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 does a BigLaw giant with nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in annual revenue and a reputation as the “Rolls Royce of insurance firms” find itself in bankruptcy and tatters almost overnight? For the California-based Sedgwick LLP, it happened slowly at first, and then all at once. In October… Read More
A lesson in learning to overcome wanting to win in order to be happy. Read More
If you think practicing law is an endless nightmare, then Halloween is the holiday for you. It’s the time of year for peeking under the bed – or opening that dark, shadowy filing cabinet – and seeing what horrors lurk within. The time for confronting scary deadlines. The time for going into m… Read More
As the legal profession grapples with issues of attorney wellness and work-life balance, one firm has raised the bar to new heights. Susman Godfrey LLP – with 139 lawyers in offices in Houston, Los Angeles, Seattle and New York – has begun offering unlimited parental leave to all of its 48 associat… Read More
What can lawyers learn from reading the list of undergraduate colleges whose students earn the highest salaries after graduation? For one thing, reputation matters. Many of the names – Harvard, MIT, Princeton and the service academies – are universally recognized as among the nation’s elite. … Read More
Many good lawyers are poor delegators, and their practices suffer as a result. Their quality of life takes a hit as well. It’s understandable, of course. Lawyers are doers. We’re trained to take the initiative, to get things done. We like to be in control. We have trouble letting things go. And y… Read More
Procrastinators in the law, take heart! Your affliction can be alleviated – and possibly even cured – in a mere 25 minutes with the help of a simple kitchen timer. That’s all it takes for the Pomodoro Technique, a method of vanquishing procrastination that has been heralded by scientists and… Read More
When we land a new client or win a big case, we naturally want to talk about it. But it’s just as important to discuss those occasions when things don’t go right. And law firms that encourage candid discussions of failures are healthier, happier and more productive places. The New York Times recen… Read More
If you want to attract the best and brightest to your firm – and get them to go the extra mile – let them know they’re valued. This will produce better results than a pay hike, corner office or extra vacation. We all want to feel valued. We want to believe our work has meaning, and that we a… Read More
For a lawyer transitioning out of active practice – and for firms where a key member is leaving – compensation and insurance are two key concerns. The matter of compensation is most likely covered by your Partnership Agreement, if you have one. Now is the time to pull it out and review it carefully… Read More
As law firms plan their tailgate parties and holiday fests, many are choosing to break from tradition and make the events booze-free. This comes in the wake of the 2017 ABA Report on Attorney Well-Being, which found between one-quarter and one-third of attorneys are problem drinkers. Unwittingly or not, law fi… Read More
As your firm develops its cybersecurity plan, here are some words to keep in mind: Yahoo, Target, Anthem, Sony, Equifax, eBay. Those are just some of the companies – ranging from healthcare providers to retail stores – that have been hit by massive cyber-attacks. They have little in common except f… Read More
Recent law graduates seeking tips for paying off their student debt – or just looking for some moral support – can find help at a blog written by someone who has been there and done that. New York City attorney Jordan Rothman – author of the blog Student Debt Diaries – calls himself a s… Read More
A conversation with a truck driver shows how lawyers can lighten their load. Read More
A law firm has been hit with a $1.8 million malpractice jury verdict – plus $125,000 in punitive damages – after an associate forged a signature on a client’s work visa. The lawsuit was filed by a British wildlife filmmaker against Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart in Fulton County… 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.