In observance of the American Bar Association’s National Pro Bono Celebration, taking place, this year, this week of October 23rd through the 29th, we will be doing our small part to support the movement by publishing two pro bono-related posts to the LOMAP Blog, the second of which appears below. For this post, we are indebted to its author, Alexis B. Kaplan, who is a family law associate at McCaig Law Offices, a member of the Boston Bar Association New Lawyers Section Pro Bono Subcommittee and a panel attorney with the Volunteer Lawyers Project. Alexis, below, writes about the value of her experiences with the Volunteer Lawyers Project.
. . .
This month, October, is pro bono month; it is also, coincidentally, the same month that a pro bono client of mine received a long-awaited divorce judgment. As a newly-minted attorney, I took on a divorce case at the beginning of this year with a friend of mine who was also new to the practice of law. I wanted to gain experience in family law practice, and the Boston Bar Association‘s Volunteer Lawyers Project (hereinafter “VLP”) offered just the opportunity that I was looking for, to take a case, and to have access to resources that I would not otherwise have been able to acquire. Most VLP clients do not have the money to afford legal counsel, which can hinder them from taking actions that involve the court system. Being able to provide legal services, and support, to someone in a situation where a divorce was long overdue, felt really good. Anytime I ran into questions as to the best procedure for moving my case forward, I was able to turn to the VLP staff attorneys, who are very helpful and knowledgeable. Representing low-income clients can present some twists and turns that many new lawyers are not used to (such as having a pro se party on the other side), and VLP resources are geared towards helping the novice lawyer with whatever novel issues arise. The support provided to me by VLP allowed me to represent my client effectively; and, ultimately, the result was that both parties to the action were able to move on with their lives.
How was it that I was able to take on a case in an area in which I had limited experience, with little trepidation? And, How can you do the same? Glad you asked . . .
VLP does a pre-screening of all of their cases, and gives volunteer attorneys the opportunity to choose one or more cases that they would like based on a synopsis. Included in the summary of the case is information as to whether it is at a ‘Beginner’ level, ‘Advanced’, ‘Difficult’, or something in between categories. I chose a ‘Beginner’ case for my first VLP divorce case, and I look forward to taking on a more difficult case in the future--one that will provide me with the opportunity to gain more advanced experience. Every case is different, as is every time commitment.
The trainings VLP provided were very helpful to me, and having the VLP staff attorneys available to answer questions once I took the case was invaluable. Between trainings and staff assistance, the resources offered are very useful, whether you are learning the ropes in a new practice area, or just looking to brush up on some skills.
Whether you're interested in family law, guardianships, bankruptcy, debt collection or landlord/tenant issues, VLP offers free trainings and resources so that you can help clients in need of legal assistance. In addition, or in lieu of, taking cases through VLP, you can also devote just a few hours of time to one of their many clinics. Even if you're waiting on bar results, or waiting to get sworn in to the bar, VLP has projects that you can take part in, to gain knowledge and experience, all while helping those in need of legal assistance. Devoting time to pro bono work is fulfilling--hopefully I'll see you at the next VLP Guardianship Clinic!
For more information on becoming involved with VLP, visit: http://www.vlpnet.org/.
For more information on the New Lawyers Section Pro Bono Subcommittee: Contact Lucas Burke, subcommittee co-chair, by phone at (617) 455-7294, or via email at lb@lucasburke.com.
Check Out Our Website
A Law Practice Advisor for Massachusetts Lawyers
Friday, October 28, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Guest Post: Going Back to Give Back
In observance of the American Bar Association’s National Pro Bono Celebration, taking place, this year, this week of October 23rd through the 29th, we will be doing our small part to support the movement by publishing pro bono-related posts to the LOMAP Blog. For this post, we are indebted to its author, Chris Saccardi, who focuses on landlord-tenant law in Boston and surrounding communities. Prior to starting his own practice, Chris was a litigation associate at Edwards, Angell, Palmer & Dodge, LLP. Chris is an active volunteer with the Boston Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project’s housing court programs. This year, he was awarded the VLP’s 2011 Denis Maguire Pro Bono Award for exceptional service in accepting and handling pro bono cases. Below, Chris writes about his work with the VLP, and the value he gleans from pro bono contribution.
