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.
How much do you know about “unbundled” legal services? Do you offer unbundled services – also called limited scope legal services or discrete task representation – in your practice? Do clients ever request it? If so, you should have the Unbundled Legal Services Practice Guide from Lawy… Read More
Where do you stand on lawyer jokes? Do you take it personally when someone disparages what you do? Does it take a thick skin to be successful in the law? These and similar questions ran through my mind after I read a post on the NCBA BarBlog written by Greensboro attorney Adam Linett titled How to Promote a Po… Read More
The pandemic changed the concept of a “virtual law office” forever, as lawyers from coast to coast moved their law practices into their spare bedrooms almost overnight. And clients loved it. An eye-popping 79 percent say they would prefer to work with their attorney remotely rather than face-to-fac… Read More
The NC State Bar Paralegal Certification program will soon celebrate its 20th birthday. In 2004, a “Plan for Certification of Paralegals” was approved by the NC State Bar and adopted by the state Supreme Court. Since then, the voluntary program has promoted the ethical utilization of paralegal pro… Read More
Expect to see bigger smiles and rising optimism among your law colleagues in the future. That’s because almost half (49 percent) of 2019 law school graduates report that they are “extremely satisfied” with their current job, an increase from the 42 percent figure a year ago. Another 38 perce… Read More
Could your Law Life use a miracle? How about 50 to 100 miracles an hour? Well, they’re available now and absolutely free, right outside your window. The annual Perseid meteor shower – the Best Celestial Event of the Year, according to the American Meteorological Society – is playing now in a night sky near you. The show runs from July to September 1, with peak viewing in mid-August. Read More
A recent tech startup acquisition illustrates the red-hot appeal of AI in the legal sector. In July, Thomson Reuters paid $650 million to acquire the legal technology firm Casetext. The media giant said it was doing so to further its long-term investment in generative artificial intelligence. Based in San Fra… Read More
Want a cheap and easy way to avoid a nightmare scenario the next time you fly? Air tags. Compact, inexpensive, portable luggage trackers – sold commercially as Tile, Chipolo, Pebblebee, AirTag and other brands – are having a moment. Slip one inside your suitcase, and if the item gets misplaced, y… Read More
It’s the age-old question: should an attorney in the job market have one, two or three versions of their professional resume? Wait, what? More than one resume? It might be just the ticket for your job search, says legal recruiter Harrison Barnes. “It really depends on your situation, but it… Read More
Don’t look now, but there’s a new social media network on the block. Threads, the long-anticipated rival to Twitter, was launched by Meta in July. The takeoff was hugely successful. Joining Threads is easy, though it does require an Instagram account. You can sign up using your existing Inst… Read More
The bitter and protracted family dispute over the last will and testament of Aretha Franklin illustrates two key points about trusts and estate law. Number one: the combination of family, money and celebrity can create a toxic legal brew. Number two: there are special risk management considerations for … Read More
You can be a judge, or you can be a rap star, or you can be a TikTok video influencer. But it’s probably a bad idea to try and be all three at once. Just ask the New Jersey judge who was slapped with a professional complaint after posting TikTok videos of himself lip-synching to music with sexual and vi… Read More
Here’s some risk management advice: if you’re going to use AI to write a court document, please proofread the final version carefully for fake citations and fabricated quotes before handing it to the judge. Otherwise, you might find yourself not only embarrassed but sanctioned. It happened in June… Read More
When it comes to billing and time-keeping, it pays to be passive. With active time-tracking, you record your time after you complete the activity. The method of recordation can vary: from billing software to a yellow legal pad. The point is that a second step – actually entering the time – is requi… Read More
Looking for some inspiring words that fit on a Post-It? You could do far worse than to borrow from the Wizard of Westwood, legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, who for me as a young basketball fan growing up in rural South Carolina, loomed as the greatest of the Coaching Gods, a notch above even the ha… 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.