Gain new perspective and become a better lawyer by mentoring. Everyone knows a new attorney needs mentors. The mentee gets invaluable benefits from a successful mentor-mentee relationship. The harder benefits to calculate are the mentor’s, though we often hear the familiar drumbeat of an opportunity to “give back” and the rewards of “staying connected” (all […]
Read More…Learn how to avoid the cases that will cause a nightmare for you down the road. For the new attorney, personal injury work can be rewarding and exciting. You are helping the little guy (or gal) take on a giant insurance company, corporation, or government entity. But an attorney new to personal injury work can’t […]
Read More…New lawyers, get three tips for finding a mentor. When I first decided to hang my own shingle, it seemed that the most common advice I heard was that I needed to find a mentor. “Great!” I thought, “but where are they?” If you know you need and want a mentor, but aren’t sure where […]
Read More…LLC, PLLC, PLLP, or PSC? If you’re considering forming your own firm, read this post for a breakdown on law firm structure. If you’re considering starting your own practice in Washington state, how you decide to structure your firm may have a large impact on bookkeeping, maintenance, and your bottom line. Below you’ll find the […]
Read More…Learn more about WSBA Sections at Open Sections Night on Jan. 16! An attorney who holds a valid Washington State Bar license is, technically, qualified to render legal advice to a client concerning any subject. But the “womb-to-tomb” general practitioner seems to be in decline; the information age has given rise to savvier clients who […]
Read More…Is swearing at work ever okay? Check out one attorney’s guidelines and tell us about your own. As a teenager, I decided expletives were no longer off-limits to me. While I didn’t call it this, I developed a nuanced contextual analysis to determine where and when to swear, instead of an across-the-board moratorium. There were […]
Read More…Share this info with your client early on to avoid damage to the your client relationship and communications. In the Sunday section of the Tacoma News Tribune, there is a regular feature called “10 Things ________ Won’t Tell You.” It didn’t take me long to come up with 10 things that we lawyers should tell […]
Read More…Read the review and check out this new political thriller from WSBA member Scott Wyatt. To celebrate the release of his new novel, Dimension M, WSBA member and author Scott Wyatt (Beyond the Sand Creek Bridge) is offering a free Amazon Kindle e-book download on Dec. 2–4. In this political thriller, two activists are arrested […]
Read More…Join us on Nov. 19 for a free presentation about the program and to learn how to qualify. We are excited to announce that enrollment is now open for the winter quarter LLLT Family Law Course with new qualification options. The deadline for enrollment is Dec. 16, 2013. We invite all interested individuals to join us in-person or […]
Read More…A look at what Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure can tell us about modern day legal practice. Measure for Measure is often categorized as one of William Shakespeare’s “problem plays,” thanks to its mixture of comedic and tragic elements and the unsatisfactorily artificial resolution to the conflict presented. Perhaps it is only natural, then, that in reading […]
Read More…You can earn up to 6 MCLE credits for performing pro bono service. Learn more about the MCLE Pro Bono Rule. Under MCLE regulations, attorneys have an opportunity to earn up to six MCLE credit hours for performing pro bono service or for mentoring in a pro bono case. Learn more about the MCLE Pro […]
Read More…Solo attorney Autumn T. Johnson offers words of caution and advice for hanging your shingle. In the process of hanging my own shingle, I must have participated in at least 100 informational interviews. The following are the four largest pitfalls I have found for new solos. 1. Overhead. Low overhead is critical for any new startup, […]
Read More…Learn more about how contract attorneys can be a cost-efficient and time-saving way to help you manage your practice. Read Top 10 Reasons to Hire a Contract Attorney, Part 1. In this series, legal research and writing (LRW) attorney Erin Sperger lays out her top 10 reasons that you should think about hiring a contract attorney […]
Read More…Learn how contract attorneys can be a cost-efficient and time-saving way to help you manage your practice. Feeling overwhelmed by more work than you can handle? Forgotten what daylight looks like? Contract attorneys can be a cost-efficient and time-saving way to help you manage your practice. Legal research and writing (LRW) lawyer Erin Sperger offers […]
Read More…Helpful advice and resources for handling your first employment discrimination case. In June 2013, the WSBA held a CLE/NLE called “Handling your First Employment Discrimination Case.” Here are three key points I learned at the seminar, which play a huge role in processing employment discrimination cases (#1 and #2 can definitely apply to other areas […]
Read More…WSBA member von Biela shares her process for writing a technothriller. Comment to win your own copy! WSBA member Lisa von Biela is the author of The Genesis Code, a sci-fi techno-thriller that explores the darker possibilities of our technology obsession. We talked with Lisa about her writing process, what inspires her, and her advice […]
Read More…