. . .
Three hundred dollars. Many attorneys bill that, or more, for their hourly services. For a recent pro bono client of mine, whom I will call Anne, three hundred dollars was her total monthly income. Because of some unexpected medical expenses that were not covered by her health insurance, Anne, when I met her in Boston Housing Court, had fallen behind in her rent and was facing eviction. She and countless other poor Boston residents often show up in court as pro se litigants against professional landlords represented by experienced attorneys. Sometimes these pro se litigants do not understand why they are in court; occasionally they cannot even read the complaint brought against them. They are confused by seemingly arcane legal procedure and they are nervous about appearing in front of a judge. For the past two years, I have joined many other local attorneys who provide assistance to clients such as Anne through the Boston Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project. My colleagues and I seek to even the playing field between those litigants who can hire an attorney and those, like Anne, whose entire monthly income could pay for no more than a handful of hours of legal assistance, if that.
There are many reasons why attorneys take on pro bono clients: because of an ethical obligation to do so; to gain experience; to help people in need; because it is rewarding. When I take on a new pro bono client, it’s often because they have nowhere else to go--but for VLP’s volunteer attorneys, many more litigants would face the potential loss of their home alone and with a limited ability to represent themselves. Sometimes my assistance makes all the difference; many other times we lose anyway, facing long odds and a resource gap that is just too wide to overcome with small monthly payments to a landlord whose patience has been, understandably, stretched thin. In either case, however, I often find that I have a very grateful client: one who faced a difficult and confusing situation and appreciated that there was someone there to explain it to her and to help her make the best of it, someone who treated her with a respect that she seldom encounters in her daily life, and someone who listened to her and advocated for her interests. Win or lose, the ability to grant that small measure of comfort is why I keep going back.
. . .
Three hundred dollars. Many attorneys bill that, or more, for their hourly services. For a recent pro bono client of mine, whom I will call Anne, three hundred dollars was her total monthly income. Because of some unexpected medical expenses that were not covered by her health insurance, Anne, when I met her in Boston Housing Court, had fallen behind in her rent and was facing eviction. She and countless other poor Boston residents often show up in court as pro se litigants against professional landlords represented by experienced attorneys. Sometimes these pro se litigants do not understand why they are in court; occasionally they cannot even read the complaint brought against them. They are confused by seemingly arcane legal procedure and they are nervous about appearing in front of a judge. For the past two years, I have joined many other local attorneys who provide assistance to clients such as Anne through the Boston Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project. My colleagues and I seek to even the playing field between those litigants who can hire an attorney and those, like Anne, whose entire monthly income could pay for no more than a handful of hours of legal assistance, if that.
There are many reasons why attorneys take on pro bono clients: because of an ethical obligation to do so; to gain experience; to help people in need; because it is rewarding. When I take on a new pro bono client, it’s often because they have nowhere else to go--but for VLP’s volunteer attorneys, many more litigants would face the potential loss of their home alone and with a limited ability to represent themselves. Sometimes my assistance makes all the difference; many other times we lose anyway, facing long odds and a resource gap that is just too wide to overcome with small monthly payments to a landlord whose patience has been, understandably, stretched thin. In either case, however, I often find that I have a very grateful client: one who faced a difficult and confusing situation and appreciated that there was someone there to explain it to her and to help her make the best of it, someone who treated her with a respect that she seldom encounters in her daily life, and someone who listened to her and advocated for her interests. Win or lose, the ability to grant that small measure of comfort is why I keep going back.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Word Up: 5 More Microsoft Tips (Part II)
Previously, at the LOMAP Blog, here:
We offered some of our five favorite tips for leveraging your Outlook email, with a promise to double down, with five more of our favorite tips, the next time around, for Microsoft Word. Well, the next time has just about come around.
I believe Cameo said it best, when they said: Word Up!
(1) Add “New” and “Open” Icons
What Does It Do?
