ABA Journal: Asked and Answered

The 14th Amendment has been used to secure civil rights for a multitude of groups. But does it give children a constitutional right to literacy? Is it the government's responsibility to adequately fund schools, so students learn what they need to reach appropriate reading levels?

In the Detroit public school system, it was recently found that only 7 percent of its 8th grade students were proficient in reading. So in 2016, a group of lawyers filed a federal civil rights claim against the city’s school system. In this episode of Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward discusses the lawsuit with Carter Phillips, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs.

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A handful of large law firms recently announced limited telecommuting plans for associates, which is a somewhat radical change for the profession.  Does this mean that for lawyers, office face-time may no longer be central to demonstrating you’re a valuable team member?

In this month's episode of Asked and Answered, Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Sara Sutton Fell about lawyers working remotely. Fell is the CEO and founder of Remote, which helps companies hire, train and manage employees who work offsite, and Flexjobs, a career website focused on telecommuting, freelance work and part-time jobs.

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You want to expand your book of business with networking events, and think that planning one yourself might be the most rewarding. But how can you develop an event that lawyers will actually attend, doesn’t go way over budget and brings you some great new connections? In this month’s episode, the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Alycia Sutor, managing director at the sales-effectiveness firm GrowthPlay, about hosting successful networking events for lawyers.

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Many of us don’t think of ourselves as biased, and we don’t want to be prejudiced towards others. But we’re also reluctant to acknowledge the ways bias can creep in, according to academics who study implicit bias. In this episode of Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Jeffrey Rachlinski, a Cornell Law School professor who has done various studies about implicit bias, including one that focused on trial judges.

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It's not terribly unusual for a law grad to need to take the bar exam more than once to pass. But the experience of failing the bar can be crushing to one's confidence–and concentration. After failing the bar exam, many students have a hard time studying for a retake. This is not necessarily because they can't do the work, but because anxiety and fear of failure get in the way, Jamie Kleppetsch of John Marshall Law School tells the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward in this month's Asked and Answered.

Kleppetsch, who is president of the Association of Academic Support Educators as well as being an associate director of John Marshall's Academic Achievement Program, shares with listeners some tips for reapproaching the bar exam with a fresh mindset and more preparation.

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While negotiating for one’s client is second nature to most attorneys, many find it a lot harder to negotiate for themselves. How can you advocate for a better position without being seen as too aggressive or off-putting? In this month’s Asked and Answered podcast, the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward talks to Kathleen Kelley Reardon about how attorneys can ask for what they want without jeopardizing good work relationships.

Kathleen Kelley Reardon, a professor emerita at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, is the author of numerous books centered on workplace communications. Her work centers on persuasion, negotiation and women’s leadership.

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You landed someone you thought would be a great client, but now you’re finding out that the client isn’t great about paying the bill. What should you do?  In this month's Asked and Answered podcast, Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Bob Markoff, a Chicago lawyer who has done collections work for many years. Markoff, a past president of the National Creditors Bar Association, gives tips and advice on what you can do to recover the money you're owed.

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Lawyers are in the suffering business, says bankruptcy lawyer and meditation instructor Jeena Cho. "Rarely do clients come to us with happy news." Taking on clients' tough problems can be source of a lot of stress for practitioners. Cho speaks with the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward about how practicing mindfulness--which at is heart, is about living in the present moment--can help lawyers quickly move on from daily stressors and setbacks.

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Are you unhappy at work? Is it time to leave your job, or should you look for other options to improve your current work conditions? Trust your intuition, and don't beat yourself up with negative thoughts about workplace problems being all your fault, says Gayle Victor, a Chicago-area lawyer and social worker who counsels attorneys and their families. She spoke with the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward in this month's Asked and Answered podcast.

 Gayle Victor is a lawyer who also has a master's degree in social work. She uses her unique perspective as a former attorney to provide counseling to attorneys and their families through CareForLawyers.com. Her practice is based in Chicago.

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Business development doesn't come naturally to all lawyers. Some hesitate to take advantage of social opportunities out of fear of looking desperate or needy, but that's wrong-headed, says business development coach Larry Kohn. He speaks with the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward about ways that attorneys can promote themselves and their skills in ways that help both the lawyer and their potential clients.

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