- Soulless, Bloodsucking Lawyers (No, It's Not an Ad Hominem Attack: It's Our New CD!)
- Feature Article: What Restores Your Professional Self?
- Cartoon: Stu's (New!) Views
- Greetings From TBH: How Steve Nipper of the IP Funny Blog Uses TBH Greeting Cards
- Humor: So . . . What IS a [Good] Trial Lawyer?
- Cartoon: Juris Comic
- Congratulations to our Ivy Briefs Winner
- Song of the Month: The Billable Hour Minuet
- Poeticus Lex: Civil Litigation
- Daily Legal Toon
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Soulless, Bloodsucking Lawyers (No, It's Not an Ad Hominem Attack: It's Our New CD!)
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We're pleased to announce the availability of Soulless, Bloodsucking Lawyers at our website. No, we haven't turned The Billable Hour Company into a legal placement firm: Soulless, Bloodsucking Lawyers: A Brief Musical is the soundtrack of an original play by the same name written by Minnesota lawyer, speaker, comedian and playwright Toni Halleen.
This smart, funny play follows an idealistic new attorney through her initiation into the world of the fictional corporate law firm of Auburn and Reed. Surrounded by self-important litigators, dancing judges, money-grubbing senior partners, the heroine struggles to make it in a commercial law firm while staying true to her need to give back to society.
The Broadway-style musical features all original music, co-composed with and arranged by Shirley Mier, with songs including: What's In It For Me?, Ethics Are Easy and (our favorite, for obvious reasons) The Billable Hour Minuet.
"Soulless, Bloodsucking Lawyers: A Musical" was the number one best selling show at the 2003 Minnesota Fringe Festival. The show was also selected by the audience as "Best Musical."
The addition of Soulless, Bloodsucking Lawyers, brings our "stable" of artists to 4, and our selection of CDs to 7 (plus Bob Noone's live DVD. Check out our other artists—the Bar & Grill Singers; Bob Noone and the Well-Hung Jury; and Dan Klau—in the Billable Hour Music Store.
You can also find Soulless, Bloodsucking Lawyers in our Whole Shebang 7 CD Set and our Billable Hour Set.
Plus, now through July 15, you can get 17% off the price of a Whole Shebang Set (or any other order of $76 or more):
We should have CDs from two more artists starting in July, so watch this space for more exciting news!
What Restores Your Professional Self?
by Julie Fleming Brown
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I often write about taking the time for real recreation and relaxation. It's important for all of us (lawyer and non-lawyer alike) to do something that refills the pitcher of "self" so that we have more to pour out in service to our clients.
But there's another dimension to restoration, and that's getting the professional self recharged and refilled. Have you ever been to a CLE meeting that's so full of exciting ideas and interesting people that you feel yourself swelling with delight? Remembering that sense of why you became a lawyer? Knowing that, even on the difficult days, your decision was correct? If not, you owe it to yourself to seek out that kind of experience.
Recently, I attended the annual conference of the DC chapter of the International Coach Federation. (For those who are unaware, I split my time primarily between Atlanta and Orlando, but I've also elected to remain part of the DC coaching community following my completion of Georgetown's Leadership Coaching certificate program.) Make no mistake, I am delighted with my work as a coach on a daily basis. And yet, attending this meeting popped my excitement to the next level, fueled my desire to learn and do more, and reignited by commitment to bringing the best of my self, my skills, and my experience into every coaching interaction, all in service to my clients.
Several topics grabbed my attention sufficiently to share them here, albeit in shorthand.
First, sustainability. I attended a program that asked how those of us who coach leaders can bring sustainability into the equation, and I expected to hear about personal sustainability. Instead, the presentation addressed environmental and social sustainability. I left mulling over what it means to be a citizen, personally or corporately. I have an inchoate sense that there's a role for lawyers beyond legislation and even beyond pro bono work . . . But I'll tease that out over time.
Next, Marshall Goldsmith, executive coach extraordinaire to CEOs of companies such as Glaxo SmithKline, Ford, and many others, spoke about "feedforward" as opposed to feedback. Rather than focusing on what's happened in the past—which is, by definition, unchangeable —Goldsmith recommends a forward-looking process in which the subject selects a behavior to change and solicits suggestions on how that change might be accomplished. The exercise is positive and forward-looking, and regardless of what idea is set forth to facilitate the changed behavior, the only acceptable response is, "Thank you." It's a terrific process, and I commend the linked article to you for more information. Can lawyers implement a feedforward process? Hmmm, more to come on this.
