Apr 111 minPartial Break is Better than No BreakTo check or not to check. That is the question. Checking emails, that is. Last week, I was on a mission trip in Utah. I deliberately left...
Apr 112 minWe Are All ConnectedI met another lawyer for lunch to discuss working together on FTCA medical malpractice cases. Afterwards, I ran a couple of errands then...
Apr 111 minWe All Need to Open Our EyesI got an email notification from a legal publication about the death of a prominent Philadelphia plaintiffs’ lawyer. He had killed...
Apr 112 minNever Burn Bridges You Don't Have to BurnBeing 66 years old and having practiced law for over 38 years - over 30 of which has been with managerial or ownership responsibilities -...
Mar 161 minOpposing Counsel StuntThe other day an opposing counsel pulled what I would politely describe as a “stunt.” It was not technically illegal or unethical, but it...
Mar 161 minPlant The TreesThere is an old saying about the wisdom of someone who plants trees knowing that he will not live long enough to enjoy their shade. We...
Feb 12 minGive Credit Where Credit is DueGive credit where credit is due. A corollary: Never take credit which is not deserved. A few months ago, I tried a case and got a good...
Jan 252 minFragility of Life - Things Can Turn QuicklyThe year has wrapped up. For trial attorneys, the time around the holidays is usually kind of quiet - unless you have a trial the first...
Jan 252 minComparison is CorrosiveWhile running some errands right before the new year's weekend, I ran into a lawyer I knew. We were opposing counsel in a case that was...
Jan 252 minFile Flogging is FrustratingBefore switching to representing patients, I was a malpractice defense lawyer for over 30 years. This gives me a certain nose for defense...
Jan 252 minDisasters HappenEarlier this week we had a snowstorm. Traffic on I-95 ground to a halt. It took Senator Tim Kaine 27 hours to get from Richmond to...
Jan 252 minSolving Behavior ProblemsThe other day, this bit of automotive advertising caught my eye. I don't know what sort of behavior problems the driver claims to be able...
Jan 251 minDon't Be A BullyThe other day, I got an email from an opposing counsel who wanted to take a deposition of a fact witness. Normal stuff, except for an...
Jan 252 minIssue Resolution is EverythingAlmost everyone with a construction project has issues with their contractor. The tales are often cringeworthy. In some form or another...
Jan 251 minOver Promising ErrorAs we headed home from dinner last night, I saw a text message from a prospective client asking if his case had been reviewed yet. I had...
Jan 252 minA Humbling InfectionFor almost two weeks I have had some sort of eustacian tube/ear issue. Sound is muffled and the tinnitus is pretty bad. Compounding the...
Jan 252 minCustoms and Practices Vary HugelyYesterday, a friend brought us this can of French-Canadian style split pea soup. Last weekend, we had taken her some homemade split pea...
Sep 4, 20212 minKnow the Potential for an Outlier SituationSometimes the other side knows something you don't Obvious, right? Of course it is, but it is also something that is easily overlooked or...
Sep 4, 20211 minMilitary Service Shaped Confidence as Trial LawyerChange is constant, but the past is instructive Over the last few weeks, I have been moving from a house where we have lived 23 years....
Sep 4, 20212 minObject to Form Doesn't Fix Problems with Witnesses"Object to form." Spare me. Recently, I was deposing a defense expert. The expert was highly credentialed, a very impressive guy. He was...