How to master client development

Client development is the key to your success as a lawyer in a law firm, especially if you include career autonomy in your definition of success. The trouble is, most lawyers have a very narrow idea of client development. So let’s (re)define the concept of client development, identify the key questions you should be asking yourself, and provide actionable strategies to help you get started and ultimately excel so you can reap the benefits of client development now and throughout your career.

Apr 1, 2025 2:00 AM CDT

Right Writing: Can you pass this grammar test?

The mechanical fixes that copy editors make aren’t just matters of opinion: They’re clear-cut matters of right and wrong involving blunders in grammar, punctuation and word choice. To test your copy editing knowledge, I’ve collected 15 passages that have two mechanical errors apiece.

Apr 1, 2025 1:50 AM CDT

California judges can now defend criticisms of their rulings during elections

A recent California judicial ethics opinion allows judges to speak out publicly during an election or recall campaign as long as their comments do not affect the outcome or fairness of a case.

Apr 1, 2025 1:40 AM CDT

Time is of the essence for young lawyers

The concept of time is central to the legal profession. It’s the one thing that you seem to never have enough of, whether it’s billable or personal. So how do we manage this burden?

Feb 1, 2025 1:40 AM CST

When editing, good direction makes everyone’s life easier

In any office, good editing should be encouraged and viewed as professional and friendly. It benefits everyone.

Feb 1, 2025 1:35 AM CST

Idaho sees lawyer withdrawals after moving county public defender offices to the state

Recent Idaho public defender pay rate changes led to many counsel heading for the exits, and the Idaho State Bar issued a formal ethics opinion over concerns about defendants being left without attorneys.

Feb 1, 2025 1:30 AM CST

Don’t Panic: Your career is going great

It may be a creeping feeling. A pang of existential dread in the night. Everyone at some point senses their career is simply not going the way it should. Whether you feel it now or have confronted the monster under the bed before, this is your sign to take a knee and listen to coach. Your career is in fact going quite well.

Dec 1, 2024 2:00 AM CST

When writing motions and briefs, typography matters

Of all the easily fixed bad habits that pervade legal writing, perhaps none is more perniciously persistent than some brief-writers’ insistence on capitalizing each word of point headings.

Dec 1, 2024 1:50 AM CST

Getting ready for retirement is easier than you think

Dec 1, 2024 1:40 AM CST

Professional success is not achieved through participation trophies

Lawyers, especially new practitioners, are not rewarded for simply showing up. And since the learning curve from law student to lawyer is steep, most of the feedback you’re likely to receive the first few years of practice is critical. Therefore, it is important to challenge yourself regularly and to find security and confidence from within.

Oct 1, 2024 2:20 AM CDT

Guard against poor legal research with these 3 writing practices

“Not long ago, the partners at a law firm told me of an embarrassingly disastrous trial. … They wanted to know whether I knew of ways to prevent this type of problem. The answer is a qualified yes: While there are no panaceas, certain protocols can minimize the risks of suboptimal research. Here are the three crucial points.”

Oct 1, 2024 2:10 AM CDT

Unprofessional Conduct: Free speech doesn’t cover elected official’s coarse comments, court says

A former Iowa county attorney who was elected to the prosecutorial position made crude comments at work. Reuben Neff, who was first elected as the Wapello County Attorney in 2018 and resigned in March, did not convince the Iowa Supreme Court that he had a First Amendment right to say those things.

Oct 1, 2024 2:00 AM CDT

Good lawyers don’t only point out problems, they offer solutions

Understanding how to give an unfettered opinion and drive the client’s decision-making can make the difference between great lawyers and those seen as just OK. With smart guardrails, you shouldn’t be afraid to loosen the strict restraints on your opinions—because at the end of the day, your client wants to know what you think.

Aug 1, 2024 1:50 AM CDT

Lawyers as Explainers: Remember, you are writing for intelligent people

As professional workers with words, lawyers above all must be good explainers. The basic approach of expert explainers is to say what would need to be said clearly, simply and pleasantly to a small mixed audience of intelligent people. You think all this is obvious? It’s not. The qualities we’re discussing here aren’t commonplace. They’re rare.

Aug 1, 2024 1:40 AM CDT

Early career success can come from developing your ‘ownership mindset’

Ownership mindset. Is it the secret to success, or something everyone talks about but no one really knows what it means? Maybe both. The purpose of this installment of Survival Guide, Esq. is to demystify the concept of ownership mindset as well as provide a few practical tips on how to cultivate and demonstrate it.

Jun 1, 2024 2:10 AM CDT