And I attended a presentation on leadership in the context of advancement. Perhaps you've seen the recent statistics showing the 40% of newly-promoted managers and executives fail within the first 18 months. Scott Eblin spoke on his book The Next Level: What Insiders Know About Executive Success, particularly highlighting what behaviors will support leaders and which will undermine them. There's much more to say here as well.
Throughout the day, I met coaches with diverse specialties and training/experience. Wonderful conversation popped at every turn. And although I'd had only 3 hours of sleep the night before, I was energized by the day.
So . . . Where can you find professional reinvigoration? How can you build it into your schedule? Perhaps there's a magazine that feeds your professional self? Or a CLE topic, possibly directly related to your area of practice or possibly not, that stirs new ideas and excitement? Perhaps it's the pro bono work you do, research and writing or speaking, or simply meeting with colleagues for conversation about wide-ranging topics?
Next time you notice yourself feeling more energized professionally, notice what's created that for you and notice the results it yields. Chances are that you'll find it develops you as a better-rounded lawyer who's more committed to your profession and your clients. It's a win-win situation that deserves to be cultivated.
Julie Fleming Brown provides professional and personal coaching for lawyers on topics such as client and professional development, job searches, career transitions, and work/life balance. She is also certified to provide the DISC® assessment. Please visit http://www.LifeAtTheBar.com/ for more information and to arrange a complimentary coaching exploration session. To get your free Life at the Bar Survival Kit, go to http://www.lifeatthebar.com/MenuSignUp.htm
Stu's (New!) Views
by Stu Rees
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We're thrilled to announce that we've added 37 new Stu's Views cartoons to the Billable Hour Card Store. The new cartoons cover a wide range of topics and practice areas: so wide, in fact, that we even created a few new categories in our card store.
Looking for a "get well" card especially for a lawyer? Look no further: now, you have not one, but two, cards to choose from:
©Stu Rees. All rights reserved.
Need a card for an appellate specialist or appeals court judge? You can find these two (and more) in our Practice Areas>Appellate category:
©Stu Rees. All rights reserved.
Just about anyone will get a kick out of the cards in our new "Kids Stuff" category (look for it at the bottom of the left-hand column of the card store). Here are two of the new cards in this category:
©Stu Rees. All rights reserved.
Like these cartoons? Send them to friends, clients or colleagues on greeting cards. To order, visit The Billable Hour Card Store.
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Greetings From TBH: How Steve Nipper of the IP Funny Blog Uses TBH Greeting Cards
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Welcome to the inaugural installment of our new column, Greetings from TBH. In this column, we'll share some ways in which our customers are using cards from our Billable Hour Card Store to make a big impression on their colleagues, prospects, clients, friends and relatives.
Our guest this month is Steve Nipper. Steve, a partner with the Boise, Idaho law firm of Dykas, Shaver & Nipper writes the IP Funny blog. (Yes, he also writes the Invent Blog and contributes to the Rethink(IP) and fedcirc.us blogs, but we enjoy a good scatological pun as much as the next guy.) | 
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| The card I use: Lawyer in Heaven
Who I send the card to: colleagues, clients and friends who have referred cases to me
My message: My handwritting is terrible, so I have my name and firm printed inside. I write a personal thank you note and sign my name just above my printed name
If you have a story about how you use TBH greeting cards, we'd love to hear from you: send your story to us at info@TheBillableHour.com. Tell us what card you use; who you send it to; what message appears inside the card; whether you take advantage of our optional free personalization features (do you upload your signature/logo? Do you upload a photo to be printed on the inside left panel?); whether you have your cards sent directly to the recipients or shipped to you; whether you have uploaded your contacts directly into your cardstore account to make sending cards even easier; and the reaction you've received from recipients.
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So . . . What IS a [Good] Trial Lawyer?
by Bob Pladek
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"Well, why don't you just start out by defining 'trial lawyer.'"
Ok, Harvey. Thanks. I think."
So I was asking and googling around: Not looking for the standard, tongue-through-cheek responses one might find in, oh, say any bar at around 11:30pm on a Saturday night, or on the front steps of a Long Island courthouse. Here's a sample of what I got:
A trial lawyer is an attorney who represents people injured or otherwise wronged by another person or company.
http://www.njconsumerlaw.com/faqs.htm
"A trial lawyer is a champion of the people, a protector of civil justice. Trial lawyers represent individuals who have been severely wronged at the hands of large corporations, insurance companies and legal and medical professionals in whom the individual had placed their trust.
http://www.bostwickfirm.com/faq.html#trial_lawyer
What do trial lawyers believe? If they are practicing criminal law, they believe in the presumption of innocence. They trust the jury. They believe very strongly in fighting the government.
http://www.fightthefeds.com/shtml/abme_whdo.shtml
And, taking it straight from the ATLA website horse's mouth (and I do mean mouth) . . .
