ABA Journal

Bipartisan collaboration in the Senate increases chances for a major criminal justice reform act

A rare showing of bipartisanship in Congress led to a breakthrough this fall when Senate Republicans and Democrats collaborated to produce legislation that would make significant reforms to the nation’s criminal justice system. The ABA is a longtime advocate for the actions set forth in the legislation. Unveiled by its…

Dec 1, 2015 1:10 AM CST

Cartoon: Courtroom drama or antics in this month’s cartoon scene?

Submit your proposed caption for a chance to win our December contest and see your caption and credit printed in an upcoming issue of the ABA Journal. Submit the caption you think best fits the above cartoon by sending an email to captions[at]abajournal[dot]com with “December Caption Contest” in the subject…

Nov 24, 2015 12:10 PM CST

What changes would you make to your favorite legal TV show?

In Fox’s new sitcom The Grinder, Rob Lowe plays the lead actor of a hit legal TV show that just ended its run. He returns to his hometown, moves into the family home of his lawyer-brother (Fred Savage), and starts “working” at the family law firm, fully believing that his…

Nov 23, 2015 10:45 AM CST

Cartoon poll: Which caption best describes this mediation between a farmer and his cow?

ABA Journal staffers have sifted through more than 150 caption entries addressing this month’s scene, an apparent mediation between a cow and a farmer. Now it’s your turn. Vote in the cartoon poll for one of the below captions before 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 29: • “Yes, cold hands is…

Nov 20, 2015 3:21 PM CST

Have you ever seen humor fall flat in a courtroom?

In this month’s ABA Journal, retired trial lawyer Janet Kole cautions against using humor in the courtroom, citing an example from the trial of Aaron Hernandez, the New England Patriots football star who was convicted of murder in April. Hernandez’s lawyer, while questioning a state trooper about tire pressure, asked…

Nov 18, 2015 2:00 PM CST

Do you have a standard ‘work uniform’?

The notion of a “capsule wardrobe”—a smallish wardrobe entirely made up of pieces that can be worn together—has gained popularity in the last year or two. But some men and women see a minimalist wardrobe not as a passing trend but a success strategy. In April, Saatchi & Saatchi art…

Nov 11, 2015 12:15 PM CST

What words do you always hear mispronounced?

In the November issue of the ABA Journal, Black’s Law Dictionary editor Bryan Garner has assembled a quiz on the pronunciations of 30 different words, keyed to Charles Harrington Elster’s Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations. Since there are far more than 30 words in American English that tend not to…

Nov 4, 2015 2:40 PM CST

Dentons to continue its megafirm rise by merging with firms in Australia and Singapore

Another day, another multi-firm combination for Dentons. On Monday, Dentons and Dacheng announced it has taken the first step towards combining with Australian firm Gadens and Singaporean firm Rodyk & Davidson. According to Elliott Portnoy, global chief executive officer of Dentons, leaders at each of the four firms have approved…

Nov 3, 2015 1:50 PM CST

Mayer Brown associate prepares to make SCOTUS debut in politically charged redistricting case

Mayer Brown associate Michael Kimberly says he isn’t that nervous about making his debut oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court next week. After all, he’s been preparing for the moment ever since law school. “I was a student in the very first class of the Yale Law School Supreme…

Nov 2, 2015 1:35 PM CST

Cartoon: A farmer and a cow walk into a settlement conference ...

This farmer and cow appear to be trying to resolve some dispute. Submit your best caption to describe the scene for a chance to win our November cartoon caption contest and see your caption and credit printed in an upcoming issue of the ABA Journal. Submit the caption you think…

Nov 2, 2015 10:26 AM CST

What can lawyers do to manage and conquer anxiety? (podcast with transcript)

Are lawyers prone to anxiety, or is the pace of the profession the culprit? The ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Will Meyerhofer, a psychotherapist who has also been a practicing attorney, to learn more about anxiety and get tips on how lawyers can manage and overcome it.

Nov 2, 2015 8:30 AM CST

This lawyer is fighting to extend basic human rights to complex animals

Natalie Prosin doesn't favor guerrilla tactics in the courtroom—more like gorilla tactics. As executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Nonhuman Rights Project, she manages the day-to-day operations of a mostly volunteer group of lawyers and scientists striving to extend the common-law classification of personhood to cognitively complex nonhuman animals to grant them such legal rights as bodily liberty and bodily integrity. The group recently brought a trio of habeas corpus actions in New York on behalf of four chimpanzees. A case involving elephants is next.

Nov 1, 2015 3:30 AM CST

Is your pronunciation on point? Take this quiz to find out

Every so often a news item appears about how a particular legal term is most properly pronounced. Certiorari, for example, surfaces from time to time. Last year an article on this very point by James J. Duane, appearing in The Green Bag, went viral. Duane documented six different pronunciations of certiorari by U.S. Supreme Court justices. The historically proper ways, of course, are /surh-shee-uh-RAIR-eye/ and /suhr-shee-uh-RAHR-ee/. I leave it to you to discover which justices use one of those versions.

Nov 1, 2015 2:20 AM CST

Litigation is no laughing matter to your clients

Humor is the lubricant that enables us to slide through the obstacles life places in our way. That's why we say: "If I didn't laugh, I'd cry."

But for lawyers, in the serious business of helping our clients, humor is a no-no. I don't mean in your personal life. I don't mean when you're talking to a colleague. I mean in court, at depositions, in briefs—don't be funny. You'll be tempted, but don't do it.

Nov 1, 2015 2:10 AM CST

Some big firms are finding profit in commoditized work

When I was in Las Vegas a few months ago, Avvo CEO Mark Britton talked about legal services and how many large law firms are leaving business on the table by ignoring cheaper, more commoditized legal work. You wouldn’t think that law firms would be so discriminating when it comes…

Nov 1, 2015 1:40 AM CDT