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.
Having a clear and consistent law firm mission doesn’t just provide a roadmap for the future of your practice, it’s also a great way to attract and keep top talent. After all, everyone wants to be part of something big, bold and meaningful. “Your business began as a vision,” sa… Read More
If you’re thinking of opening your own law firm, having a JD might not be enough – you might also need a math degree. You’ll have to add up your projected monthly revenue, subtract your estimated expenses, and multiply by 12 to come up with a working budget. Oh, and you’ll also have t… Read More
By now you’ve probably realized that remote law and Zoom meetings are here to stay. But what other pandemic-induced changes will affect your practice in the coming years and months? A new report, “The Future of Litigation Workflow: Reimagining Technology and Process in the Next Decad… Read More
Should you allow your remote workers to use unsecured, public Wi-Fi networks to conduct firm business? Should they only use laptops and mobile devices that have been approved by your IT team? Are you required to do due diligence into the data security practices and overall cyber-hygiene of tech vendors before… Read More
One day a lawyer heard barking sounds coming from his file cabinet. Opening it, he was surprised to find a pack of dogs living inside. Some were newborn puppies. Others were full-grown Mastiffs and Great Danes. All were yapping, snarling and howling. The racket would have driven even saintly Cesar Millan to th… Read More
Thinking you might have made a mistake in a case can keep you up at night. Getting sued for legal malpractice can be a full-blown nightmare. That’s why it’s important to know what your professional liability insurance policy covers and what it excludes. Just as important is understan… Read More
If you’re an associate planning a lateral move to an out-of-state law firm, make sure you know the bar licensure requirements of the jurisdiction you’re going to. If that state doesn’t have reciprocity, you’ll probably have to re-take the bar exam. Another concern: what will it cost … Read More
Law firms that pivoted quickly to remote working, Zoom meetings, and cloud-based data storage were more profitable and less stressed during the pandemic. Firms that were slow to embrace new technologies suffered. That’s the big takeaway from the 2021 Wolters Kluwer Future Ready Lawyer Survey: Mo… Read More
The NC Advocates for Justice weathered the challenges of COVID and emerged stronger than ever. That was the optimistic assessment of Executive Director Kim Crouch in her “State of the Association” speech at the NCAJ Annual Meeting. “NCAJ has been through much transformation these past few ye… Read More
Want to attend a cutting-edge law office technology trade show without setting foot outside your office? The Legal Tech Non-Event from Above the Law is your ticket. Touted by ATL as “a legal technology resource for perplexed lawyers who hate trade shows,” the non-event is a series of 12 online r… Read More
If you’re planning a road trip, you might want to take a wide detour around New York, Houston and Boston. Those are the worst places in the country for traffic congestion right now. On the other hand, the Los Angeles area – which has ranked first for highway congestion every year sinc… Read More
The thread that connects the past, present and future at Lawyers Mutual is community. Specifically, it’s the community of lawyers, legal professionals, and related affiliates that makes us possible. Lawyers Mutual was created in 1977 by a group of North Carolina lawyers with a shared vision: to … Read More
Do you have a clear vision of what your law practice will look like in six years? Six months? Six minutes? If your answer is “no” or “sort of” or “Plan? What plan?” you’re not alone. “Lots of attorneys are in the same boat,” write Tom Lenfestey and C… Read More
If you practice real property law in North Carolina and are unfamiliar with 2020 Formal Ethics Opinion 5, stop what you’re doing and read it. Right. Now. Finished? Now read it again. Afterwards, share it with everyone on your practice team, then discuss what changes, if any, you need to make in your cl… Read More
Having a clear and consistent law firm mission doesn’t just provide a roadmap for the future of your practice, it’s also a great way to attract and keep top talent. After all, everyone wants to be part of something big, bold and meaningful. “Your business began as a vision,” sa… 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.