The American Lawyer Archives - The Thompson Law Firm

Holidays and Stress in the Law Firm

Bill Thompson — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 15:45:31 +0000

End of year means collecting and tallying hard data about firm operations and accounting, bills, taxes, and taking advantage of insurance carriers’ willingness to resolve cases before the new year. There are ways law firms can contribute to the comfort and peace of the lawyers and staff working during the holidays.

His biggest tip for law firms and those in management roles: Reduce the workload as much as possible, and recognize that there are often family and home obligations that compete for attorneys’ time and energy, which are often extremely meaningful to them.

Read more at: https://www.law360.com/personal-injury-medical-malpractice/articles/1778452?nl_pk=029cff45-637f-44e3-babf-75563f8e0bfd&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=personal-injury-medical-malpractice&utm_content=2023-12-20&read_main=1&nlsidx=1&nlaidx=1?copied=1

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Song For The Walls

Bill Thompson — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 14:36:12 +0000

A lawyer is more than a mouthpiece. When it feels that nobody will ever hear you – that your grief and pain are shouted in an empty room, falling upon silent and unmoving walls – a good lawyer will break through and force your message to be heard.

H/T Eric Amble for the title.

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Improper Client Solicitation Is In The News Again

Bill Thompson — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 15:57:43 +0000

Reward lawyers who do it the right way. Ignore the scammers.

“The training manual literally teaches employees how to commit barratry by gaining the trust of vulnerable potential clients to sell them legal services,” the complaint said.

Read more at: https://www.law360.com/personal-injury-medical-malpractice/articles/1692386?nl_pk=029cff45-637f-44e3-babf-75563f8e0bfd&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=personal-injury-medical-malpractice&utm_content=2023-06-27&nlsidx=0&nlaidx=9?copied=1

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My Dad Called It “Champerty & Barratry”

Bill Thompson — Tue, 30 May 2023 13:42:30 +0000

But I don’t think he was right about the technical definition. Most trial lawyers work on contingency fees and front costs. It is a noble endeavor that serves our clients who cannot afford the significant court battles to address serious injuries. What he meant was improper solicitation of clients. This sort of thing made him sick. And he wouldn’t have accepted blaming someone else for putting his name on it.

In separate motions filed Thursday, Maryland-based Principal Law Group LLC and Levin, Papantonio, Rafferty, Proctor, Buchanan, O’Brien, Barr & Mougey PA, a Florida firm, said the suit alleging illegal solicitation under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act should be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction, among other reasons.

Read more at: https://www.law360.com/personal-injury-medical-malpractice/articles/1681901?nl_pk=029cff45-637f-44e3-babf-75563f8e0bfd&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=personal-injury-medical-malpractice&utm_content=2023-05-30&nlsidx=0&nlaidx=1?copied=1

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Coal

Bill Thompson — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 15:12:21 +0000

And we’ll keep on digging ’til the coming of the Lord Gabriel’s trumpet sounds

‘Cause if you ain’t mining for the company, boy

There ain’t much in this town

Tyler Childers, Coal

When my Father was in school at West Virginia University, he made extra cash working mines operated by his family in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. I was born when he was 19. There’s a photo of him – a kid, really – grinning like a future trial lawyer covered in soot outside of his apartment. I need to find that photo.

Each and every one of us is handed nothing. Dignity and respect are cobbled together with hard work and perseverance. But we don’t do it alone. Sometimes, we rely on family and friends. For the big, scary things – we rely on professionals to help navigate the way. That’s the kind of lawyer my Dad was – and the kind I try to be.

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Happy President’s Day!

Bill Thompson — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 17:01:05 +0000

The best way to predict the future is to create it.

Abraham Lincoln, #16

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‘Kindness’ Isn’t a Priority in Trial Lawyering and It Should Be

Bill Thompson — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 15:53:49 +0000

When I was coming up as a trial lawyer, I stayed hyper-focused on maintaining a variety of skills during discovery to get at the truth. My Dad used to say, “You need more than one arrow in your quiver.” More often than not, whether in depositions or hearings, combat was the rule of the day. But different people (witnesses, opposing counsel, judges), respond differently to different approaches. Reading the room is a critical part of being an effective advocate.

I’ve seen and made witnesses cry. I have angered and pleased judges. I’ve done favors for and shivved opposing counsel where I thought it was necessary.

The least valued and most underrated quality in the highly emotional world of the trial lawyer is kindness. I’ve been tough on witnesses in deposition who held out on the truth or misrepresented what I knew to be fact. I’ve taken witnesses who thought they were the smartest in the room for long rides until their fanciful arguments took them so far out of sight they couldn’t find their way back home. Over time, I learned that kindness – applied judiciously and not gratuitously – can be just as effective and rewarding. And why not be kind if you can?

“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.”

Amelia Earhart

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2023 Off And Running!

Bill Thompson — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 16:14:31 +0000

The post 2023 Off And Running! appeared first on The Thompson Law Firm.

“(Judge) Smith said he wouldn’t consent to delaying the trial for any reason “up to and including a zombie apocalypse”.

Bill Thompson — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 14:39:25 +0000

Federal District Court judges wield an awful lot of unappreciated power. I was joking with a colleague about the “tells” they use – a ‘menacing cough’ came up more than once. Early in my career, I hadn’t been able to read a room that well. One judge actually told me to “stop talking” because “you’re winning”. That was about the level of subtlety my performance required in my raging bull in the china shop days.

After decades of experience, I learned to read a room a little better.

The Proud Boys trial began today after a week of jury selection, The Judge appears to be less than amused at the level of bickering. The defense lawyers earned his ire – during arguments about the admissibility of evidence – when they threatened to quit the case. Judges don’t respond well to threats: especially when your ability to do that depends on him. Threatening to gum up his trial – on purpose – is unlikely to produce a positive response.

“Prosecutors have not been saved from the judge’s scrutiny either — most notably when they claimed they couldn’t provide evidence binders to defense lawyers because their office had run out of dividers, and they hadn’t been authorized to buy new ones.”

Comment

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Robot Lawyers and Judges?

Bill Thompson — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 14:27:08 +0000

If they’re working on AI lawyers and AI judges, why not AI juries? #7A

Today, an artificial intelligence firm made a curious offer for any lawyer or person with a case coming up at the Supreme Court to allow an AI to feed them lines, promising anyone who goes through with it will receive $1 million in return.

Here is the story of the company trying to eliminate lawyers and judges with artificial intelligence,

AI Company Offers $1 Million For Robot Lawyer To Argue Before The U.S. Supreme Court

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