The Little Biases in All of Us
The bad news is that everyone has implicit biases — beliefs that are so ingrained that we don’t even know they’re there. And those implicit biases often find a way out of our mouths or through our behaviors as microaggressions, which are usually meant as compliments, “but contain hidden insults,” according to the WSBA Diversity Dictionary.
Out in the real world, this might take the form of someone telling Joy Williams that her hair is beautiful and then asking to touch it. For the person asking, specifically a white person, this might feel like a compliment; for Williams, a black woman, it translates to “you are not like me — you are other.” Read more 
Why Business, and Other Lawyers Should Pay Attention to Blockchain
It has become almost impossible to avoid conversations about blockchain. Most of us are familiar with at least one form of blockchain: digital cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. But this technology has a much wider reach than bitcoin alone. Blockchain is not only a new technology that may revolutionize the internet, but one that will also have a profound effect on the practice of law.
It is important that business lawyers know what blockchain is — at a minimum to be able to answer a question from a client — but also over time to embrace this technology to the benefit of your career and firm. Read more
Oh, Those Dreaded Words: ‘Can I Get Your Advice on Something?’
When it comes to Thanksgiving mac and cheese, my mother is basically Marie Curie. Four cheeses, added at four different times, melted at four different temperatures until the crispy top snaps like a potato chip. I wait all year for this.
So naturally I’d been watching what I was eating all day in preparation. I scooped a cheesy pile onto my plate along with other delectable fare, made a bee-line for the couch, and settled in to stuff my face. Read more
CosmoLex: Easier Accounting for Solo & Small Law Firms
I recently opened my solo law practice, and, as many solo attorneys can attest, one of the most challenging tasks I faced was picking a practice management system. Trying to crowdsource a solution only left me with more questions and choices than I could handle. I was simultaneously finding my way around legal accounting, particularly paying attention to trust accounting (IOLTA) issues. It was at the intersection of this quest that I learned about CosmoLex. I then was invited to serve on a statewide member panel to evaluate CosmoLex’s proposal to join the Washington State Bar Association’s Practice Management Discount Network. I was excited to participate. Read more
Demystifying Addiction in the Legal Profession
The American Bar Association (ABA) calls it a crisis of the legal profession. A professor of psychiatry told The New York Times it’s “a conspiracy of silence.” Yet for many attorneys, alcohol and substance abuse are sometimes just part of the job.
Fueled by stress, long hours, and an environment where drinking at work is often ignored – if not somewhat permissible – recent studies have confirmed a long-known reality: Attorneys are more prone to abuse drugs and alcohol than the population at large. About one in five active attorneys qualify as “problem drinkers,” and potentially as many as one-third of attorneys fall into that category. That’s at least three times the national rate of adults who have alcohol use disorder. Read more
