ABA Journal

Don’t talk to police without an attorney? For some, that’s hard advice to take, blogger writes

Popehat blogger Ken White thinks that it is always too risky to talk to police before seeking a lawyer’s counsel. “If you talk to them, it is somewhere between possible and likely that you will incriminate yourself, whether or not you have done anything.” And this week, White was praising…

Jan 17, 2014 2:30 PM CST

Is the bar exam a valuable test of law grads? Or an unnecessary expense for them?

This week, we noted that the Iowa Supreme Court is considering waiving the bar exam for the graduates of its state’s law schools. The idea is to shorten the period between graduation and law practice, and to allow grads to save the money they would otherwise need for living expenses…

Jan 15, 2014 6:00 PM CST

Which ‘everyone wears stripes’ cartoon caption fits best? Vote now

This cartoon proved to be a bit more challenging to our audience. But there were more than 250 enthusiastic entries, many of which played off the idea of defendants getting a jury of their peers. ABA Journal staff enjoying picking their favorite captions for this cartoon, in which everyone in…

Jan 15, 2014 4:15 PM CST

Should Web comments be grounds for an ethics probe? | Earning CLE credit through writing blog posts

This week, we reported that University of Denver law professor Nancy Leong has filed a request to the Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission for an ethics investigation against a lawyer in the state regarding “sexualized comments about [her] appearance and other disparaging remarks made [her] concerned for [her] safety”…

Jan 10, 2014 2:45 PM CST

Are you aggressively planning for retirement, or do you hope to work as long as possible?

Image from Shutterstock. This month, the ABA Journal cover story asks readers if they’re adequately planning for retirement, and the ABA Journal Podcast addresses how even lawyers who are in debt can pull this off. So this week, we’d like to ask you: Are you aggressively planning for retirement, or…

Jan 8, 2014 6:00 PM CST

How lawyers can dig themselves out of debt and plan for a future (podcast with transcript)

It might not be easy, but young lawyers can dig themselves out of debt, start an emergency fund and even save for retirement, financial experts tell ABA Journal reporter Stephanie Francis Ward.

Jan 7, 2014 3:05 PM CST

And the Blawg 100 popular vote-getters are ...

Updated: ABA Journal editors picked their favorite 100 law blogs of 2013 and then opened up the polls for some friendly competition. After some 4,000 readers weighed in, the winners and proud owners of bragging rights in each category are: Criminal Justice Defrosting Cold Cases defrostingcoldcases.com NEW If there’s a…

Jan 2, 2014 2:55 PM CST

How long was it until you stopped feeling like a ‘new’ lawyer?

It’s a new year. How many years has it been since you started practicing law? How many years has it been since you were a “new lawyer”? Or are you one still? “One of the transactional attorneys I worked with at BigLaw told me that she only started to feel…

Jan 2, 2014 2:30 PM CST

It’s Legal, There: A dead child, an old grudge, and a lawyer caught between the facts and the truth

In August, we announced the very first winner of the inaugural ABA Journal Short Fiction Contest. The winner of the $3,000 prize was Whitehall, Mich., lawyer Lance Hendrickson, whose haunting submission is published here. The annual contest, supported by the Erskine M. Ross Trust, is intended to encourage literary fiction…

Jan 1, 2014 11:30 AM CST

Our first cartoon caption contest winner!

“What makes you think this is rigged?” —Submitted by reader Dale Stout Congratulations to Dale Stout of Colorado Springs for his cartoon caption, which earned the most votes in an online poll. His was among more than 150 entries and one of three finalists in the Journal’s inaugural legal-themed cartoon…

Jan 1, 2014 10:30 AM CST

Face time holds steady, but digital interactions are changing client communications

Graphics by Jamie Gannon This article originally appeared in the January 2014 issue of the ABA Journal with this headline: “Let’s Talk: Face time holds steady, but digital is changing client contact.”

Jan 1, 2014 8:40 AM CST

ABA backs bipartisan bill supporting permanent families for foster children

The ABA is urging enactment of bipartisan legislation in Congress to enhance federal efforts to provide permanency for children in foster care. The legislation, unanimously passed by the House in October and expected to garner Senate approval as well, would extend and expand the Adoption Incentives Program originally enacted as…

Jan 1, 2014 7:50 AM CST

Cartoon: Wait ... Who’s the criminal?

Hmm. This scene is a little disconcerting. But rather than discuss it here, we’ll leave it to your imagination to tell us what’s happening. Submit the caption you think best fits the scenario depicted in the cartoon by sending an email to captions[at]abajournal[dot]com with “Caption Contest” in the subject line.…

Dec 31, 2013 1:19 PM CST

10 most popular legal news headlines on ABAJournal.com in 2013

Each Friday in our Weekly Newsletter, we send out a digest including the most-read summary news posts appearing on ABAJournal.com in the previous week. So which posts were most popular throughout 2013? These may not be the biggest legal news stories of the year. You can find those on another…

Dec 26, 2013 7:45 PM CST

Most important legal stories in 2013

Perhaps the best way to understand the biggest legal events in 2013 is to hit ABAJournal.com. Events from the past played a heavy influence on some of the year’s biggest legal stories. Civil rights groups recoiled in horror when the U.S. Supreme Court all but obliterated a seminal law in…

Dec 26, 2013 7:15 PM CST