Recently on the car radio there was an item on academic research that presented a troubling conclusion: Because of specialization in the medical profession, doctors are sometimes unable to make correct diagnoses; some symptoms are missed because they are outside the physician's specialty.
Before embarking on a legal career, many attorneys envision themselves trying cases in scenarios taken from iconic movies such as A Few Good Men and To Kill a Mockingbird. However, the reality is that most litigators spend relatively little time trying cases. The bulk of our time is spent researching, drafting, strategizing, communicating with clients and taking discovery.
I know women who have been sexually assaulted and who have not gotten justice. All I have is their side of the story, and that has been enough for me to believe them—because I know them and I know their character, and thus I believe them—without any reservation at all.
“To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.”
That quote comes from Homer Simpson, a character who is not licensed to practice law in any of the several states that contain a city named Springfield. However, another classic Simpsons character with a drinking problem is Lionel Hutz, one of television’s most famous fictional lawyers.
The natural progress of technology in our time reflects that technological change in a competitive market lowers cost. Readers of a certain age can recall going to a Radio Shack to buy a Texas Instruments calculator for $50. Now our phones come with a calculator that exceeds the capability of the one we would have bought at Radio Shack.
I graduated with honors and landed an associate position at a respected, multistate law firm. I practiced for several years, then quit. I am one of the many female attorneys who show promise but never achieve “success,” leaving many asking “Why?”
How can newly powerful, global tech companies fulfill their legal responsibilities to customers, employees, shareholders and the different societies in which they operate? And how can lawyers help? Three developments this summer—as well as generations-old choices at IBM—highlight these questions: • On June 19, General Electric was removed from the…
In July while watching my local New York Mets get massacred 25-4 by the mediocre Washington Nationals, the nadir was to see shortstop Jose Reyes play pitcher and give up 10 RBIs over 48 pitches. While the team was losing badly anyway, it was humiliating to watch Reyes fail in this way.
Recently, a colleague called to ask me for my “feedback and insight” on a case. He then proceeded to interrupt me every time I opened my mouth. Eventually, he finished and, apparently satisfied with his own “feedback and insight,” he ended the phone call and thanked me for my help.
As sometimes the only African-American student in my otherwise all-white classrooms at Harvard College, chatting in the dining hall surrounded by peers and friends, I have learned this: For a diverse learning environment to occur, racial diversity and not racial homogeneity is key. My classmates come from the varying socio-economic…
The ABA Journal wants to host and facilitate conversations among lawyers about their profession. We are now accepting thoughtful, non-promotional articles and commentary by unpaid contributors.
