Legal Talk Network - Law News and Legal Topics

Guest attorney Ruth Carter is nothing if not transparent. A client’s failure to plan should not be a cause for crisis to an attorney!Carter talks openly and honestly with host Adriana Linares about being clear with clients. Tell them your rates up front, even put them on your website. And set “rush rates” for any work that suddenly pops up, it sets expectations and encourages clients to think ahead and plan accordingly. Is your firm incorporating “rush rates” into client contracts?Plus, we have a special upcoming mailbag edition on Office 365 and all things Microsoft. Got a question? Contact us at newsolo@legaltalknetwork.com.Topics: Using simple, plain language to help clients understand what they are signing and what they are accomplishing. It’s OK to be transparent about your rates and that those rates increase when a matter is suddenly urgent! Being honest about what you do and what clients should expect. New InsightsIn a brand-new series of New Insights, veteran attorney Jennifer Smith Thomas answers questions from new attorney Jennifer Townsend about the challenges of working with her father in her small family-owned firm.Question 1: “My dad has given me a lot of freedom to redesign all the firm’s systems. How do I present my ideas without having him reject all of my plans?”  Got a question or suggestion? newsolo@legaltalknetwork.com Special thanks to our sponsors, Lawclerk, Alert Communications, Abby Connect, and Clio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By default, many paralegal professionals serve as project managers, keeping cases on track and knowing when the next filing is due. But is traditional, linear project management best for all cases? Agile project management has been around in other business sectors for 20 years, but the legal field has been cautious and slow to adopt. Guest Alicia Mitchell-Mercer is an expert in applying the modern Agile project management philosophy to legal cases and how the Scrum processes fit. Scrum team? Product owner? ScrumMaster? If you’ve been curious, even baffled, by these terms, you won’t get a better 30-minute introduction. Learn how modern project management fits today’s legal needs. From start to finish, Agile project management can help track legal projects and review results, then apply lessons learned to future projects. Mitchell-Mercer explains how applying these principles could help your firm work more efficiently, improve outcomes, and better serve clients. As a bonus, there isn’t a high barrier to entry for ScrumMaster certification (and it could add to your personal market value). Plus, some insights on how COVID’s push to remote meetings has changed, perhaps forever, legal project management. Special thanks to our sponsors NALA, ServeNow, and InfoTrack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TECHSHOW is coming up March 2-5 in Chicago! Sharon Nelson and Jim Calloway welcome this year’s co-chairs Brooke Moore and Ivan Hemmans to learn more about the in-person and virtual offerings for conference-goers. Visit techshow.com to register! Brooke Moore is the legal editor for Legal Templates LLC and founding attorney of MyVirtual.Lawyer, an online, limited scope representation law firm model.Ivan Hemmans is a senior manager of technical development at O'Melveny & Myers LLP and has extensive experience with information technology.Special thanks to our sponsors, Alert Communications, Blackletter Podcast, Scorpion, and Smokeball. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Barbieri from independent adjusting and investigation company Claims Advantage discusses the importance of conducting a thorough background check prior to obtaining a recorded statement.Special thanks to our sponsor, AM Best Company, Best’s Insurance Professional Resources, including Qualified Member attorneys, adjusters and expert service providers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After weeks of waiting, Davis Polk enters the salary increase game and re-raises, offering higher numbers for mid-level and senior associates. Is this the new normal, or could the market sustain one more shock to the system? Meanwhile, "Hobbit Law" aficionado Paul Davis gave Business Insider an interview that reads suspiciously like a rehabilitation attempt from a thoroughly embarrassed lawyer. Finally we discuss the latest Voting Rights Act case out of Arkansas and the trouble with judges getting too big for their robes.Special thanks to our sponsor, Posh Virtual Receptionists, LLC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When determining whether you can sue a hospital, municipality, or the federal government in wrongful death or personal injury litigation, it’s vital you understand the nuances of sovereign