Adding these icons above your toolbar will allow you to open a blank document with one click, or a saved document with as few as two clicks.
How Does It Help You?
It may not sound like much; but, saving one or two clicks here and there ends up saving you lots of time, over time.
How Do You Do It?
2003: Text + Video
2007: Text + Video
2010: Text + Video
(2) Use Paste Special
What Does It Do?
Use this tool to remove or change the formatting of copied text, or to change the file type for media, prior to pasting.
How Does It Help You?
Lawyers stuck with WordPerfect for so long because of the ‘Reveal Codes’ feature; and, while style edits can still be problematic in Word, Paste Special has, by each new iteration, allowed users a greater depth of feel and control over how pasted text and objects will look.
How Do You Do It?
2003: Text + Video
2007: Text + Video
2010: Text + Video
(3) Use the “Reading Highlight” Feature
What Does It Do?
This feature highlights every result in a document for a find/replace search.
How Does It Help You?
Rather than clicking through each result of a find/replace search, you can effect a wider coverage, and view, at one time, every instance of the searched-for term/phrase, as your document view allows.
How Do You Do It?
2007: Text
2010: Text
(4) Drag + Drop Using “View Side by Side”
What Does It Do?
Using this function, you can split your screen, in order to see two documents at once. (You can turn off the default ‘synchronous scrolling’.) From there, you can cut and paste or drag and drop text or media from one document to another. (You can turn off the default drag and drop, too, in all of 2003, 2007 and 2010.)
How Does It Help You?
This is a great tool for comparing versions of documents, and for editing documents--for example, by easily incorporating template clauses, or research matter, simply by dragging the selected item from one document to the other.
How Do You Do It?
2003: Text
2007: Text
2010: Text
(5) Use Quick Tables
What Does It Do?
Easily insert blank built-in Word tables or those that you have created and saved using this feature.
How Does It Help You?
If you regularly utilize tables in your documents, this tool can save you a bunch of time, by allowing you to quickly insert Word’s or your own tables, rather than having to create those from scratch, each time--or, even, rather than having to cut and paste those from another document, and de- and re-populate, each time. As a practicing attorney, you likely use template documents all the time; it’s not at too far a remove from that thesis to begin using template segments of documents.
How Do You Do It?
2007: Text + Video
2010: Text + Video
(Thanks again to our own Rachel Willcox for finding me links to some great Word tutorials.)
. . .
Liner Notes
. . .
Part II (2001)
“Come On Over Tonight” (a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women + a Summer Jam)
“Two Feet of Topsoil” (a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women + a Bluegrassy Number)
“I’m Gonna Miss Her” (a Fishing Song + a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women)
“The Old Rugged Cross” (a Song about Jesus + a Country Power Ballad)
Mud on the Tires (2003)
“Whiskey Lullaby” featuring Alison Krauss (a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women + a Country Power Ballad)
“That’s Love” (a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women + a Progressive Track)
“Mud on the Tires” (a Summer Jam)
“Celebrity” (a Progressive Track)
Time Well Wasted (2005)
“I’ll Take You Back” (a Summer Jam + a Progressive Track + a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women)
“Easy Money” (a Summer Jam + a etc.)
“Waitin’ On a Woman” (a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women + a Country Power Ballad + a Progressive Track + a Song about Jesus)
“She’s Everything” (a Country Power Ballad)
5th Gear (2007)
“Ticks” (a Summer Jam + a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women)
“Online” (a Summer Jam + a Progressive Track + a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women)
“Mr. Policeman” (a Summer Jam + a Bluegrassy Number)
“I’m Still a Guy” (a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women)
Play (2008)
“Start a Band” featuring Keith Urban (a Summer Jam + a Progressive Track)
“Huckleberry Jam” (a Bluegrassy Number + a Progressive Track)
“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (a Song about Jesus)
“Come On In” featuring Buck Owens, posthumously (a Bluegrassy Number + a Progressive Track + a etc.)
American Saturday Night (2009)
“Water” (the Summer Jam)
“Then” (a Country Power Ballad)
“Welcome to the Future/Welcome to the Future (Reprise)/Back to the Future” (a Summer Jam + a Progressive Track + a Country Power Ballad + a etc.)
