Jay Reeves

Sometimes the best advice to give your clients is to do it themselves. That may sound counter intuitive. Clients come to you for assistance, after all. They want you to do something to ease their predicament. But in today’s tech-centric world, the best advice might be DIY – or perhaps DMOIY (Do Mo… Read More

No matter how bad your day is going, you can be thankful you don’t work in the admissions office of Northeastern Law School. Earlier this year, the office sent acceptance letters to more than 4,000 people who had applied to attend Northeastern. The letters were later revealed to have been sent in error, … Read More

Want to be in the room the next time State Bar meets to discuss rules changes regarding legal ethics, CLE or Bar dues? There’s a virtual seat waiting for you on Youtube. The N.C. State Bar Youtube Channel hosts livestreams and video replays of State Bar meetings, hearings and conferences. Here, for exa… Read More

We all know that hitting the “Reply all” button in an email can sometimes have embarrassing consequences. It might also imply consent – even if that’s not what you intend, according to a recent ABA ethics opinion. “Lawyers who copy their clients on emails and other forms of elect… Read More

Want to be in the room the next time State Bar meets to discuss rules changes regarding legal ethics, CLE or Bar dues? There’s a virtual seat waiting for you on Youtube. The N.C. State Bar Youtube Channel hosts livestreams and video replays of State Bar meetings, hearings and conferences. Here, for exa… Read More

If you’d like to have a law firm retreat, step one is to come up with a plan. How much are you willing to spend on the retreat? Where will it be held – in-house or offsite? Will attendance be mandatory? How long will the retreat last? Once you have a framework in place, you can start filling in th… Read More

The average salary for law firm partners in the U.S. reached an all-time high in 2021, but there remains a sizable gap between what male and female partners are paid. The average pay for partners in midsize and large firms was $1.12 million, according to a new report from Law360 and legal recruiting firm Major… Read More

Want to become Boss of the Year? Offer to help your employees with their childcare responsibilities. How you do this – on-site day care, flexible hours, childcare benefits – is less important than letting them know you understand their needs and want to be part of the solution. “Employer-spo… Read More

Here’s some risk management advice for litigators: don’t be tempted to copy portions of your adversary’s motion and paste it into your own. It won’t help your case, and it might get you sanctioned. That’s the story in Pennsylvania, where a federal judge ordered an attorney to pay… Read More

This news probably won’t come as a surprise, but practicing law is getting harder all the time. The usual suspects – market volatility, rising competition, economic uncertainty – have all been exacerbated by the pandemic. Which means the short-term forecast calls for continuing stormclouds. … Read More

If you want to get more clients per marketing dollar, start keeping closer tabs on Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV). CLTV is a marketing term that measures the investment and effort required to keep your current client base happy, loyal and profitable.  “Customer lifetime value (CLV or customer LTV) … Read More

Did you know your risk of a cyber breach increases every time an employee leaves your firm? And if the departure was acrimonious, your risk rises exponentially. “Some who feel their dismissal was unjust may be tempted to seek revenge by putting sensitive information on an email blast to all the wrong pe… Read More

Congratulations to Marcia H. Armstrong of Smithfield, who has been named the 88th president of the N.C. State Bar. Kudos as well to Ronald G. Baker Sr., Shelby Duffy Benton and Henry M. “Mickey” Michaux, Jr. – the 2022 recipients of the John B. McMillan Distinguished Service Award. Armstrong… Read More

Over the years, I have represented lots of lawyers who had unsatisfying Law Lives because they were chasing after the wrong things.  This was not my judgment, mind you. This was by their own admission, though it often took them a while to realize it. For years – sometimes decades – they had been too busy waking up each morning, putting on their lawyer hat, and doing what they did the day before to indulge in career introspection. Besides, it seemed to be working. Their practices were thriving, their appointment calendars full, their in-box overflowing.   Read More

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the phrase “vicarious trauma?” Chances are, it isn’t “practicing law,” or “lawyers,” or “me.” And yet, lawyers and legal professionals are at risk of experiencing vicarious trauma every day. … Read More