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Use the Tomato to Write More Words
The Pomodoro Technique has helped me to write briefs, prepare for trials, and stop procrastinating. It has also assisted me in getting more done over less time than it would ordinarily take. There’s a whole set of books and culture around it, but the method is easy to explain. Set a timer for twenty-five minutes.…
Read MoreHow and Where We Work
I almost never work in my office. The office is mainly a place to meet a client for the first time or a week or so before court. It is also the place where I retrieve mail that will be scanned into our system. My actual office is in my briefcase. I sprawl the contents…
Read MoreNew Podcast from GACDL
The Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers has a new podcast up. In episode 1, I interview criminal defense attorney and author Jason Sheffield about his new novel. But we get into some other topics such as attorney-client relationships, law practice management, and the good and bad of law school education in America. This was…
Read MoreStorytelling: The Why and the How
One of my favorite bloggers on trial advocacy is Mark Bennett. Mark has written a series of great posts at Simple Justice, Scott Greenfield’s blog on the topic of opening statements. Mark offers 11 rules for better opening statements. One tip is to limit your opening statement to fifteen minutes. From experience, this is a…
Read MoreSome Modest Proposals for Prisons Throughout the Land
I spend hours of time at least once a month traveling to various prisons around the State of Georgia. Most of these facilities are far away and involve travel deep down Interstate 16. Very little substantive progress is made on cases in these visits. They tend to be venting/counseling sessions. And, for an hour or…
Read MoreAll Jail Visits Should Be Like This
Last night, I attended the Griffin Historical Society’s “Drink in History” event at the old Griffin Jail, featuring the fine products of the Jailhouse Brewery. I had spent my entire afternoon at the new Spalding County Courthouse, and this event was in a building that was once the old Spalding County Courthouse, from approximately 1860 unit…
Read MoreThe Weekend Perfection Wasn’t an Obstacle
At the beginning of the summer, I signed up for a marathon in Chattanooga. And I spent most of June through August training for it. At about the halfway point in my training (mid-August), school started back. Then I had a fairly slammed schedule of deadlines and work-related things. As a result, I began missing…
Read MoreIrma Update
Our office is structurally fine, but our power is out. It also appears that our phones are out. If you are trying to to reach us today, please email me at skey@millerandkeylaw.com. I am checking email frequently there. Work has not stopped though. I have sought out the friendly dry environs of a coffee shop…
Read MoreLook at Your Approach and not Just Your Result
I spent last Friday and Saturday in a certification class so that I can be an assistant coach on my son’s clay shooting team for the upcoming season. The class consisted of a classroom component and a hands-on component at a local gun club. There, we alternated between shooting at targets and coaching our partner in…
Read MoreAdding the Appellate Guy
Robert Mueller recently made a serious move. He brought in an appellate guy. Michael Dreeben has argued 100 cases in the United States Supreme Court and has been with the Solicitor General’s office since 1988. The move indicated, even to the people at Fox News, that things are about to get serious. This investigation now…
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