“Catch All the Fish” (a Fishing Song + a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women + a Bluegrassy Number + a Summer Jam)
This Is Country Music (2011)
“This is Country Music” (a Country Power Ballad + a Progressive Track + a Song about Jesus)
“Working On a Tan” (a Progressive Track + a etc.)
“Old Alabama“ featuring Alabama (a Summer Jam + a Bluegrassy Number)
“Be the Lake” (a Summer Jam + a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women + a Bluegrassy Number + a etc.)
Bonus Tracks
“Sharp Dressed Man” (a Summer Jam + a Progressive Track + a etc.)(cover of ZZ Top original)
“Keep on the Sunny Side” (a Bluegrassy Number + a Song about Jesus + a etc.)(cover of June Carter Cash family unoriginal)
"Folsom Prison Blues" (Live at the CMAs) (a Bluegrassier Number + a Progressive Track)(cover of Johnny Cash original)
. . .
It’s alright if your foot started tappin’. Go ‘head. Get your Paisley on. Don’t be ashamed none. Pretty soon, you’ll be splitting your vacations between Nashville and Branson.
We offered some of our five favorite tips for leveraging your Outlook email, with a promise to double down, with five more of our favorite tips, the next time around, for Microsoft Word. Well, the next time has just about come around.
I believe Cameo said it best, when they said: Word Up!
(1) Add “New” and “Open” Icons
What Does It Do?
Adding these icons above your toolbar will allow you to open a blank document with one click, or a saved document with as few as two clicks.
How Does It Help You?
It may not sound like much; but, saving one or two clicks here and there ends up saving you lots of time, over time.
How Do You Do It?
2003: Text + Video
2007: Text + Video
2010: Text + Video
(2) Use Paste Special
What Does It Do?
Use this tool to remove or change the formatting of copied text, or to change the file type for media, prior to pasting.
How Does It Help You?
Lawyers stuck with WordPerfect for so long because of the ‘Reveal Codes’ feature; and, while style edits can still be problematic in Word, Paste Special has, by each new iteration, allowed users a greater depth of feel and control over how pasted text and objects will look.
How Do You Do It?
2003: Text + Video
2007: Text + Video
2010: Text + Video
(3) Use the “Reading Highlight” Feature
What Does It Do?
This feature highlights every result in a document for a find/replace search.
How Does It Help You?
Rather than clicking through each result of a find/replace search, you can effect a wider coverage, and view, at one time, every instance of the searched-for term/phrase, as your document view allows.
How Do You Do It?
2007: Text
2010: Text
(4) Drag + Drop Using “View Side by Side”
What Does It Do?
Using this function, you can split your screen, in order to see two documents at once. (You can turn off the default ‘synchronous scrolling’.) From there, you can cut and paste or drag and drop text or media from one document to another. (You can turn off the default drag and drop, too, in all of 2003, 2007 and 2010.)
How Does It Help You?
This is a great tool for comparing versions of documents, and for editing documents--for example, by easily incorporating template clauses, or research matter, simply by dragging the selected item from one document to the other.
How Do You Do It?
2003: Text
2007: Text
2010: Text
(5) Use Quick Tables
What Does It Do?
Easily insert blank built-in Word tables or those that you have created and saved using this feature.
How Does It Help You?
If you regularly utilize tables in your documents, this tool can save you a bunch of time, by allowing you to quickly insert Word’s or your own tables, rather than having to create those from scratch, each time--or, even, rather than having to cut and paste those from another document, and de- and re-populate, each time. As a practicing attorney, you likely use template documents all the time; it’s not at too far a remove from that thesis to begin using template segments of documents.
How Do You Do It?
2007: Text + Video
2010: Text + Video
(Thanks again to our own Rachel Willcox for finding me links to some great Word tutorials.)
. . .
Liner Notes
. . .
