Will Graebe

I grew up with some very smart siblings. Three were valedictorians and all graduated with honors in college and then earned graduate degrees. I found my successes in competitive swimming and social connection. I was not valedictorian but was bestowed with the honor of class clown in high school. Needless to say, I was not a very confident student.   Read More

I was at a conference recently and struck up a conversation with an insured about happiness. He cited a study I remembered reading several years ago, and it reminded me to revisit the idea of money and happiness. The pursuit of happiness is a universal human endeavor. Lawyers, with their demanding careers and… Read More

Many of us fall prey to the "arrival fallacy," believing that achieving a specific goal or milestone will bring lasting joy. This misconception can have profound implications, especially for individuals in high-pressure professions like law. The term "arrival fallacy" was first introduced by Harvard-trained psy… Read More

It’s a good time for a reminder about managing headline stress. I was catching up on some news stories over the past weekend and found myself feeling completely overwhelmed. We all know that we were not meant to withstand a 24-hour news cycle. It is right there in front of us 24/7 on our televisions, phon… Read More

A friend recently sent me an article that cited studies showing a link between loss of smell and declining memory, cognition, and mental health. Given my keen sense of smell, this information thrilled me. However, a strong sense of smell can sometimes be a drawback. I was reminded of this on a recent beach trip when my wife and I stayed in an old-school efficiency apartment at Atlantic Beach.   Read More

You have just completed your representation of a client in a heated litigation dispute. You were able to get an outstanding result for the client after a long battle. Because the matter was complex and drawn-out, your fees were substantial. The client kept up with your bills until the month before trial but has… Read More

Accidental clients have always been a problem for lawyers. These are the people who ask you a question about a claim they might have or a transaction they are navigating. Often, they are just looking for some free legal advice. At other times, they may be seriously considering the idea of retaining you to repre… Read More

In my short seven years of private practice, I handled only one divorce case. It was enough. My client was a woman who said that her husband was domineering and prone to violence. So, I was not surprised when I got a call from a sheriff’s deputy in the county in which my client’s husband lived. The deputy was calling to warn me that the man might show up at an upcoming hearing with a weapon. I called the court to let them know about the deputy’s warning.   Read More

Have you ever wondered why a lawyer would steal client funds when everyone knows that lawyers always get caught. Sure, there are those cases where a lawyer thinks he can get away with it by “borrowing” against the trust account and later reimbursing the account out of the lawyer’s own funds. E… Read More

I hate going to the doctor. I have never walked away from a visit with my physician thinking, “I really want to do this more often.” When I do go, I am extremely anxious. The first thing they want to do is weigh me so that I can be reminded that I need to exercise more and eat healthier. Then they w… Read More

Earlier this year, I decided to purchase the truck that I have been pining for over the last two years. I was very particular in what I wanted. Model, bed length, drive train, and color had to be just right. Of course, this limited the number of trucks that were available. Turns out, a lot of other people had d… Read More

The concept of spring cleaning has its origins in various cultural and religious traditions, dating back thousands of years. Ancient cultures in Egypt, Persia, and China had traditions of cleaning rituals around the time of the vernal equinox, which marks the beginning of spring. More recently, when people star… Read More

As with any new sweeping federal regulatory scheme, there are kinks to work out and questions which need clarification. This has certainly been true for the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”). The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) of the U.S. Department of Treasury has continued to issue new FAQ’s in response to multiple inquiries.   Read More

If your childhood was anything like mine, you started every summer with a sunburn and peel. After a couple burns, you had a sufficient base tan to slather on the Coppertone oil to get that serious bronze glow. We never thought about the risks associated with sun exposure back in those days. I have paid the pric… Read More

In the realm of commercial aviation, the standard cockpit configuration includes a pilot and a first officer, both sharing operational responsibilities equitably. Both individuals possess requisite qualifications for piloting the aircraft. Malcolm Gladwell wrote about this in Outliers (Chapter 7) and documented… Read More