Tips for better client retention

Understanding clients’ issues: How to be a good elder law attorney 101

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: May 21, 2012
Tags: Elder Law, Practice Tips

As a professional who serves senior citizens, it is important to stay on top of emerging laws and legislation. It truly is in your best interest if your clients view you as an expert when it comes to their most sensitive interests, even if you don’t offer those services. In a world where connections matter, [...]

Scenes from the VTLA

By Peter Vieth
Published: April 9, 2012
Tags: Judge Jerrauld C. Jones, Judge Leslie M. Alden, Justice LeRoy F. Millette Jr., Practice Tips, Social Media, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

With 12 hours of continuing legal education from leaders of the bar, the court and the legislature, good advice was in plentiful supply at the annual convention of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association at The Greenbrier last month. Some samples: About Facebook “Never, ever, ever, ever tell your client to delete anything,” said Malcolm P. [...]

Foreign-language records: Every detail counts

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: February 13, 2012
Tags: Practice Tips

In litigation, medical records can be a minefield of details. A nurse has scribbled an illegible note in the margin. A page from another patient’s file has slipped into the record. A key handwritten dosage isn’t clear. And when the record isn’t in English, it gets worse. If you don’t speak the language, how can [...]

Leading questions, plain words and control on cross-ex

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: February 10, 2012
Tags: Practice Tips

Dean Wigmore stated that cross-examination is beyond doubt “the greatest legal engine ever invented for the discovery of the truth.” But, truth is rarely what a skillful trial lawyer seeks to accomplish on cross-examination. Cross-examination is not only a truth-seeking process. It also is an opportunity to persuade the fact finder to your position in [...]

Lawyers can help court reporters do their jobs better

By Peter Vieth
Published: January 23, 2012
Tags: Practice Tips

Court reporters are the silent sentinels of the record. They are the invisible men and women tapping away during a court hearing or deposition. They transcribe the proceeding and fulfill a critical duty – creating a written record that can carry a case forward or stop it in its tracks. Too often, though, attorneys unintentionally [...]

Tips from the pros on how to make the best record

By Peter Vieth
Published: January 23, 2012
Tags: Practice Tips

The National Court Reporters Association has prepared teaching tools to help educate lawyers and law students on how to make the best record of legal proceedings. Below are some highlights from a course outline posted on the NCRA website. Know the technology Realtime allows instant viewing of the spoken words through a live feed from [...]

Tips for an effective and ethical negotiation

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: November 30, 2011
Tags: ADR, Practice Tips

The role of business counsel is complex. The lawyer has to not only produce a legal and enforceable negotiated agreement, but also must try to get the best deal for clients while conducting the negotiation in a way that reflects positively on them. The most ethical and effective approach to negotiation is not one that [...]

Use the evidence to tell the jury a story

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: November 29, 2011
Tags: Practice Tips

When presenting a case to a jury, there is a fine line an attorney must walk between showy theatricality and mind-numbing exposition of technical evidence. Be too entertaining and you lose credibility. Be too dry and jurors’ eyes roll back in their heads. Since credibility is essential, we often err on the side of mind-numbing [...]

Give great client service

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: November 23, 2011
Tags: Practice Tips

How do you measure client service? How can you avoid being replaced? There are no easy answers, since client service is measured in the eye of the beholder. Research based on 240 in-depth interviews with corporate counsel conducted by the BTI Consulting Group concluded that 53 percent of clients are willing to replace their primary [...]