ABA Journal

Your Voice

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.


  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print.

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.


  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print.

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.


  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print.

Lessons for lawyers on jury selection from the courtroom and classroom

I teach a course titled “Jury Selection” at a Chicago law school. Instruction focuses on the goals, processes and constitutional foundations of the jury system.


  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print.

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.


  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print.

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.


  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print.

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.


  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print.

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.


  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print.

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.


  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print.

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.


  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print.

Read more ...