Many lawyers struggle with the pressures of practicing law and the impact it has on their mental health and work performance. Finding some satisfaction in your work and even a sense of purpose can go a long way in alleviating the misery that you may be feeling. While you may still not love practicing law, you can learn to adjust your view to see the value that your work brings to your clients or to the community.

In today’s episode hosts Christine Bilbrey and Jamie Moore welcome Stuart Teicher, to discuss his book, “How to Stop Hating the Law”. He offers actionable strategies for making the practice of law more enjoyable or at least more tolerable.

Stuart Teicher is a professional legal educator who focuses on ethics law and writing instruction. He is a Supreme Court appointee to the New Jersey District Ethics Committee where he investigates and prosecutes grievances filed against attorneys. Stuart teaches Professional Responsibility at Georgetown Law and undergraduate writing at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.

A practicing attorney for over 25 years, Stuart’s career is now dedicated to helping fellow attorneys survive the practice of law and thrive in the profession through seminars, in-house training for law firms, CLE instruction, and keynote speeches at conventions and association meetings. Stuart helps attorneys get better at what they do (and enjoy the process) through his entertaining and educational CLE performances. His previous book, “Navigating the Legal Ethics of Social Media and Technology”, was published by Thomson Reuters.

This podcast has been approved by The Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Department for 1.0 hour of General CLE credit including 1.0 hour of Mental Health and Wellness CLE credit. Course # 8579.

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

· Stuart Teicher

o Contact

o Buy My Book

o How to Stop Hating the Law: A path to hope for miserable lawyers [Amazon]

· Florida Bar Practice Resource Center CLEs with Stuart Teicher

· Florida Lawyers Helpline

· How to Start and Build a Law Practice [Amazon]

· LegalFuel: The Florida Bar’s Practice Resource Center

As an attorney, you rely on your staff, but HR issues with your staff can catch you off guard and when not handled properly, these issues can completely disrupt the successful delivery of service to your clients. Human Resource management is essential for every business, but in a small firm, the HR department is most likely just you. And like any business, firms must comply with federal and state labor laws on overtime, maternity leave, discrimination, etc. Unless you are a labor and employment law attorney, you may not be aware of all the requirements and best practices. This can result in inconsistent policy enforcement or inadequate documentation of performance issues, ultimately leading to some avoidable headaches.

In today’s episode hosts Christine Bilbrey and Jamie Moore welcome Kevin Johnson, an employment defense attorney, and Shareholder of Johnson Jackson, to discuss HR best practices for law firms.

Kevin Johnson graduated from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by The Florida Bar since 2007. For more than two decades, Kevin has represented and advised employers about laws that affect their relationships with employees, helped them solve problems when they arise, and defended them against discrimination charges and lawsuits filed by their employees. His clients range from national restaurant chains, retail employers, and large hospitals, to independent restaurants, medical practices, and other local employers. Kevin has experience litigating cases in jurisdictions throughout the United States, both in single-plaintiff cases and in nationwide class and collective actions. He has been recognized in the field of employment law by various publications, including Best Lawyers in America, Florida Trend, and Super Lawyers. Kevin is AV-rated by Martindale Hubbell. He has also been recognized by The Florida Bar for his involvement with promoting technology and practice-management education for Florida lawyers.

This podcast has been approved by The Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Department for 1.0 hour of General CLE credit including 1.0 hour of Labor and Employment Law CLE credit. Course # 8619.

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

Johnson Jackson PLLC

• Kevin D. Johnson

SHRM

• How Small-Business Owners Successfully Delegate HR [SHRM]

U.S. Department of Labor

• Family and Medical Leave Act [U.S. Department of Labor]
• Wages and the Fair Labor Standards Act [U.S. Department of Labor]
• Employee or Independent Contractor Classification [U.S. Department of Labor]

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission]
• What You Should Know About the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission]

Americans with Disabilities Act [U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division]

U.S. Department of Labor mandates two salary threshold increases for white collar FLSA exemptions and a mechanism for future automatic increases [Employment Law Watch]

LegalFuel: The Florida Bar’s Practice Resource Center

The ABA 2023 Tech Survey highlights that 56% of respondents regularly utilize fee-based online services for legal research, with an additional 21% using them occasionally. Surprisingly, 12% never utilize these resources. Despite the abundance of technological options available for legal research, many lawyers still hold a preference for hard copy books. Research suggests that modern screens and e-readers struggle to replicate the tactile experiences of reading on paper, hindering the natural navigation of lengthy texts. For lawyers, books offer a tangible resource for easy browsing, annotation, and cross-referencing that online research might not offer.

In today’s episode hosts Christine Bilbrey and Jamie Moore welcome Maggie O’Neill, to discuss why books are still relevant in the practice of law.

Maggie O'Neill holds a bachelor's degree from the University of North Dakota, and a law degree from Northeastern University School of Law.

For over 17 years, Maggie ran a solo practice specializing in family law and dependency cases, focusing on litigation and mediation. Maggie's experience in the publishing industry is extensive, having held key roles including Vice President of Product Management and Vice President of HR Publishing at Thomson Reuters and as Editor in Chief of Professional Publications at Reed Elsevier. Additionally, Maggie worked at Callaghan and Company as a Legal Editor and Project Manager.

This podcast has been approved by The Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Department for 0.5 hour of General CLE credit. Course # 8493.

REFERENCED RESOURCES:

• Florida Bar Member Benefits: Legal Publications
• The Florida Bar and LexisNexis Store
• Contact Sales 1-877-394-8826
• ABA to release TechReport 2023 survey on legal tech trends [American Bar Association]
• ABA Profile of the Legal Profession 2023 [American Bar Association]
• The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens [Scientific American]
• LegalFuel: The Florida Bar’s Practice Resource Center