For students who are generally successful in their academic endeavors (read: law students), a B may be acceptable, but a C might as well be an F. It doesn’t matter that there are two more letters to go; C means you’ve slipped to average, and average is not what future CEOs, politicians, doctors, and lawyers want to be.
That’s why Professor Joshua Silverstein, of the William H. Bowen School of Law, wants to go ahead and make C the new F by revising grading curves upward to a B-. He gives two reasons.
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I recently downloaded and read Alexis Neely’s Law Business Manifesto. It’s an interesting approach. Of course it is written like a marketing piece, because it is, but there are still some gems. I’ll be doing a full review soon, but in the meantime I’ve started implementing one of her strategies: not taking unscheduled phone calls.
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To quote the American Bar Association:
Judges are in an excellent position to observe misconduct by lawyers and to identify it as such.
That’s exactly what federal judge Otis Wright did in his order last week, in which he not only ordered thousands in attorney fees against Prenda Law and its associates, but put everyone from federal law enforcement to state disciplinary authorities on notice. As for Joseph Rakofsky, it was the Internet: 1, Rakofsky: -2, wrote Jordan Rushie, in describing how Rakofsky failed to succeed in his numerous defamation claims.
But why no sanctions against Rakofsky? Judge Shlomo Hagler’s order grants defendants’ motion to dismiss, but goes no further. Why did Rakofsky seem to get away scot free, while Prenda got nailed to the wall?
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Total Attorneys launched its practice management software with a $1/month price tag. The obvious reason why was TA’s add-ons, which was how Total Attorneys planned to make its money.
The problem, from my perspective anyway, was that this turned the practice management software into a sales funnel. I didn’t see how Total Attorneys would be motivated to go up against software with a more “serious” price tag, like Clio, MyCase, and Rocket Matter.
Maybe I was right.
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It’s that time again. Time for 2Ls (and a few lucky 1Ls) to join the ranks of the employed in the hopes of landing a permanent gig post-graduation. Of course, the substance of your work matters (a lot), but landing a full-time position from a summer associate gig requires more than just doing legal great work. What else do you need to do? Keep Reading ⇒
US News may be the big deal in law school rankings, but there are competing rankings from Above the Law, Cooley. ATL’s rankings may not be likely to overtake US News, but the outcome-based approach is more useful. Still, ATL is pretty focused on BigLaw [see the “prestige” BS Elie talked about the other day).
If you just want to know which law school will do the best job preparing you to go solo or work at a small or medium-sized firm, try the new rankings tool from the Institute for the Advancement of the Legal System.
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At PandoDaily, B.J. Mendelson (author of Social Media is Bullshit, natch) pokes holes in the myth of social media ROI (that’s “return on investment” if you don’t speak marketing-ese). It’s not that social media ROI doesn’t exist; it’s just not what you think. When social media does pay off, it’s usually not the result of hitting the organic social media viral jackpot. It’s usually the result of hard work and lots of money, just like regular marketing.
But what about those famous social media success stories — the from-out-of-nowhere viral blockbusters? Mendelson breaks a couple down. Let’s take PSY.
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Did you catch this one? As reported by Central Florida News 13:
You’ve seen him on commercials saying he’s “For the People.” Now, Orlando attorney John Morgan is “For Tim Tebow.”
Morgan’s law firm Morgan and Morgan released an ad on the firm’s official YouTube account. In it, Morgan makes a case for the Jacksonville Jaguars to sign the former Denver Broncos and New York Jets quarterback.
The ad will reportedly play on TV and radio in the Jacksonville area.
So, why is Morgan doing all of this?
John Morgan’s son says they’re not just big fans, they love the guy.
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In law school, the best and the brightest get jobs at Big Law, P.A., or get a clerkship with the Supreme Court and then move onto a glorious job at Big Law, P.A.
Usually the only talk of solo attorneys is “well, you can always go solo if you can’t find anything else.”
The truth is, some attorneys actually want to go solo and start their own firm.
And surprise, surprise, we work pretty hard—but we actually can make a comfortable living.
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Most attorneys have encountered this situation: at a meeting with a client, the client shows up with his or her spouse. The spouse is not a client. Normally, what you tell your clients is privileged against disclosure. And what your clients tell their legally-recognized spouses is generally privileged too. But what happens when the two privileges bump into each other?
There is no attorney-client-spousal privilege.
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