» WORDS OF WISDOM

In addition to the personal injury work my firm handles, I also handle some hourly litigation matters. Consequently, I have to track my time on those matters. Not good. Dating back to my early days as an insurance defense lawyer, I was never any good at billing. And they made it easy for me. The billing sheets were right there on my desk. Neatly divided into l… Read More

Not particularly inclined to write about legal stuff over the course of the last 10 days. But while sitting transfixed, constantly checking the web and television for updates, stories started coming out, how, even in the light of horrible pain and grief, goodness prevails. Civilians, at the risk of their own safety, running toward the bomb blast to render what… Read More

Any lawyer that is involved in litigation of any type has, by now, been introduced to the concept of mediation. Mediation is an increasingly popular form of “alternative dispute resolution” which is legalese for “let’s avoid that whole trial thing”. Mediation involves the voluntary gathering of trial lawyers and parties in an effo… Read More

Saw an interesting article online the other day about a young lawyer in Brooklyn who specializes in servicing start-ups. The lawyer, Kyle Westaway, believes that certain entrenched components of the legal system are flawed and lawyers need to rethink how they do things to stay competitive. Westaway believes a new model of law is evolving – and it involve… Read More

When I evaluate personal injury cases, my initial assessment involves two primary questions: 1) is there a serious injury and 2) can I prove liability against the defendants. I would like to say that every injury case sitting in my file cabinets is a million dollar case. But that isn’t the case. Some of my files feature serious injuries[sadly sometimes i… Read More

I recently did an analysis of my web presence – specifically my weblog[which you are currently reading] and my website[which is dated and boring and badly needs updating]. I decided to revamp my website. The company overseeing that project advised that they could port over my blog to the website and save me some money in the process. My contract with the… Read More

Trial attorneys have taking a beating of late. The media, late night talk show hosts, Republican hacks/flacks… This video, forwarded by another Illinois lawyer is a great rebuttal. Enjoy! A World Without Lawyers – Watch more funny videos here Read More

One of my favorites legal writers, Kenneth P. Nolan had a great Sidebar column in the April issue of the Litigation, the American Bar Association Section of Litigation Journal. The column offered some advice to judges on how to run a courtroom. The column should be read in its entirety[as all of Nolan’s columns should]. With apologies to Mr. Nolan, I off… Read More