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Skillful Speech and the Law
I recently heard a new term. It is a term of art from a certain religious discipline. That term is “skillful speech.” The person who said it was Joseph Goldstein. He was a guest on on a podcast. He explained that speech often serves no useful purpose other than to announce your presence to another…
Read MoreFriday Review — Michael Lewis’s The Undoing Project
Happy Friday. I’m making a point to review a book or some other work on Fridays. Alas, I don’t have anything new that I’m ready to review today. But I wanted to mention a book that I’m listening to in audio form. That book is the latest by Michael Lewis, The Undoing Project. Lewis discusses the…
Read MorePro-Tip on E-Filing at the Georgia Supreme Court
Every now and then, I e-file things at the Supreme Court that require me to attach a set of exhibits. There are a few categories of things that require you to petition for the Court to take your appeal. And when you do that, you have to put together your own record into a sort…
Read MoreWere Briefs Better in the 40s-60s? If So, Why?
Today, I attended a continuing legal education seminar featuring Ross Guberman. Ross is the author of Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation’s Top Advocates. When his book first came out, I briefly reviewed it and interviewed Ross here on the blog. I have enjoyed Ross’s book immensely and have used it as a…
Read MoreUpdates on Cases, Media, Editing
Today, I had the honor to be interviewed by Celeste Headlee, the host of Georgia Public Broadcasting’s On Second Thought. We talked about the Georgia Supreme Court’s recent set of cases, both criminal and civil. Check out today’s show. Listen to the whole thing of skip to minute 30 for my segment on the cases.…
Read MoreThe Dark Side of Referrals
A few days ago, Seth Godin wrot about referrals and their true meaning in a profession. When they work well, a referral comes with it a high degree of trust. When you refer a client to another person, you stake some of your reputation on the person to whom you made the referral. In addition, the person…
Read MoreAre Conservatives Better than Liberals at Criminal Justice Reform?
The Federalist has a piece up positing that Conservatives are outdoing Liberals at criminal justice reform. Until recently, I would not have taken an article like this seriously. I’m now a few weeks into my time as the Legislative Chair of the Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyers. In that time, I’ve watched a groundbreaking new eyewitness…
Read MoreRhetoric Aside, Most Inmates Have Cell Phones
Over at Grits for Breakfast, is a post discussing that, while cell phones are rampant in Texas prisons, there are few prosecutions. The writer references a comprehensive story about the number of cell phones seized in Texas versus few actual prosecutions for those offenses. The Texas Tribune reports: Prison officials said one challenge was linking the…
Read MoreHarvard Medical Professor would Take Firing Squad over Lethal Injection
A professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School told the Washington Post that “Given these recurring problems with lethal injections, if I had to be executed, I would choose a firing squad.” That article and one in the ABA Journal details the problems with supply of lethal injection drugs throughout the nation.
Read MoreUsing the Ga. Supreme Court’s Website to Prepare for Argument / Stay Current on the Law
Yesterday, I assisted with an oral argument at the Supreme Court of Georgia. I was on the 2pm calendar (The Court usually sits in two sessions). As I often do when I have an afternoon calendar, I watched the 10am session online. I’ve written before about the value of watching other cases on the calendar…
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