Blog Article
Testified
By Diane Wells • October 25, 2020
I am writing about my criminal trial many years ago. When this whole debacle first began, I said that if it came to it that I would testify in my own defense. Part of me hoped and prayed it would never come to that, fortunately, as time passed another part of me became stronger, and more realistic about what it was like to be in the criminal justice system. I hated more than I could say that I was in this situation, but I would never be able to live with myself if I hadn’t done everything I could to stand…
Blog Article
To Plead or Not to Plead
By Diane Wells • June 26, 2020
Curious, I looked in the dictionary for the definition of a plea. If it’s unrelated to “law” it is, “a request made in an urgent and emotional manner”. If the definition of “plea” is related to law, a plea is defined as, “a formal statement by or on behalf of a defendant or prisoner, stating guilt or innocence in response to a charge, offering an allegation of fact, or claiming that a point of law should apply”. I contend that a realistic definition of a plea agreement in our criminal justice system falls between these two definitions. To argue that succumbing to a plea…
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Understanding Your Duty of Care as a New Lawyer
By Anonymous • August 21, 2019 •Issues, Other Issues
As a new lawyer, you have a certain responsibility to your clients. Failing in that duty could leave you open to claims of professional negligence. It’s important to understand what professional negligence is, how it differs from ordinary negligence and what it means to you as a lawyer. Understanding Professional Negligence Professional negligence occurs when professionals fail to take proper care when working with their clients. In terms of your working relationships, clients expect you to keep them from financial, physical and/or emotional harm. If you fail to do this, you may be accused of breaching your duty of care.…
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5 Ways Women Attorneys Try to Reduce Stress…That Actually Increase Stress
By Amy Wood • May 14, 2019 •Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
As a professional coach to ambitious attorneys, I regularly meet with women lawyers who are beyond stressed out. And it’s not like these women aren’t trying to dial down stress. To the contrary, most of them seek me out as a last resort because, despite having applied all sorts of supposed “expert” advice to feel calm and in charge, they are evermore sinking under the weight of these issues: Nearly impossible billable hours quotas Difficult clients Snowballing workload Insufficient personal time Elusive sense of satisfaction The problem, I’ve come to realize, with successful attorneys who want to lighten their load…
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Statistically Weeping: Summertime and Self-Care
By Lindsey White • August 06, 2018 •Writers in Residence
During law school, the summertime experiences I had were pretty typical. A full-time summer internship at a public interest NGO, along with some writing for a brief I’d belonged to since my first year at school. I cannot overstate enough how incredible this schedule felt after a full-calendar, academic year. To the untrained eye, this looks like a normal work schedule. To a law student, this looks like sweet, sweet freedom. Why? If you are not taking summer classes, there is nothing to be done after work. There are no cases to read and brief. No drafts to edit. No…
Blog Article
When the Law Empowers: Learning Disability Advocacy by Helping Yourself
By Katherine Macfarlane • May 03, 2018
In the past few months I’ve written about how disability makes a difficult profession even harder. But now, I want to tell you about how your legal knowledge empowers, especially when it comes to disability. I primarily teach first year law students. But I also teach a small seminar open only to upper division students. The difference, after just one year of law school, is striking. By students' second year, each thought is better supported, and the once shaky voice is newly willing to stake out a controversial position and stick to it. After just one year of law school,…
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Navigating Law School with a toddler plus #2 on the way :)
By Dorin Cohen • September 30, 2017
My life partner and I just announced that our second toodler boy is due in a December of 2017. What better way to immerse myself in the topic of this blog, right?! I'm kidding, obviously, but it will be beneficial because I will be blogging through December about the topic of being a parent in law school. First things first, we planned this, just as we planned our first (although our first was planned to arrive during summer break, which is significantly longer than winter break). So, what does December look like for a law student? Seattle University School of…
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What *exactly* is free speech under the 1st amendment?
By Ana Juneja • August 27, 2017 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Politics and Government, Issues, Features, Myths & Truths
Lately there's been a lot of legal buzzwords and buzz phrases thrown around in the news. Free speech, First Amendment, hate speech are just a few of these. This post will give an overview of the legal basics about free speech. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” But what does that actual…
Blog Article
Round 2 - Navigating Law School with Baby #2 on the Way
By Brenda L. George • June 06, 2017 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
My husband and I just announced that our second baby boy is due in a December of 2017. What better way to immerse myself in the topic of this blog, right?! I'm kidding, obviously, but it will be beneficial because I will be blogging through December about the topic of being a parent in law school. First things first, we planned this, just as we planned our first (although our first was planned to arrive during summer break, which is significantly longer than winter break). So, what does December look like for a law student? Seattle University School of Law…
Blog Article
Creating Work-Life Balance in the Legal Field
By Brenda L. George • May 09, 2017 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Curriculum and Classroom Dynamics, Internships and Clerkships, •Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, Other Issues
I had the pleasure of speaking with attorney and mother, Elise Buie, last month about achieving balance between work and life while maintaining a law career. Of the many things that Elise brought to light for me, I think the thing that stuck with me the most is the fact that in terms of providing appropriate accommodations for pregnant or nursing women, we have come so far. I have nursed and pumped in some pretty awful, dirty places. The ferry bathroom is at the top of my list (both in the terminal and on the ferry). But, I have also nursed…Connect with us
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