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Your Voice

372 ABA Journal Your Voice articles.

Stanford Law’s free speech teachable moments

I am a lawyer, First Amendment scholar and an endowed journalism and electronic media enterprise and leadership professor at a major research university. Given these multiple professional identities, my thoughts on a recent headline-grabbing incident at Stanford Law School cannot be summarized by a pithy tweet, which is the coin of the realm in the social media world.

Apr 6, 2023 9:53 AM CDT

A real defense of fake trials and a love letter to my family

I knew that arming teenagers with the ability to understand the difference between hearsay exemptions and exceptions would boomerang on me as a parent already locked in daily arguments about truth-telling. And yet, that’s what my husband and I did once our children were old enough to participate in high school mock trial competitions.

Mar 22, 2023 2:11 PM CDT

Judges: Guard ‘your honor’

“We address judges as ‘your honor’ because we know they have real power. We appeal to their honor, not their egos, when we do it. ... ‘Your honor’ isn’t merely aspirational; it’s gloriously aspirational,” writes a Connecticut complex litigation judge.

Mar 7, 2023 8:47 AM CST

How Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ can shed light on legal bias

What’s the problem with Hamlet? A central preoccupation of the characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is deciphering what’s going on with the title character.

Feb 23, 2023 11:55 AM CST

What attorneys need to consider financially about their retirement

The transition into retirement is a major life change for attorneys. I know because I just went through this process. You need to be aware that retirement is a process, and there are some upfront considerations that are unique to lawyers before taking the plunge to leave work. As an attorney, you’re likely well aware of the lawyer’s mantra: prepare, prepare, prepare. This could not be more appropriate with a slight adjustment: prepare, plan and pamper.

Feb 16, 2023 8:45 AM CST

Lawyers should try their cases with appeal in mind

Many appeals are won or lost before the notice of appeal is even filed. Trial counsel are accordingly wise to focus their litigation strategies not only on trial preparation but also on the eventual appeal. Working with an experienced appellate attorney earlier in the process—which is an option many trial lawyers and counsel overlook—can pay significant dividends.

Feb 9, 2023 8:46 AM CST

Lessons for lawyers on jury selection from the courtroom and classroom

Common sense dictates that lawyers fare better with jurors who have formed a favorable impression of counsel. Favorable and unfavorable impressions begin with voir dire. The ingredients necessary to build rapport with members of the venire are no secret.

Feb 2, 2023 9:11 AM CST

Legal career lessons from Mount Everest

For many of us, building a legal career is like climbing a mountain. It’s an obvious analogy; you put in lots of hard work, never taking your eye off the prize at the top. Working through the pain by visualizing the euphoric view at the peak. After thousands of hours spent climbing toward the top, your career pinnacle—making partner at a top-tier firm—will be in reach.

Jan 23, 2023 9:01 AM CST

How lawyers can pursue a ‘wonderful life’

It is a new year, and the reruns of It’s a Wonderful Life have finally stopped. During this holiday season, I’ve spent some time reflecting on the movie, and there are certain themes from the film that lawyers can carry into the new year.

Jan 4, 2023 3:08 PM CST

The value of a small-town lawyer and a law student’s summer experience

Covington County, Alabama, a quaint yet inviting area near the Florida line, is where I spent the summer before my final year of law school at the University of Alabama. With a population of 37,000, Covington County would perhaps appear to be an unusual location to fully maximize early professional connections and final pregraduation experience. However, summer 2022 in that rural community was more valuable than any job a big city could have afforded me.

Dec 22, 2022 8:39 AM CST

Top 8 Your Voice columns of 2022

Diversity and inclusion, stress management, mental health and practice management are some of the major areas of focus among legal professionals today. And contributors to the ABA Journal’s Your Voice column certainly brought these concepts front and center in 2022.

Dec 14, 2022 8:37 AM CST

In family law, don’t focus; use a wide-angle lens

There’s truth to the adage by renowned education administrator Nicholas Murray Butler, “An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less until he knows absolutely everything about nothing.” Some lawyers are becoming increasingly specialized to carve out their niche in the legal field. Opportunities for specialization continue to crop up, with growing need in areas like cannabis law, for example.

Nov 9, 2022 8:52 AM CST

Lawyer with autism explores Netflix series ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’

I am almost always hesitant to watch stories about autism on TV. I find them extremely stressful because neurotypical creators and actors have a way of consistently “getting it wrong”: focusing on young boys; emphasizing traits in a way that feels like someone is checking them off from a list rather than fleshing out a whole human character; and almost consciously hitting upon every single stereotype.

Oct 27, 2022 10:21 AM CDT

Paying the ‘diversity tax’ to practice law

Two years ago, to preserve my mental health, I walked away from my dream of working as a legal aid attorney. I'm no longer practicing law but now work as a diversity and equity inclusion officer at the same organization at which I practiced, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia.

Oct 19, 2022 3:19 PM CDT

How to address the imbalance of women and men in appellate law

I am a partner in the litigation department of an Am Law 200 firm, vice chair of the firm’s appellate practice group, deputy general counsel for the firm, and I serve on a variety of firm committees. In addition, I have longtime faculty appointments at both Chicago-Kent College of Law and the University of Chicago Law School. I should also add that I am a white male.

Sep 20, 2022 8:48 AM CDT

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