The New Lawyer’s Handbook 101 Things They Don’t Teach You In Law School Karen ThalacKer New_Lawyers_Handbook.indd 1 4/24/09 10:29:16 AM Copyright © 2009 by Karen Thalacker Cover and internal design © 2009 by Sourcebooks, Inc. Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc. First Edition: 2009 Published by: Sphinx Publishing, An Imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Naperville Office P.O. Box 4410 Naperville, Illinois 60567–4410 630–961–3900 Fax: 630–961–2168 www.sourcebooks.com www.SphinxLegal.com This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. From a Declaration of Principles Jointly Adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations This product is not a substitute for legal advice. Disclaimer required by Texas statutes. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Thalacker, Karen. The new lawyer’s handbook : 101 things they don’t teach you in law school / by Karen Thalacker. p. cm. 1. Practice of law—United States. 2. Law—Vocational guidance—United States. I. Title. KF300.T48 2009 340.023’73—dc22 2009012755 Printed and bound in the United States of America. VP — 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 New_Lawyers_Handbook.indd 2 4/24/09 10:29:16 AM To my teachers, mentors, and colleagues New_Lawyers_Handbook.indd 3 4/24/09 10:29:16 AM New_Lawyers_Handbook.indd 4 4/24/09 10:29:16 AM acknowledgments I want to say a special thank you to my family and friends. to my parents whose wisdom and kindness have always inspired me. I thank god every day that I am your daughter. to my brothers and sisters—Fred, ann, andy, and laura—who have supported and encouraged me in my crazy adventures from infancy to today. In writing this book, special thanks to andy and laura who are two of the smartest and nicest attorneys I know. to my children—ella, Robby, andy, and malcolm—who love their busy mom despite my hectic schedule and who give me strength every day. and to my husband Pete who is my partner in everything. I couldn’t and wouldn’t do any of this without him. New_Lawyers_Handbook.indd 5 4/24/09 10:29:16 AM New_Lawyers_Handbook.indd 6 4/24/09 10:29:16 AM contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv Section I: Starting Out Right at a Law Firm 1. get the details of your employment agreement in writing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2. appearances matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3. Have extra essentials at the office . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4. work when you are at work . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 5. a to-do list is your constant companion . . . . . 13 6. the importance of having a good assistant . . . 15 7. when you’re an associate, draft means final . . . 18 8. You don’t know everything . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Section II: Understanding Law Firm Politics 9. when your law office is more like the set of Survivor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 10. avoid having a romantic relationship with someone in your office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 New_Lawyers_Handbook.indd 7 4/24/09 10:29:16 AM 11. Foster a close relationship with someone in your office who has your back . . . . . . . . . . 30 12. It helps to be a golfer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 13. what to do if a colleague is struggling . . . . . . 34 Section III: General Tips for Having a Successful Practice 14. avoiding legal pet peeves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 15. don’t tolerate bad behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 16. learn to be a better listener and a better communicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 17. don’t give advice to strangers over the phone . . .46 18. Resist the pressure to take a case you’re not qualified to take . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 19. Find experienced lawyers you can talk to . . . . 51 20. don’t procrastinate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 21. what to do when opposing counsel is a jerk. . 55 22. You can always be a jerk later. . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 23. think twice before accusing someone of an ethical violation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 New_Lawyers_Handbook.indd 8 4/24/09 10:29:16 AM Section IV: The Business of Practicing Law 24. Be as involved as possible in your law firm’s finances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 25. the importance of a good filing system . . . . . 67 26. earning a living as a lawyer is a tough buck . . 70 27. How to build your practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 28. treat your client like a customer . . . . . . . . . . 75 29. get the money up front. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 30. How to close a case. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 31. never let your malpractice insurance lapse . . . 84 32. keep up with your billable hours . . . . . . . . . . 86 33. legal research isn’t free anymore . . . . . . . . . . 90 34. disaster planning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Section V: Becoming Comfortable with Technology 35. stay on top of technology but don’t be a slave to it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 36. know how to operate the office machines . . 100 37. cell phone etiquette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 38. Be careful with emails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 39. the impact of the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 New_Lawyers_Handbook.indd 9 4/24/09 10:29:16 AM Section VI: Working with Clients 40. the importance of the attorney-client privilege . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 41. do not judge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 42. don’t give anyone a blank check on credibility .116 43. keep a box of tissue on your desk . . . . . . . . 119 44. not every attorney is for every client . . . . . . 121 45. Beware of the client who has fired his or her first attorney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 46. when gender matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 47. should you represent family and friends? . . . 130 48. make sure you and your client have the same expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 49. don’t give guarantees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 50. tell your clients they need to follow your advice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 51. Be specific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 52. when a client or someone else is in jail . . . . 143 53. How to tell whether someone is having an affair and why you should care . . . . . . . . 146 54. How to get your client to tell you the truth. . . 150 New_Lawyers_Handbook.indd 10 4/24/09 10:29:16 AM 55. You may be the only sane person in your client’s life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 56. anyone can become crazy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 57. How to be involved but not overly involved. . . .158 58. make sure your client has the support of friends and family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 59. Is the extended family part of the problem or part of the solution? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 60. does your client have a safety plan? . . . . . . . 165 Section VII: Building a Case and Preparing for Trial 61. make sure you are suing and serving the right party. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 62. look at the jury instructions to prepare your case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 63. don’t wait for someone to give you information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 64. Prepare for depositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 65. give mediation a try . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 66. How you know when you have a good settlement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 New_Lawyers_Handbook.indd 11 4/24/09 10:29:16 AM 67. Hope for the best but prepare for and expect the worst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 68. Your pretrial settlement discussion with your client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 Section VIII: Success in the Courtroom 69. don’t throw a fit in court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 70. treat the other attorney’s client with respect . . .190 71. Find a nice judge you can talk to . . . . . . . . . 192 72. Research your judge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 73. Be extremely careful with ex parte communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 74. do these things before you ask the judge for a signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 75. How to get your witness ready for court . . . 200 76. You and your client should dress appropriately for court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 77. How to present your case to the judge . . . . . 204 78. tips for picking a jury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 79. cross-examination—you’re no Perry mason . . .211 80. know when to sit down and shut up . . . . . . 214 81. make your record for appeal . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 New_Lawyers_Handbook.indd 12 4/24/09 10:29:16 AM 82. appeals are a different animal. . . . . . . . . . . . 218 83. getting more time in court . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 84. Have a sincere appreciation for court personnel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Section IX: The New Lawyer at Home 85. don’t cross-examine your spouse or significant other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 86. Phone calls on nights, weekends, and holidays . .229 87. Find a creative outlet and a physical outlet . . 232 88. get your affairs in order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Section X: Your Legal Career in the Long Term 89. keep up with your jurisdiction’s latest ethics and appellate decisions . . . . . . . . . . . . 238 90. don’t let the door hit you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 91. why lawyers get burned out . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 92. You have the power to predict the future (eventually) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244 93. stay humble and stay grateful. . . . . . . . . . . . 246 94. do not underestimate the power of addiction . .248 95. It’s not the crime—it’s the cover-up . . . . . . . 251 New_Lawyers_Handbook.indd 13 4/24/09 10:29:16 AM 96. does it pass the smell test? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 97. You have the ability to change people’s perceptions about lawyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 98. donate your legal skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 99. the importance of defending the independence of the judiciary . . . . . . . . . . . 260 100. care about politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 101. what will people say at your funeral? . . . . . . 265 Conclusion: Why I love practicing law . . . . . . .267 About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271 New_Lawyers_Handbook.indd 14 4/24/09 10:29:16 AM