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5 ways to be shameless in 2021

Negative self-judgment is a career killer. When we believe that we are fundamentally flawed, it is like swimming upstream 24 hours per day, seven days per week. We aren’t born that way, but we learn that we are unworthy from an early age. The problem for lawyers arises when our careers do not go as planned.

James Gray Robinson

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Zen principles provide valuable lessons for judges

In some cultures, it is honorable for monks to parade through the streets with their rice bowls, seeking handouts so they can live a life of religious purity, while bestowing good fortune to those who contribute. In the United States, we call such people panhandlers. Here, Zen Buddhism is seldom practiced by monks but instead by farmers, auto mechanics, teachers and judges.

Steve Lachman

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Pandemic practice lessons from a Jamaican solo practitioner who went virtual early

“I think I will have to work from my car,” I thought, when I decided to start my Jamaican solo practice years ago.

Nadine C. Atkinson-Flowers

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Why being anti-racist is not enough

To my white progressive friends: To say that last spring’s killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor shook me would be an understatement. I also was shaken by the depth of my multiracial daughter’s anger—including at her entire white family—and I found myself thinking long and hard about my own racial culpability.

Richard Zitrin

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10 New Year's resolutions lawyers can make for resilience in 2021

Many people are grateful that 2020 is coming to an end. Between the social disruptions, political disruptions, business chaos and all the changes happening in our lives, people are thinking more in terms of survival than life improvement.

James Gray Robinson

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Top 5 Your Voice columns of 2020

From what law students can learn from the musical Hamilton to tips on marketing your practice during the pandemic, the ABA Journal’s Your Voice section hosted a number of fascinating columns in 2020.

In 2018, the ABA Journal launched Your Voice to host and facilitate conversations among lawyers about…




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TV-star-turned-lawyer offers 10 acting tips for trial lawyers

“Son, if you want to be a trial lawyer, you never give up acting.” Those were the words of advice given to me by legendary Alabama trial lawyer Frank Burge when I successfully interviewed for my first job right out of law school.

James R. "Jamie" Holland

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Kids in divorce court: Understanding the impact and how legal professionals can help

A rite of passage into adulthood can take many forms. In some traditions, it might be learning a prayer or important dance, or going off into the woods on a solo adventure/journey.

A more modern rite of passage for kids is going to the courthouse during their parents’ divorce proceedings…


Jude Egan and Lisa Strohman

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5 steps law school deans can take to improve diversity and inclusion

The tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor have highlighted to the world that systemic racism exists. It has caused many law schools, law firms and other legal employers to grapple with how to foster more diversity and inclusion as well as what it means to be antiracist.

Leonard M. Baynes

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8 tips for lawyers on how to build resilience

A popular keyword for psychologists and transformational leaders these days is “resilience.” The dictionary definition of resilience is the ability to recover. Synonyms are “perseverance,” “elasticity,” “toughness,” “flexibility” and “durability.”

James Gray Robinson

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