One of the best truth seeking tools in a civil case is called the deposition. If you are about to be deposed or maybe you are conducting a deposition for the first time, I think Arnold Schwarzenegger summed it up best in the following clip. That’s right. An attorney gets to ask questions of a…
I’m Hurt, But First, Let Me Take A Selfie.
Data, Data, Everywhere. There was a time when you didn’t have a cell phone. Digital cameras were bulky, expensive and by the time you booted up the camera, the moment was lost. But now, you can take a video, write a comment, tag your friends and tell the whole world about the fainting goats with a…
It’s Up To You (Or Your Lawyer)
I think therefore I am. Life is what you make of it. The one thing you can always change is: your mind. These sayings reflect the famous French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes most well known statement “Cogito ergo sum” translated into english “I think therefore I am”. As Elon Musk recently put it, although…
Words Matter
If you didn’t already know that words matter, let this funny video be a reminder of how words can make or break a case (or a lawyer). Words cause wars. Words stop wars. Words are what separate humans from the animal kingdom. Written or spoken, helpful or harmful, symbols with attached meaning are what…
This is how it’s done.
There will always be a type of law, a specific case, or a specific fact that seems to get very little attention, simply because that is how it has always been done. I’ve seen it throughout my time as an attorney. I haven’t been practicing 30 years; only a little over three. But, in those…
You Can Sue a Ham Sandwich
“You can sue a ham sandwich” I have jokingly said this to friends and family when they ask about a potential lawsuit. For the most part; it is true. If that ham sandwich had some ham bone in it with no warning and you choked on it, then there might be a case. Maybe the…
A Little Hassle Might Be Worth it
This scene from Tommy Boy came to mind recently while I was shopping for car insurance. Periodically, I shop around just to make sure I am not paying too much. 15 minutes or less right? Well, not really. After submitting your information to multiple different companies and looking at your 6 month quotes, you then…
Let It Go?
While this song took youngsters and their parents by storm over the past few years, its message is nothing new. Turn the other cheek. Let bygones be bygones. Keep the past in the past. The words are different but the sentiment is the same. It is a sentiment that many of us have. Humans have…
Do Lawyers Literally Fight for You?
A common phrase by lawyers promoting their services is that they will “fight for you.” It could be a figure of speech, but in a case from 1992 out of Texas, the lawyers almost came to blows during a deposition. Click the short video to watch it happen. Maybe that is just how Texans try…
Do You Have Attention Deficit Disorder?
Watch the Video and see if you can keep track of how many times the ball is passed before you read on. What was the result? Not what you expected? Maybe you have seen this video before. But if you haven’t, what a powerful lesson about the unreliability of our own senses the video conveys….
Remember to Believe: Forgetting Might Kill You (Or Your Case)
“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.”- Henry Ford Henry Ford was on to something when he said those words. Something so powerful there is even a scientific name for it: The Placebo Effect. One of the early scientists to identify the power of placebos was Dr. Henry K. Beecher. In his 1955…
Lawyers: Winging It Since 1850
“If any one, upon his rare powers of speaking, shall claim an exemption from the drudgery of the law, his case is a failure in advance.” That is an excerpt from Abraham Lincoln’s notes in preparing a lecture to a group of young lawyers. Then, as well as now, the ‘Unprepared Lawyer’ is a topic of much…
No Malarkey 