Category Archives: Civilian’s Guide to Lawyers

Take The 5th, Please: Judge suspended for jailing lawyer invoking 5th Amendment

Posted on May 23, 2013 by JWT

With all the clamor these days about government officials exercising their right to remain silent when asked potentially incriminating questions by Congress, it’s important to note how short and shallow the national attention span can be when it comes to … Continue reading →

Posted in All CGL, Civilian's Guide to Lawyers, Client Tips, Devil's Advocate, Ethics, Legal Commentary, Legal News Notes | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Borderline Blackmail: Lawyers making immigration threats for leverage

Posted on May 19, 2013 by JWT

Some lawyers will do anything to win, including blackmailing employees who are considering filing a claim against their employers.  (The lawyers represent the employers.)  Apparently the issue comes up frequently enough that California is considering a special statute just to … Continue reading →

Posted in All CGL, Civilian's Guide to Lawyers, Client Tips, Devil's Advocate, Ethics, Legal Commentary, Legal News Notes | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

Got Rats?: Panicked parish signs lopsided fee agreement

Posted on May 18, 2013 by JWT

Remember the Pied Piper of Hamelin?  He made a deal to rid Hamelin of rats, but the village didn’t pay, so he used his magic pipe to kidnap all the town’s children.  Here’s a story about a Louisiana parish ravaged … Continue reading →

Posted in All CGL, Civilian's Guide to Lawyers, Client Tips, Devil's Advocate, Ethics, Hiring a lawyer, In-House Lawyer Notes, Lawyer Management, Legal Bill Reviews, Legal Commentary, Legal Fees, Legal Fees: Law & Management, Legal News Notes, Trial Practice Checklists 2d | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Daddy Issues: Bar’s Freudian urges curbed

Posted on May 18, 2013 by JWT

The Arizona Bar is supposed to protect the citizens of Arizona from bad lawyers.  When lawyers are suspended for periods of time, the bar typically tacks on various preconditions the lawyer must meet to return.  A lawyer who steals money, … Continue reading →

Posted in All CGL, Civilian's Guide to Lawyers, Devil's Advocate, Ethics, Firing a Lawyer, Hiring a lawyer, Legal Commentary, Legal Fees: Law & Management, Legal News Notes | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

Florida Gone Bananas: Yes, we have no lawyers, we have no lawyers today

Posted on May 12, 2013 by JWT

Here’s an interesting discussion of how politics has changed the economics of practicing workers’ compensation law in Florida to deny workers justice by denying their lawyers the right to be paid a reasonable fee.  By outlawing reasonable legal fees for … Continue reading →

Posted in All CGL, Civilian's Guide to Lawyers, Client Tips, Devil's Advocate, Ethics, Hiring a lawyer, Lawyer Management, Legal Commentary, Legal Fees, Legal Fees: Law & Management, Legal News Notes, Trial Practice Checklists 2d | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

Feeding Time: Plaintiff lawyer squabbles with lender over spoils

Posted on May 12, 2013 by JWT

Here’s an insight into how plaintiff class action lawyers finance themselves by obtaining loans — apparently at very high effective interest rates — to fund their work before they get paid out of the eventual settlements.  Naturally, this view behind … Continue reading →

Posted in All CGL, Civilian's Guide to Lawyers, Client Tips, Devil's Advocate, Hiring a lawyer, In-House Lawyer Notes, Lawyer Management, Legal Bill Reviews, Legal Commentary, Legal Fees, Legal Fees: Law & Management, Legal News Notes, Trial Practice Checklists 2d | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

MIA: Is your lawyer missing in action, with your money?

Posted on May 7, 2013 by JWT

Here are some examples of several basic mistakes lawyers make that can get them into ethics trouble.  Note that the common thread is that client money was entrusted to the lawyer, either from a settlement with an opponent or a … Continue reading →

Posted in All CGL, Civilian's Guide to Lawyers, Client Tips, Devil's Advocate, Ethics, Firing a Lawyer, Lawyer Management, Legal Commentary, Legal Fees, Legal Fees: Law & Management, Legal News Notes, Trial Practice Checklists 2d | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Curses, Spammed Again: Trademark lawyers peddle their wares to a skeptical audience

Posted on May 1, 2013 by JWT

Sometimes I get the chance to experience the legal system first hand, but from the civilian’s perspective.  For example, sometimes one of my companies is a member of a class that gets notices about class action settlements we can opt … Continue reading →

Posted in All CGL, Civilian's Guide to Lawyers, Client Tips, Hiring a lawyer, In-House Lawyer Notes, Lawyer Advertising, Lawyer Management, Legal Commentary, Legal Fees, Legal Fees: Law & Management | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Mixed Message: Bar spanks lawyer for $6 million fee bump, side-stepping $14 million base

Posted on May 1, 2013 by JWT

Although there is an ethics rule prohibiting unreasonable fees (or some variation on that term) in all US jurisdictions, this provision is rarely enforced by bar authorities.  This minimal enforcement is partly due to the vagueness of the rule and … Continue reading →

Posted in All CGL, Civilian's Guide to Lawyers, Client Tips, Devil's Advocate, Ethics, Firing a Lawyer, Hiring a lawyer, In-House Lawyer Notes, Lawyer Management, Legal Bill Reviews, Legal Commentary, Legal Fees, Legal Fees: Law & Management, Legal News Notes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Boutiquey Law: Hire the lawyer not the firm size

Posted on April 29, 2013 by JWT

Here’s a press release from a boutique (small) law firm making their case why clients should send more business their way, rather than to “big-law” firms. The “boutique” label is mostly about marketing, but the core of the concept has … Continue reading →

Posted in All CGL, Civilian's Guide to Lawyers, Client Tips, Devil's Advocate, Hiring a lawyer, In-House Lawyer Notes, Lawyer Advertising, Lawyer Management, Legal Bill Reviews, Legal Commentary, Legal Fees, Legal Fees: Law & Management, Legal News Notes, Trial Practice Checklists 2d | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off