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From the Trenches – Genius Advocacy or Sleazy Tactics?
Just one in a series of sick attorneys. I finally started a trial this week after the defendant had managed to continue it seven times and delay my client’s day in court for almost a year. Here is the...
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Should You Write Yourself a Bonus in a Fee Agreement?
I had nothing to do with this case, but an attorney friend of mine alerted me to this very interesting issue arising from an attorney fee application. Here is the scenario. A party won a breach of...
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Don’t Be That Attorney – The Uncommitted Extortionist
I see this a lot in the wrongful termination context, and I even warn callers that they will likely encounter this type of attorney if they keep calling around. I call these attorneys “Uncommitted...
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Learning to Lose with Aplomb – Part Two
Jerry Sharp / Shutterstock.com Think real hard before ever suing a client for unpaid attorney fees. Cross-complaints for malpractice are now so routine that some malpractice carriers exclude any...
View ArticleIf You Lie Down With Dogs You Wake Up With Fleas
My book on starting your own firm is oh so close to publication, and a call from opposing counsel today reminded me of the ramifications of violating Rule 1 from that book. Rule 1 is a lesson they...
View ArticleA Lesson Relearned, and How to Defeat an Ex Parte Application
I hate opposing ex parte applications. It’s a little better than the bad old days. Ex parte means unilateral. Back in the day, we would go to court with no notice to the other side and obtain ex parte...
View ArticleSleazy Attorney Technique No. 3: “Discovery? What Discovery?”
I have a brilliant method to beat this technique, if I do say so myself, and I have not seen one other attorney who uses this killer method. First, here is how it all comes about. I serve discovery,...
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Damning With Faint Praise – The Ongoing Saga of Sharon Bell v. Igal Feibush
Can’t a guy get a few minutes to enjoy his victory? As discussed in greater detail here, we forged an important precedent as regards the application of Penal Code § 496(c). Our client loaned the...
View ArticleUnhappiest Job in America: Associate Attorney
The website CareerBliss.com has compiled a list of the happiest and unhappiest jobs in America, and found that associate attorney is the absolute worst. Based on a survey of 65,000 employees, which...
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Think Before You Demand — Miguel Mendoza v. Reed K. Hamzeh
If the threat of getting in trouble with the State Bar is not enough, maybe the threat of both civil and criminals actions will get attorneys to toe the line. You know that it is an ethical violation...
View ArticleBest Client Call of the Week
It is only Wednesday, so I suppose I could receive a call that would top this one, but I’m pretty confident this will be the winner. I received an inquiry by email, seeking representation on a breach...
View ArticleiPad Tip for Lawyers: Put Your Contact Information on Your Lock Screen
It’s a very obvious idea that had never occurred to me until I saw this video. I have my contact information printed on a label on the back of my iPad, but why not put it right on the lock screen, so...
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Yelp Sues the McMillan Law Group, Claiming it Posted Fake Reviews
My primary practice area is free speech and defamation, and I receive a lot of phone calls from potential customers, wanting to sue for false reviews on Yelp. Most Yelp users probably realize that...
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Five Reasons Attorneys Get Suckered by SEO Marketing Scams
In my book, How to Create a Big, Fat Pipeline of New Clients for Your Law Firm in Just 10 Days, I provide the following anecdote: There is a classic Peanuts comic, where Linus is going door to door...
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New York Busts 19 Companies for Fake On-Line Reviews
Bloomberg Businessweek published a great article on Tuesday, discussing fake Yelp reviews, following a sting operation in New York, designed to catch businesses engaging in the process. Referring to...
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Chocolate-Covered Strawberries Restore My Faith in Humanity
No doubt much to the chagrin of my partner, I give away an obscene amount of free legal services. The thing is, I’ve been doing this so long that I have worked out easy solutions for many of the legal...
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How Does Google Work?
In my book, How to Create a Big, Fat Pipeline of New Clients for Your Law Firm in Just 10 Days, I discuss all the factors Google looks at to determine which search results will appear on page one. I...
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Don’t Be That Attorney — Misstating Record on Appeal
As reported elsewhere, we received a very satisfying verdict of more than $1.5 million resulting from a defamatory email sent by a defendant, concerning our client. The defendant did not go silently...
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Does Starting Your Own Law Firm Have to be a Lonely Experience?
I happened across an article entitled Thinking of Going Solo? Think Carefully, published on the American Bar Association website by an attorney named Jennifer Ator. It is important to read the...
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You’re Not Alone — Everyone Gets Some Crazies
I genuinely thought I was part of some long-term punking. I get so many calls from people wanting to hire me who use the same lines to try to get me to take the case. I can’t tell you how many times...
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