People think prosecutors deal with the most angry, dangerous, and undesirable elements within the justice system. While this may be true (sort of) some of the most explosive passion, anger, and raw animus can be seen in the context of family law cases. I recall, during my first few weeks as a family law attorney being blown away at the things people would say and do to each other in the context of a divorce or post-dissolution matter. [Read more…] about Family Ties: The Challenges of Family Law
About Mark Livingston
Make the Best of an Awful Situation: Use the Pandemic to get Exam Ready
Now that we are all sheltering in place and keeping a responsible social distance from the rest of humanity, perhaps it is time to make a little tasty lemonade out of COVID-19’s nasty lemons. Step away from binge-watching your favorite streaming shows, ignore all those meaningless quizzes on social media, and buckle down (a bit earlier than usual) to be prepared for final exams. It may be more critical than ever to end the semester strong now that law schools have been forced into the distance and virtual learning spaces. [Read more…] about Make the Best of an Awful Situation: Use the Pandemic to get Exam Ready
How Much Do Lawyers Make? The Truth About Attorney Salaries
There is a perception that all attorneys are wealthy and make more money than they can possibly need. As a family law attorney, working at a small firm, I can tell you that I would love to make more money; however, the cost of higher pay is not worth it to me, and I love my firm. The question of “how much can I make as an attorney” is very complex. There are so many variables that go into that answer. Like so many questions in the law, the answer is: It depends. The national average lawyer’s salary in 2019 was $144,230 per year. Obviously, there many attorneys who are making significantly more and many making significantly less. [Read more…] about How Much Do Lawyers Make? The Truth About Attorney Salaries
How to Prepare for 1L Year: Making the Summer Before Law School Productive
Everyone who has ever gone through law school will have a story or anecdote about the work or preparation they did in advance of the beginning of 1L year. The problem is, they are always looking at those experiences through the lens of a law school graduate. This article is an attempt to provide a few practical tips to a soon-to-be law student and help her get the most out of the summer before law school. Almost immediately after I got accepted into my law program, I began reading, researching, and learning about the journey upon which I was about to embark. This preparation filled me with excitement, pride, and (of course) anxiety. [Read more…] about How to Prepare for 1L Year: Making the Summer Before Law School Productive
Where to Get Your Start: Join a Growing Pond Where You’ll Become the Biggest Fish
Most law students on track to enter firm life after law school have some preconceptions about the type of firm for which they want to work. Some want a small firm, some want a large firm, others want the opportunity to make a lot of money, and many are looking for that “prestigious” firm for which to work. Often these notions are born out of the same place that got the student interested in suffering through law school in the first place. Regardless of the type of firm you want to work for after you graduate, it’s never too early to start thinking about where to get your career started. With the all-too-common drive to work in the most prestigious firm in town, it’s important to consider whether that objective is as desirable as it seems. [Read more…] about Where to Get Your Start: Join a Growing Pond Where You’ll Become the Biggest Fish
What’s A Trello? The Habit Tracker to Help Law Students Stay Productive
If you haven’t heard of Trello, buckle up and be prepared to be blown away. With time always at a premium in law school, and law students constantly on the lookout for pain-free ways to stay organized, Trello may be the best thing to happen to law students since the § symbol or those two ships called Peerless arrived in Liverpool two months apart.
According to its website, “Trello is the easy, free, flexible, and visual way to manage your projects and organize anything. . .” Translation, Trello is free and can help even the most beleaguered law student wrestle control of their coursework, exam prep, and law school schedule. This post provides a quick overview of the ways that Trello can help increase efficiency, be better prepared for class, and crush exams throughout law school. [Read more…] about What’s A Trello? The Habit Tracker to Help Law Students Stay Productive