 8:30 AM CDT

Do you watch video in your legal research?

Lawyers watch video at work, and sometimes the occasion is not even connected to fantasy sports. This month’s U.S. Senate testimony by fired FBI Director James Comey was arresting desktop viewing – “almost like a gladiator in D.C. event,” said Philippe Weiss, managing director of legal training firm Seyfarth Shaw…

Jun 14, 2017 1:00 PM CDT