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The payoff from a ‘no charge’ client visit

BY: Edward Poll
POSTED: April 13, 2012

The most cost-effective business development strategy for any firm is to market new services or expand current ones with existing clients.

Teamwork skills are critical for effective lawyering

BY: Neil Hamilton and Verna Monson
POSTED: April 13, 2012

This essay reviews highlights of empirical research on the importance of teamwork skills for the individual lawyer and for the law firm or law department. We then summarize the major findings of scholarly work on both the essential elements necessary for effective teamwork and dispel some myths about teamwork.

Play ball! Litigation lore in Minnesota

BY: Marshall H. Tanick
POSTED: April 7, 2012

To commemorate the beginning of the 2012 baseball season, here is a look at the most recent ruling and other noteworthy baseball cases in Minnesota jurisprudence.

Director’s role in conducting disciplinary investigations

BY: Kevin Slator
POSTED: April 6, 2012

The director’s office receives approximately 1,400 complaints against lawyers per year. Rule 8(a), Rules on Lawyers Professional Responsibility (RLPR), states that if a complaint gives rise to a “reasonable belief that professional misconduct may have occurred,” then the director may “make such investigation as the director deems appropriate” in accordance with procedures established in the RLPR.

Stressed Out? Then Seek Control of Your Practice

BY: Edward Poll
POSTED: April 5, 2012

High blood pressure is called a “silent killer,” and one of its major causes is stress. But is stress always bad?

Five cards and 3 feet

BY: Edward Poll
POSTED: March 30, 2012

Social networking sites are part of many lawyers’ marketing efforts, but personal contact remains the ultimate differentiating factor.

Sticker shock over USPTO fee setting proposals? Yes and no

BY: Brad Pedersen
POSTED: March 30, 2012

Recently, the Public Patent Advisory Committee (PPAC) held its first public hearing on the fee setting proposals recently released by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The proposals are the result of new authority granted under the American Invents Act (AIA), allowing the USPTO to set its own fees, so long as the aggregate fees charged recover the aggregate expenses of the office.

Got what it takes to start a firm?

BY: Edward Poll
POSTED: March 23, 2012

I have often argued that law schools do little to prepare graduates for dealing with “The Business of Law” (finance, practice management, client relations) that determines practice success. This puts the onus on new lawyers to do the preparation themselves, especially if they are starting practice on their own.

Four epochs of labor and employment law

BY: V. John Ella
POSTED: March 23, 2012

I noticed an interesting statistic recently. In 2001, the number of collective actions filed under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in federal court surpassed the number of “EEO” or discrimination class actions. Since then, the number of FLSA actions has increased further, and overtime claims continue to be a boon for plaintiff attorneys and a major source of concern for employers. This turning point suggests that the practice of labor and employment law by American attorneys has entered a new phase. I posit that the entire modern era can be divided into four distinct epochs.

Quit work, lose new job: No unemployment

BY: Marshall H. Tanick
POSTED: March 23, 2012

One restaurant manager who quit his job suffered multiple losses. After resigning to take another job, the new position fell through, leaving the ex-manager without any position. Then, to make matters worse, he was denied unemployment compensation benefits, too, as a quitter.

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