Part II (2001)
“Come On Over Tonight” (a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women + a Summer Jam)
“Two Feet of Topsoil” (a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women + a Bluegrassy Number)
“I’m Gonna Miss Her” (a Fishing Song + a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women)
“The Old Rugged Cross” (a Song about Jesus + a Country Power Ballad)
Mud on the Tires (2003)
“Whiskey Lullaby” featuring Alison Krauss (a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women + a Country Power Ballad)
“That’s Love” (a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women + a Progressive Track)
“Mud on the Tires” (a Summer Jam)
“Celebrity” (a Progressive Track)
Time Well Wasted (2005)
“I’ll Take You Back” (a Summer Jam + a Progressive Track + a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women)
“Easy Money” (a Summer Jam + a etc.)
“Waitin’ On a Woman” (a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women + a Country Power Ballad + a Progressive Track + a Song about Jesus)
“She’s Everything” (a Country Power Ballad)
5th Gear (2007)
“Ticks” (a Summer Jam + a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women)
“Online” (a Summer Jam + a Progressive Track + a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women)
“Mr. Policeman” (a Summer Jam + a Bluegrassy Number)
“I’m Still a Guy” (a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women)
Play (2008)
“Start a Band” featuring Keith Urban (a Summer Jam + a Progressive Track)
“Huckleberry Jam” (a Bluegrassy Number + a Progressive Track)
“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (a Song about Jesus)
“Come On In” featuring Buck Owens, posthumously (a Bluegrassy Number + a Progressive Track + a etc.)
American Saturday Night (2009)
“Water” (the Summer Jam)
“Then” (a Country Power Ballad)
“Welcome to the Future/Welcome to the Future (Reprise)/Back to the Future” (a Summer Jam + a Progressive Track + a Country Power Ballad + a etc.)
“Catch All the Fish” (a Fishing Song + a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women + a Bluegrassy Number + a Summer Jam)
This Is Country Music (2011)
“This is Country Music” (a Country Power Ballad + a Progressive Track + a Song about Jesus)
“Working On a Tan” (a Progressive Track + a etc.)
“Old Alabama“ featuring Alabama (a Summer Jam + a Bluegrassy Number)
“Be the Lake” (a Summer Jam + a Song About the Differences Between Men and Women + a Bluegrassy Number + a etc.)
Bonus Tracks
“Sharp Dressed Man” (a Summer Jam + a Progressive Track + a etc.)(cover of ZZ Top original)
“Keep on the Sunny Side” (a Bluegrassy Number + a Song about Jesus + a etc.)(cover of June Carter Cash family unoriginal)
"Folsom Prison Blues" (Live at the CMAs) (a Bluegrassier Number + a Progressive Track)(cover of Johnny Cash original)
. . .
It’s alright if your foot started tappin’. Go ‘head. Get your Paisley on. Don’t be ashamed none. Pretty soon, you’ll be splitting your vacations between Nashville and Branson.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Student Loan Management 101
This week’s Massachusetts Bar Association Lawyers E-Journal Law Practice Management Section Featured Practice Tip comes from LOMAP. This week's Tip offer some potential solutions for lawyers overburdened with student loan debt.
Read the Tip here.
Read the Tip here.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Moving Party: Portable Scanners for the Modern Circuit Rider
I’ve chosen to broadcast my one really good idea for the month of October through Attorney at Work. Yup, there’s only one . . . and they have it.
This month, I write about the modern vogue of the paperless office, as effectuated by scanning; and, I list my three favorite portable scanners.
Read more here.
This month, I write about the modern vogue of the paperless office, as effectuated by scanning; and, I list my three favorite portable scanners.
Read more here.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Super Structure: The Paper-Based System Holding Up Your Paperless Office
My monthly contribution to Clio’s Small Firm Innovation group blog (on the September theme of ‘paperless’) finds me talking all about how the move to a paperless office may not be that different from what you’ve been doing after all. Answers to questions include: Can the general structure of your prior systems survive the transition to paperless, or should you perform a tear-down + rebuild? When should you cut bait on updating old files to your paperless system, and just live with a legacy system? How many allusions to fictional creatures can I make in a single post?
You can read more, here.
You can read more, here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)