The business meet-and-greet scene is fraught with potential pitfalls, even for the most confident among us. Here’s how to reduce embarrassing encounters at networking events, receptions and other occasions.

I can appreciate a well-crafted cocktail. But when I am in a situation where such beverages are being served, I never get involved in a conversation about someone’s legal problems. And I strongly encourage you to do the same. Here's a short story that explains why. ... READ THE REST

I am the queen of lists. At the end of every month, I write a list of goals for the following month. I have a running to-do list for every day. When I get to the office in the morning, the first thing I do is grab a Post-it note and write what I want to accomplish before I go home. Client work, of course, takes top priority, which means the other tasks in my professional life sometimes roll to the next day, or the next week, or the next month. You get the idea. ... READ THE REST

The inaugural Shape the Law Unconference will take place April 29, 2016, in San Francisco, focused on "Wellness, Wealth and Wisdom." Attorney at Work is proud to support the new event as a media sponsor. We asked Jeena Cho, one of the four enterprising Shape the Law founders, to fill us in. First, what is an "Unconference"?

Why do you find certain lawyers quoted in the press so often? Are they magically on speed-dial with certain outlets? In short, yes. Befriending a reporter is an exercise in social capital. You want to create an easy, mutually beneficial relationship. It may be intimidating to some, but it can be done. When I was a reporter, I had several trusted lawyers and judges who consistently made themselves available to explain issues to me. ... READ THE REST

Ten minutes of top-of-the-hour cable television news can make you feel like your head is going to explode. Or maybe you’ve just read some total bozo’s post. You may want to grab your phone and immediately post your own views about the candidates or issues on social media. After all, you have the account. It’s right there — so easy.

What’s that phrase from “The Godfather, Part III”? Oh yeah. “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” I left legal tech behind six months ago for Silicon Valley, and while things do move fast out there, legal tech moves at a slower, measured pace. Truth be told, when I agreed to report on ABA TECHSHOW for Attorney at Work, I had no agenda for what I would cover. So I followed my curiosity. Naturally it sent me to the cybersecurity and privacy track. ... READ THE REST

Have you been avoiding a potentially difficult conversation with a client for fear of it going badly? The good news is that you are in solid company — some of the best and brightest lawyers procrastinate and avoid conflict. Introverts — and research finds a majority of lawyers are introverted — are especially prone to avoiding confrontation, according to Sondra Vansant in "Wired for Conflict." Dr. Larry Richard has written and spoken extensively about the typical lawyer personality type based on Caliper test scores from thousands of attorneys. Resiliency is one of the measured traits, and many lawyers score on the low end of the bell curve for the ability to recover quickly from setbacks. So if you have had a difficult or unpleasant conversation with a client in the past and are a lawyer with low resiliency, you may be especially keen to avoid a repeat of such a conversation. Whatever your personality type or personal style, the bad news is that fretting about the conversation while avoiding it won't make the issue go away. A better approach is to map out a strategy that maximizes the possibility of a favorable outcome. ... READ THE REST

ABA TECHSHOW just marked its 30th anniversary. The traditional gift for a 30th anniversary is pearl — and that's appropriate since I have received many pearls of wisdom in my years at the conference. I attended my first TECHSHOW in 1999 and I haven’t missed one since. After that first year I was hooked ... READ THE REST

Case management systems are like so many baby rabbits right about now; but, like individual baby rabbits (and snowflakes), each is a little bit different. All the major case management systems offer the same basic features — calendar, email integration, time and billing — so, the devil becomes the details. Therefore, making a coherent decision on a case management platform requires a deeper dive, to differentiate between systems that are generally useful and those that would be truly usable in a specific law firm environment: yours. Thomson Reuters’ Firm Central is a cloud-based case management platform that does everything you’d expect — and a whole lot more. Thomson Reuters recently relaunched (read: refined) the entire suite, which includes the integration of advanced time and billing tools .... READ THE REST