Trial lawyers ensure access to the civil justice system for the powerless in America - working families, individual workers, and consumers who often lack the resources to take their grievances to court.
Trial lawyers play a valuable role in protecting the rights of American families. They champion the cause of those who deserve redress for injury to person or property; they promote the public good through their efforts to secure safer products, a safe workplace, a clean environment and quality health care; they uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of the accused; and they preserve the constitutional right to trial by jury and seek justice for all.
http://www.atlanet.org/info/whatisatriallawyer.aspx
I could be naïve, but I don't find any of these descriptions cleverly disguised attempts to put positive spin on lawyer reputation. These all sound like pretty good things. So does being involved in good stuff make a lawyer "good"? Or is that a separate issue? Lots more opinions, but this one, appearing on the Los Alamos Women in Science website, captures it well:
A lawyer needs common sense, a good imagination, and a curiosity about the way people and things work. You need to be careful. Much of law is tedious, detail can be significant, and all lawyers' jobs require preparation. You must be conscientious. You need to be flexible. Lawyers need not only the imagination to conceive alternative resolutions but also the temperament to change approaches. You need a tolerance for ambiguity. Sometimes there are no answers, and you must develop a solution or choose a course of action for a client that seems safe even though the legal ramifications are not entirely clear. Finally, a lawyer must be able to communicate easily and well in writing and in professional dialogue; she must be a good reader and a good listener.
http://lawis.lanl.gov/home/lawis/NMNWSE/EYH/CareersBook/C17Law.html
You may be familiar with a 2004 Gallup survey where participants were asked to respond to the question which professionals they trusted the most least. Nurses, teachers, pharmacists, military officers, physicians, police officers and members of the clergy were rated "high" or "very high" concerning this trust factor by 50 percent or more. Lawyers, with an 18 percent positive rating, were only rated higher than "advertising practitioners" and "car sales people."
Common sense. Imagination. Care. Flexibility. Tolerance. Understandable. Protector. Trustee of Liberty.
Lot of good lawyers out there doing a lot of good trial-law things. There's a need to advertise that better. Much better. Much gooder.
Bob Pladek is the normally civil Special Sections Editor for New Jersey Lawyer. This article is reprinted with their permission, which wasn't overly begrudgingly given. Bob's views, thankfully, are entirely his own. Send a nice note to him at Robert.pladek@njlnews.com
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Congratulations to our Ivy Briefs Winner
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In last month's Timesheet, we ran an excerpt from Martha Kimes' new book, Ivy Briefs: True Tales of a Neurotic Law Student. We also promised that one lucky Billable Hour customer, chosen at random from those who make a purchase during the month of June, would receive a copy of the book.
Congratulations to Thomas O'Connor of Deerfield Beach, Florida. Your purchase has won you a signed copy of Ivy Briefs!
Song of the Month: The Billable Hour Minuet
Lyrics by Toni Haleen; Music by Toni Haleen and Shirley Mier
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(sample)
Available on Soulless, Bloodsucking Lawyers: A Brief Musical
If you can, bill every moment
Every moment has potential
To be charged to a client
Charging Clients is essential
Billable, billable, etc.
I think about the law all day and even in my dreams
Billing clients is my life,
I feel it coursing through my bloodstream
My brain power is astounding,
The Gears are always clicking
I am thinking for my clients
And the clock is always ticking
CHORUS
We count the days in minutes, making every second count
If you want to bill your client,
you have got to write it down
Write down what you did, what you read, what you wondered
Write down who you talked to, what you said and what you pondered
CHORUS
©Toni Halleen and Fun with Law Productions 2003.
Just one of the hilarious songs on
Poeticus Lex: Civil Litigation
by Fred C. Russcol, Esq.
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The legal profession of old used to be
One where antagonists had courtesy,
In which the attorneys opposed in a case
Would relate to each other with consummate grace,
Knowing, as civilized partisans must,
That blaming the messenger cannot be just.
In today's world, with all of its pressure and stress,
The need for civility's greater, not less,
But too many lawyers get into a zone
Where they take on the litigants' ire as their own,
So when asked for a favor, they're increasingly driven
To deny courtesies once commonly given;
It seems that this course is becoming so chronic
That "civil litigation" is oxymoronic.
Fred C. Russcol, Esq. is Of Counsel to Castro & Remer, P.C. in White Plains, New York. This poem was originally printed in the Westchester Bar Journal and is reprinted with the permission of the Westchester County Bar Association.
