Bookworm, bibliophile, or—dare we say—brainiac?
Whatever your preferred euphemism, it probably describes just about any legal professional, for whom a voracious appetite for the written word and knowledge is more than a nice quality; it’s a job requirement.
Aside from dwindling shelf space, ravenous readers are often most aware of the cost of building their collection. While WSBA can’t build you new shelves, legal logophiles can still at least rely on the Lending Library. The Lending Library is a free service to WSBA members that offers more than 350 titles on short-term loan, with topics ranging from practice management to wellness to career development.
Visit the Lending Library to see what’s on offer, or browse through the top 10 most popular books WSBA members checked out from the Lending Library in 2018.
10. “Electronic Evidence for Family Law Attorneys,” by Timothy J. Conlon, Aaron Hughes
“Electronic Evidence for Family Law Attorneys explains the complexities of evidence as well as how to effectively integrate this knowledge into your family law practice. It presents critical information in clear terms to help you speak about these issues with clients, with expert witnesses who command vast knowledge in the field, and with judges who may have little familiarity with current electronic communication platforms.”
9. “Lawyer Interrupted,” by Amy
“This book covers both the practical and ethical considerations for lawyers taking a break in service for a variety of (voluntary and involuntary) reasons, including temporary leaves of absence, taking care of family, changing careers, disciplinary actions, and retirement. The book focuses on the importance of preplanning, addresses the considerations unique to each reason for a break, and shares stories and advice from a broad population of lawyers who have taken a break from service for each of these reasons.”
8. “The Lawyer’s Guide to Building Your Practice Through Referrals,” by Steven J. Shaer
“For many lawyers, referrals are the best way to get the best clients. This book provides step-by-step guidelines for building relationships with referral sources, getting and managing new referrals, developing networking skills, and transforming acquaintances into clients.”
7. “The Tech Contracts Handbook: Cloud Computing Agreements, Software Licenses, and Other IT Contracts for Lawyers and Businesspeople,” by David W. Tollen
“The Tech Contracts Handbook is a practical, user-friendly reference manual and training guide on cloud computing agreements, software licenses, and other IT contracts. It’s a clause-by-clause ‘how to’ resource, covering the issues at stake and offering negotiation tips and sample contract language.”
6. “Personal Branding in One Hour for Lawyers,” by Katy Goshtasbi
“To survive and thrive, lawyers must develop their own intentional personal brand to distinguish themselves from the competition. In Personal Branding in One Hour for Lawyers, personal branding expert and experienced attorney Katy Goshtasbi explains how attorneys can highlight their unique talents and abilities, manage their perceptions, and achieve greater success as a lawyer in the process.”
5. “Minding Your Own Business: The Solo and Small Firm Lawyer’s Guide to a Profitable Practice,” by Ann Guinn
“Small firm lawyers often get caught in the crossfire of practicing law and managing a business all at the same time. Commitment and interest levels may weigh more heavily on defending the freedoms guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution vs. calculating overtime pay for staff. They may be more interested in ensuring our legal system works, but not so interested in developing marketing strategies to attract new business.”
4. “Law Office Policy and Procedures Manual,” by Robert C. Wert, Howard I. Hatoff, Berne Rolston
“This newly updated and expanded edition of an ABA bestseller includes everything you need to create a complete, customized manual that can serve as a reference guide for your entire firm and as a training tool for new employees, associates, and temporary workers.”
3. “Alternative Fees for Business Lawyers and Their Clients,” by Mark A. Robertson
“The use of alternative fee arrangements by lawyers and the demand for those arrangements by clients is increasing. How are you and your law firm addressing this threat to the billable hour? Are you prepared to recognize that value is not measured in one-tenth-of-an-hour increments? Alternative Fees for Business Lawyers and Their Clients addresses how large firm, small firm, and solo lawyers can implement and evaluate alternative fee arrangements in transactional matters.”
2. “The Criminal Lawyer’s Job,” by Amber L. St Clair
“This guide provides the lawyer with valuable how to advice for taking the initial client meeting to picking a jury and trying the case. It is not intended to be a summary of the law, but rather a cheat sheet. It is a guide that most senior criminal defense attorneys likely wish they had when they tried their first few cases.”
1. “Legal Malpractice Insurance in One Hour for Lawyers,” by JoAnn Hathaway
“The need for legal malpractice insurance isn’t going away … . Having an insurance policy in place to provide and pay for experienced defense counsel and, if need be, an indemnity payment, can provide the peace of mind no lawyer should be without. Legal Malpractice Insurance in One Hour for Lawyers will open your eyes to the many coverage options available to you under your legal malpractice policy of insurance.”
Colin Rigley. Colin worked as a print news journalist and editor in California, as well as a content strategist in the Puget Sound area, before joining WSBA as the communications specialist earlier this year. He can be reached at colinr@wsba.org.
