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.
Does your firm have a digital mindset? If not, you could be courting disaster. What’s a digital mindset? It’s a set of attitudes and actions about data, software and AI that thinks digital-first for law office solutions. “Understanding a digital mindset is key to organizational success,&rd… Read More
Want to maximize what’s working in your Law Life and minimize what’s keeping you stuck? Try a Discernment Consultation. Read More
Even though we live in a paperless world, there’s still plenty of paper floating around the law office. Original signed instruments, contracts, tax records, charters, licenses, certificates, and on and on. Law firms attract physical paper. “From passwords and permits to tax documents, there are … Read More
NC lawyers would be prohibited from separately billing multiple clients a full hourly rate for legal services provided to all clients simultaneously, under a State Bar ethics proposal. The rationale: any increase in the lawyer’s efficiency in providing legal services must be passed on to the client. T… Read More
Do you know the three basic types of law firm analytics? If not, business experts say you’ll have difficulty reaching your law firm goals. “Business analytics, also known as data analytics, focuses primarily on future growth and events,” according to business writer Kayla Harrison. “… Read More
Attention all business lawyers: the state Supreme Court has approved sweeping changes to the North Carolina Business Court Rules. The changes took effect July 1. Lawyers Mutual issued a Risk Management Alert notifying North Carolina lawyers of the changes. Click here to view the Supreme Court order amendin… Read More
What is the proper pronunciation of “amicus?” Is it AM-uh-kuss or uh-MEE-kuss? Or perhaps a-MY-kuss? If you’re unsure, don’t feel bad. Even U.S. Supreme Court Justices can’t agree on the correct pronunciation. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson says AM-uh-kuss, while f… Read More
If you receive an email from a “Jacqui Salmon” purporting to be from the NC State Bar that requests information from you, delete it immediately. There is no such employee at the State Bar, and you’re being phished. On June 7, the State Bar placed the following warning on its website: We a… Read More
Lawyers who serve as both Guardian Ad Litem and attorney advocate in an abuse, neglect, and dependency cases cannot testify as a witness unless directed to do so by the court. That’s according to 2022 Formal Ethics Opinion 1, approved by the State Bar in April. In some abuse, neglect and dependency ca… Read More
You will soon have three years instead of one to complete your Continuing Legal Education requirements, and you’ll no longer have to file a compliance report each year, in the wake of a sweeping overhaul of North Carolina’s CLE rules. In April 2022, the N.C. State Bar approved large-scale amendme… Read More
Looking for some juicy reading material for your summer getaway? You’ve come to the right place! There are lots of new titles to choose from, including the latest from best-selling novelists Jennifer Egan, Isabel Allende and Stephen King, as well as the critically acclaimed “South to Americ… Read More
It’s never good when a judge accuses you of “hiding the ball” and “playing fast and loose” during the discovery process. It’s even worse when the judge says you’ve “turned the case sour” with “nasty litigation tactics.” That’s what happ… Read More
Imagine having your very own team of legal experts just down the hall to help you with everything from marketing your practice to managing your caseload. That’s what you get when you’re a member of Leading Law. “Leading Law is a community of law firm leaders, legal professionals, legal tec… Read More
If your practice areas include litigation, insurance or healthcare law, you should know about the recent U.S. Supreme Court opinion in Gallardo v. Marstiller. The ruling, handed down on June 6, 2022, allows states to pursue Medicaid reimbursement for tort settlements that cover future medical expenses. Funds … Read More
Friends, lawyers, colleagues, lend me your ears: I come to bury “work-life balance,” not to praise it. The phrase belongs in the Dustbin of the Obsolete, along with the pet rock, Chevy Vega, Blockbuster Video membership card and Ronco Rhinestone Stud Setter. And good riddance, I say. The idea that your “work” and your “life” are two separate, distinct things on opposite ends of some cosmic scale has long passed its expiration date. The stress of finding the perfect balance between your personal and professional selves, the struggle to maintain it for a minute, an hour, a whole day. Who needs it? 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.