Blog Posts

Here's your unreported opinions. (Now don't ever cite them!) >
An anxious young attorney looks at his watch and sees that it's 4:30 p.m. He quickly opens up his computer's Internet browser and clicks on the link to the Court of Appeals' website, specifically, the page that hosts appellate opinions. (It's bookmarked for easy access.)
April 30, 2015

The resident humorist on the Court of Appeals >
Since graduating from law school, I've made a habit of checking the Court of Appeals website every morning to see if there are any new opinions. It's a great way for me to stay up-to-date on the law. I generally only stop to read the opinions that are related to my practice, but I have one exception.
April 2, 2015

Gaining perspective from the past experiences of others >
By all accounts, the beginning of one's legal career can be the most difficult. Young attorneys could be dealing with a lot all at once - learning practice areas (not to mention the practice of law), growing families and managing student loan debt, just to name a few things. With all of that pressure can come the nagging urge to question your life choices: Why did I choose this career?!
March 19, 2015

Adventures in legal writing >
Driving into work last week, I was listening to one of my favorite new podcasts, Reply All, which is a show full of oddball stories about the Internet. The subject of last week's episode was a software engineer named Bryan Henderson who has made it his quest to rid Wikipedia of one grammatical mistake: the incorrect use of the phrase "comprised of" in articles.
March 5, 2015

The 'Waiter Rule' and attorneys: A reminder to be nice >
Have you ever heard of the "Waiter Rule"? It goes like this: "a person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter . . . is not a nice person." I am a former bartender, so the Waiter Rule especially hits home for me. But it speaks to something bigger than just how we treat people who work at restaurants.
February 19, 2015

This young lawyer got his priorities straight. You won't believe what happened to him next. >
First, I sincerely apologize for the clickbait title to this post but, in my case, it is kind of fitting. To tell my story, I need to start back in late November. The Anne Arundel Bar Association was hosting one of its regular charity pub quiz events, and we were halfway through the first part of the quiz when my phone started buzzing. As a strict adherer to pub quiz rules, I avoided the urge to grab my phone so as not to be seen as a cheater. But it kept buzzing. Text messages, then phone calls. When the round was finally over, I grabbed my phone to see several missed calls and messages from my sister.
February 5, 2015

A wish list for young civil litigators >
A partner at my law firm likes to joke that attorneys spend their first five years practicing law in abject fear. This is mostly because there is so much to learn and - not to get too Rumsfeldian on you - young attorneys don't know what they don't know.
December 26, 2014

A day in the life of a young, married lawyer >
It's 4:37 a.m. and my alarm goes off. No, not the alarm clock next to my bed. I haven't needed to set that thing in over two years. I am talking about the little sound monitor to the right of the alarm clock, which is blasting the noise coming from down the hall in my son's room.
December 11, 2014

Constructive courtroom criticism >
In one of my first blog posts for Generation J.D., I discussed the benefits of continuing legal education (CLE) and mentioned an intensive, one-week trial advocacy course for which I had registered. That course started this past week, and after having every aspect of my advocacy skills scrutinized, I am happy to report that the course has been a revelation for me (as opposed to the torture I was expecting).
November 13, 2014

Taking the high road: How I learned to press "Delete" >
You ever have one of those days where every person with whom you are dealing woke up on the wrong side of the bed? As attorneys, we have the "luxury" of working in a profession where this can be a common occurrence.
October 2, 2014

Leaving school behind for the practice of law >
Nineteen years. That's how long I had been in school by the time I received my law degree. Knowing that I would never have to set foot in a classroom again was extremely satisfying. The learning was done; it was time to make a living, I thought. Boy, was I wrong.
September 19, 2014

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