Jay Reeves practiced law in North Carolina and South Carolina. He was Legal Editor at Lawyers Weekly and Risk Manager at Lawyers Mutual. He is the author of The Most Powerful Attorney in the World, a collection of short stories from a law life well-lived, which as the seasons pass becomes less about law and liability and more about loss, love, longing, laughter and life's lasting luminescence.
Seventy percent of law students say they needed help for mental or emotional problems in the past year, and 11 percent report having suicidal thoughts. Those disturbing statistics are from the 2021 Survey of Law Student Well-being. “The study also found that 33 percent of the students had a diagnosis … Read More
Want to make your vacation time more productive? While relaxing on the beach or hiking in the mountains, consider taking a free, online course to improve your law office HR and management skills. Self-study courses from colleges, nonprofits and private companies offer a range of classes on communication, so… Read More
It appears distance learning in law school is here to stay. A new study finds that almost 70 percent of third-year law students want more remote course choices than their schools even offer. The survey was conducted by the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. More than 60 l… Read More
Way back in Trial Advocacy, you learned that a picture is worth a thousand words when it comes to persuading a jury. In this era of TikTok, Netflix and Zoom, pictures have become even more important. “The heavy use of social media platforms has wired some modern viewers to become visual learners… Read More
A lawyer who is privately retained may provide limited representation to a criminal defendant who has appointed counsel under certain circumstances, the NC State Bar says in a proposed ethics opinion. In Proposed 2022 Formal Ethics Opinion 2, issued in April, the State Bar ethics committee said there are exc… Read More
This story begins with a $10 million dollar Mickey Mantle baseball card and ends with the statute of limitations. In between is a lesson for your Law Life on letting go of the past. Read More
One in three entrepreneurs is willing to put aside personal pride for the sake of company growth - but they aren’t willing to risk their reputation in the process. That’s according to the Embroker Startup Risk Index 2022. The index is based on a survey of U.S. startup founders. It analyzes how foun… Read More
Errors in estates and trust matters are causing a rise in malpractice claims against North Carolina attorneys. The increase has been so dramatic that Lawyers Mutual issued a Risk Management Alert to its insured lawyers. Over the last few years, Lawyers Mutual has seen an increase in Estates and Trusts (E&T… Read More
A Minnesota lawyer who made false statements on her resume and forged a law school transcript has been suspended from practice for six months. The state Supreme Court issued the suspension for untrue statements the lawyer made in her search for a job. The attorney did not contest the disciplinary matter. Here… Read More
Here’s some free advice: if you’re in jail awaiting sentencing for a nightclub shooting, you should probably take a break from practicing law. Otherwise, you might find yourself disbarred. It happened in Oklahoma, where the state Supreme Court disbarred a lawyer who tried to continue his law pra… Read More
There are reasons pro and con for using Facebook to market your law practice. But if you choose to do it, and especially if you purchase Facebook ads, you need to know the basics of Facebook analytics. Otherwise, you’ll have no way of gauging the success of your efforts. “You have a Facebook pag… Read More
A whopping 97 percent of law students from the class of 2018 have found jobs, but only half are working in law firms. Fourteen percent are working for businesses or corporations, and 13 percent in government. Meanwhile, jobs in the legal sector are growing rapidly, with nearly 35,000 more jobs in June 2022 … Read More
The culture inside your firm affects pretty much everything that happens outside it. That’s why it’s smart to invest in strategies for building a strong, healthy culture in your firm. “Culture 2022: Success from the Inside Out” is the theme of this Fall’s annual meeting of the … Read More
How would you like your personal Law Practice Coach on call? You can have one – and not just any old coach, but one of the foremost experts in the nation on practice management and succession planning. “Practicing law can be a challenge but made easier with someone in your corner,” says ca… Read More
This year, ransomware attacks have seen a nearly 13 percent increase. That’s as big a jump as the last five years combined. In these attacks, cybercriminals have usually taken one of the following routes to gain access to the data in your computer system: Credentials, Phishing, Exploiting vulnerabiliti… Read More
For lawyers handling real estate closings, it’s important to know that seller fraud continues to rise, especially with the upcoming holiday season when distractions are high, and fraudsters are active.
Lawyers Mutual has published previous alerts regarding the new filing requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) that went into effect January 1, 2024. After reviewing additional resources, we want to emphasize concerns that we have about the risks and increased potential liability for lawyers undertaking the reporting requirements. This is especially true for the continuing reporting requirements after entity formation and initial reporting.