Let Purpose Get You Off the Hamster Wheel!
Some days it feels like life is one endless hamster wheel, where you go round and round and round in the same way day after day. You know the drill: chores-work-kids-chores-bed, rinse and repeat. Oh, sure, there’s the occasional crisis to change things up, maybe the occasional vacation or happy surprise, but mostly it’s chores-work-kids-chores-bed: […]
Win Your Case by Winning Client Cooperation!
It’s often said that the practice of law would be great if it weren’t for clients. Clients, of course, are what drive your business, so like it or not, part of a successful practice is learning how to deal with difficult clients. Most clients don’t set out to be difficult, but in their frustration, anxiety […]
Self-Care: Lattes and Ice Cream. Really?
We are a quick-fix species, we humans. We want ‘it’ – whatever ‘it’ is – NOW! The money, the lover, the job, the car, the child to behave, the partner to behave (oops!), the boss to quit micro-managing: the list goes on and on. So too with self-care. Few of us think of what self-care […]
Want to Win? Start Off On The Right Foot With Prospective Jurors
When prospective jurors walk into the courtroom, they only know one thing for sure: the courtroom is His/Her Honor’s private reserve, and the Judge’s word is law. Everything about the physical layout of the courtroom says “In this room, the Judge is Top Dog, and whatever they say is set in stone.” The Judge sits […]
The Longevity Secret: Aging Greatfully
Aging Greatfully – March 31, 2023[Listen] Podcast
My “Worry” Epiphany
You would think that a garden-variety cold would hardly lead to an epiphany. What can I tell you? That’s what happened! I ended up flat on my back, sneezing, coughing, not-sleeping, miserable, with a severe head cold and laryngitis. Lovely. Considering that I make my living as a trial consultant talking, discussing and coaching various […]
How Your Emotions Can Help You Win Your Case
The question of whether to trust our logic or trust our emotions is rarely brought up in the context of legal matters, at least not from the lawyer’s point of view. Certainly, we discuss endlessly how this or that prospective juror’s mindset (highly emotional versus highly rational) might impact our case, but not usually how […]
Disaster Recovery: Surviving After Losing Everything
Going For Misery or Looking For Ease?
The Holidays are long over, New Year’s came and went, Super Bowl happened, Valentine’s Day is but a dim recollection, so what’s next? Ah yes, tax season . . . Let’s not all rejoice at the same time. Well, not me, anyway. As a self-employed, I now need to plow through all my receipts, sort […]
Get Those Undecideds On Your Side: With Jury Instructions
Despite the best efforts of all involved, jury instructions remain obscure and confusing to all but the most legalese-savvy jurors. Cases should be won or lost on their merits, but too often, cases are lost (or unsatisfactory verdicts obtained) because the jurors either did not understand the jury instructions, or how those jury instructions should […]