immunity. Many government entities and municipalities are exempt from certain types of lawsuits, but there are exceptions and limitations you need to know. Tune in for a better understanding of sovereign immunity and how it could impact your next case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Law professor Kim Wehle is used to helping her students begin to think like lawyers. But the methodology behind making tough decisions as a legal professional can also benefit the general public. It’s why How To Think Like A Lawyer—and Why: A Common-Sense Guide to Everyday Dilemmas was a natural follow-up to her two previous books, How to Read the Constitution—and Why and What You Need to Know About Voting—and Why. Wehle’s previous books attempted to fill in civics education gaps for the general public. With her newest book, Wehle is hoping to give the general public alternatives to kneejerk or strictly partisan decision-making by encouraging a more methodical approach. In How to Think Like a Lawyer—and Why, Wehle shares what she calls the B-I-C-A-T Method. The five steps to the B-I-C-A-T Method are: 1. Break the problem down.2. Identify your values and your aim.3. Collect lots of information.4. Argue both sides of each point.5. Tolerate the fact that people may disagree with your choice and that you might feel conflicted about your decision. In this episode of the Modern Law Library, Wehle and the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles discuss how she chose the five different spheres of life highlighted in her book as areas where a lawyerly mind could be particularly useful: work, family life decisions, civic life, health care and when it’s time to hire an actual lawyer. They also take the B-I-C-A-T Method for a spin in a hypothetical situation that’s a real-life dilemma for many parents around the world: How to approach masking in school. Special thanks to our sponsor, Posh Virtual Receptionists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intimidated by oral arguments? Appellate law experts Joan Lockwood and Rich Finneran suggest reframing your mindset to create a teaching conversation with the judges rather than simply extending your argument with opposing counsel. Today’s episode also includes tips for preparing more effective oral arguments, how to handle questions from the bench, and a few good reasons to show up to court early no matter where you are on the docket. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest Malcolm Crosland is a South Carolina attorney with more than 30 years’ experience protecting workers and their rights. In today’s gig economy, it’s up to Workers’ Comp attorneys to guard against employers, lobbyists, and insurance carriers as they angle to classify workers in ways that could exclude them from workplace protections. Crosland shares how important Workers’ Comp attorneys are both in fighting against efforts to weaken protections and in helping injured workers navigate a system that is increasingly adversarial and complex. Public understanding of Workers’ Comp is, for many, out-of-sight-out-of-mind. Until they need it. Workers’ Comp attorneys and the Workers Injury Law and Advocacy Group stand at the ramparts ensuring that working people across the country are cared for and supported when a workplace injury occurs.Special thanks to our sponsor PInow.com, Posh Virtual Receptionists, and MerusCase. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Super Bowl isn’t just about football and bean dip, it’s about the ads! Join Conrad and Gyi as they explore an increasing trend in the legal industry - ads during The Big Game.But first, the guys challenge Kevin O’Keefe’s latest take on Advertising vs. Business Development. How do we distinguish between the two, which is better? Is there room for both reputation and relationship building? And what about old fashioned marketing and advertising?But on to lawyer Super Bowl ads. The trend started with an absolutely “batsh*t crazy” 2014 ad by personal injury attorney Jamie Casino; a spot still getting views on YouTube. This year, we saw more law service ads airing in regional markets during the game. The lads highlight their favorites (and check out Friend-of-the-Podcast Joe Patrice’s own list).How do these PR stunts, not necessarily a Super Bowl ad, fit your practice? Do you need a gimmick? And how would you track your results?And of course, The News: Carolyn Elefant releases her third version of “Solo By Choice” and it’s worth your time. Bob and Ben Ambrogi launched their LawNext Directory. And don’t forget the upcoming ABA TechShow and your chance to hang out with Conrad and Gyi.Special thanks to our sponsors Alert Communications, LawYaw, Posh Virtual Receptionists, and Clio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices