Articles

Twitter beginning to slide?

Some lawyers are beginning to leave Twitter.

I started with Twitter several months ago and within 48 hours received 2 invitations to speak at conference, one on the West Coast and one in the Northeast. Beyond that, I haven’t seen any revenue generated, but I have made connections with folks whom I value.  Is it worthwhile? That depends on your metric for success. For revenue, no, not yet. For connections and an avenue for quick conversation, I think so (at least that’s my current thinking. And I know a number of folks who swear by Twitter.

The problem with all of this social media is that the human body needs no further inducement to hunch over … we’ve tried for so long to stand tall, straight. And being hunched over to look at our portable screen takes us back to our origins … and takes multi-tasking to an entirely new level of understanding.

What has been your experience?


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Are you the manager or the visionary?

I was just getting used to the "Information Age" when I learned about Dan Pink from Stewart Levine, a friend of mine.

Pink says we’re moving out of the information age and into the "conceptual age" in which creativity will be supreme.

Wow, sure is tough to stay current. Someone asked me today about widgets. I said I learned about them, along with Blackacre, in law school. But, apparently, widgets has taken on a whole new meaning. 🙂

How does this impact the law firm? Well, is the leader of your firm a visionary, one who can see the future for the firm, or a manager, one who implements the firm’s policies? It is rare that we find one person embracing both roles.


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Legal fees – New proposal prevents retainers

A new proposal, supported by the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California, appears to make it illegal for a lawyer to charge and accept an advance retainer in matters involving loan modifications. Do you think that, after the work is completed, the lawyer will be able to get the client to pay the fee?

How similar is this to the new San Francisco City ordinance that forces landlords to reduce their rent if a tenant loses his/her employment?

I thought these matters were the government’s responsibility or charities? Perhaps lawyers and landlords are being conscripted now as charities.


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Proud parent

Today, I’m a super proud parent (though I’m always proud of my kids!)

My daughter received a certification as a WCS (Women’s Health Certified Specialist), 1 of only about 50 in the country.


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Age discrimination lawsuits will be harder to win

In a decision this week, the US Supreme Court decided to change precedent. And who said "conservative" justices don’t make law, are not "activists"? This decision is one of those based on ideological lines.

The Court in a 5-4 decision said that the burden of proving age discrimination lies solely with the plaintiff. In previous cases, the plaintiff merely had to prove that age was a factor … and then the company had to show that there were legitimate reasons for the termination. How, now, will plaintiffs be able to show that age was the primary factor? Afer all, the plaintiff was not in the room when the decision to terminate him/her was made.


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