Lawyer Skills

Give Feedback
How to Give Feedback

The staff evaluation form lands on your desk, with instructions to return it within a week. It’s time for the dreaded annual performance review. And it's dreaded not just by those being reviewed. If you are giving the review, it raises ...

Mary Lokensgard - January 13, 2015
Receive Feedback
How to Receive Feedback

Feedback is constructive information you can use to identify problems you need to correct and strengths you can build on. It can also give you new ideas that will revitalize your practice. But getting feedback, even when you asked for it, can ...

Mary Lokensgard - January 7, 2015
word styles automating a table of contents
Word Styles: Automating a Table of Contents

In her latest “Power User” series, Vivian Manning has been showing how to use Microsoft Word Styles to produce documents much more efficiently. In her last column, she showed how Heading Styles can be used to structure and even reorganize ...

Vivian Manning - December 11, 2014
Leaving
Time to Leave Law Behind? Then What?

There are generally two questions that worry dissatisfied attorneys as they consider leaving the law. First, "How do I know I’m ready (really, really ready) to leave the law?” And, "Once I decide I'm ready, what do I do about it?” How ...

Casey Berman - December 9, 2014
Effecting Misuse Can Affect the Effectiveness of Your Writing: Sound-Alikes

Similar-sounding words can have very different meanings. Sound-alike words have tripped up many a scribe. Because you may be spelling the word correctly but misusing it for the context, spell-check is of no help. Watch out! Incorrect usage will ...

Theda C. Snyder - November 24, 2014
Windyfoggery and Other Writing Tips from the Master

Theodore Bernstein created an analog to the economic maxim that bad money drives out good: bad words tend to drive out good ones. Bernstein, a journalist and professor, wrote or co-wrote seven books on grammar and usage. As an addict of grammar ...

Theda C. Snyder - November 6, 2014
one of a kind with apples Bullied
To Quote or Not to Quote: Either Way, Check Your Source

The Internet is awesome. It's also horrible. It's the greatest timesaver in human history (okay, maybe air travel, but it's up there). It's also the biggest time-suck. With so much information and so many resources available at your fingertips, ...

Jay Harrington - October 14, 2014
Friday Five
Words for Friends: 5 Ways to Grab Attention Online

If you want people to notice you online, it doesn't take a marketing genius to know it's all about the visuals — a photo, infographic or video will out-pull your wall of words every time. (A photo of you will help, too.) We're not advocating ...

Joan Feldman - October 10, 2014
Five Hot Tips for Researching on Google Scholar

If you are seeking ways to reduce your legal research costs, here is one good option: Google Scholar. It is an online research service you can use to find cases and secondary sources for free. If you want to know how to harness the power of ...

Eric Voigt - October 8, 2014
Lawyer at chalk board Answer to Tough Questions
The Ultimate Answer to Tough Questions

People expect a lawyer to be able to answer tough questions. But what if you don’t know the answer? I still remember my first day in torts class. Old man river, my respectable professor, called on me to analyze an opinion from some archaic ...

Annie Little - October 7, 2014
envelope

Welcome to Attorney at Work!

       

Sign up for our free newsletter.

x