Law firms will likely never be completely paperless (i.e., completely electronic). A good goal for firms, courts and attorneys is to use less paper and be more “paper-less.” This article presents four steps you can take to reduce the use of, and reliance on, paper in practice.
How is a chair like a cigarette? They can both kill us.
As a young lawyer, I have quickly learned that this friction between our duties to our clients and our duty to behave civilly becomes overly apparent at depositions. Without a doubt, depositions are an extremely effective and widely used discovery tool. They present great opportunity to gain valuable facts that can be used against an opponent. That being said, they also present great opportunity for incivility, especially because depositions are generally held outside a judge’s supervision.
In real estate and construction, zombies really are all around us. Structures with no life inside scar the real estate landscape in every major city – the abandoned automobile-parts manufacturing facility; the half-completed condo building; the vacant video store with its giant, empty parking lot; the literal hole in the ground surrounded by rusted construction fencing and graffiti – all threatening the health and safety of the structures and inhabitants around them.
Most Indiana construction law practitioners would probably agree that Indiana caselaw on construction issues is hardly robust. One exception is cases that address the enforceability of waiver of subrogation provisions (usually under AIA contracts) to prevent claims for damage to the “Work” (again usually as defined by AIA contracts) when a builder’s risk policy should or does cover the damage.
Any amendments to various federal rules always take effect Dec. 1. Some years there are significant changes, other years few or no amendments are in play. This December is very modest in terms of federal rule amendments.
We advise our clients that unfortunately, delays can be part of the court experience. However, one thing we have never advised our clients to do is “tell the court how you really feel.” Or, as Dave Chappelle would say, we have never advised our clients to “keep it real” with the court.
Most small to mid-sized companies use on average three to five law firms. Larger companies use even more. So, each and every day you are being compared to your competitors. Knowing how you compare to them in terms of your service and client satisfaction is good to know. You can get this information in a variety of ways and use it to bring in even more business from the client.
Bob Hammerle says “The Skeleton Twins,” which stars two people know for their comedy work, derives its strength not from comedy but the emotional connection of disturbed twins.
Even the best companies occasionally attract the attention of regulators. Recently, the United States Environmental Protection Agency announced that it will be focusing on addressing noncompliance issues and vigorous enforcement. EPA commonly investigates compliance and potential enforcement with an “Information Request.”
A reader believes the rational solution to issues in Marion County Small Claims Courts is to keep the system as it is and not move it to Marion Superior Court.
As judges, we struggle with “rule of law” questions every day. The gray areas between a fact and a supposition dog our paths. The tension between the letter of the law and the conscience of the community complicate our considerations. In some cases, the rule of law just seems to be unjust. But overall, the true meaning of “rule of law” should not be a barrier.
Today we will look at an application that allows your smartphone to function as a surprisingly capable portable document scanner, capturing images of higher quality and much greater utility than a typical .JPG photo capture.
Bob Hammerle says the stars of “The Trip to Italy” have no shame when they get together.
Lawyers are trying new and different ways to advertise with more focus on websites and digital media. But even today, problems remain.
We give Copper Still Kitchen & Bar 3 gavels!
Have you ever used the “reply all” option on an email that has multiple recipients, only to get a return email notifying you that one (or more) of the email addresses was typed incorrectly by the original sender? Or, do you frequently email the same group of people by typing one email address at a time, only to realize that you forgot to include someone (usually right after you hit send)? The solution? Use distribution lists in Microsoft Outlook.
To ensure that your client’s property will go to the beneficiaries of his or her choosing, as opposed to the beneficiaries that the state chooses, it is imperative that the last will and testament be very specific and provide for as many contingencies as possible.
Gift and estate tax planning has gotten easier for married couples thanks in part to a relatively new concept: porting of the federal gift and estate tax exemption to a surviving spouse.
Thanks to distance-learning technology, professors as well as students have much more flexibility than previous generations did. Today a professor might teach in Chicago one week and in South Bend the next.