Not to be confused with “trial by fire,” a trial by Zoom can be a scary new experience for any hardened litigator. Luckily, others have pioneered best practices for courts, judges, and, yes, lawyers to follow. Host Dave Scriven-Young is joined by Judge Marsha J. Pechman and Judge Thomas Samuel Zilly from the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.&nbsp; Together they share the journey going from in-person proceedings to a remote environment and road map the process along the way, including advice for displaying evidence, how to read a jury, what to wear, and much more!&nbsp; Stay tuned for Darryl Wilson’s tips for making great opening statements!

Trial by Zoom

If you are studying for the July bar exam, you’re not going to memorize every flashcard for the Multistate Bar Examination, and that’s OK. You can still pass.

ABA Journal: Asked and Answered

Think you won't pass the July bar exam? So did many others, but they did, say lawyers

In Police & the Empire City: Race & the Origins of Modern Policing, Matthew Guariglia looks at the New York City police from their founding in 1845 through the 1930s as “police transitioned from a more informal collection of pugilists clad in wool coats to what we can recognize today as a modern professionalized police department.”

From the beginning, race and ethnicity had a major impact in the policing of New York City. In a city where the top echelons of power were held by Anglo-Dutch Protestants, the streets were patrolled by Irish and German immigrant police officers, sometimes enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act by snatching Black people off the streets and sending them back to enslavement in the South.

In this episode of the Modern Law Library, Guariglia and the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles discuss what the early period of policing in New York City can tell us about policing today. Rawles shares her own ancestor’s path from immigrant to police court judge on the West Side of Chicago (though the dates she cites in the interview are incorrect–Michael J. O’Donoghue emigrated from Ireland in the 1874 and was appointed to the police court in 1901.)

For Irish and German immigrants, a job on the police force was a path out of poverty and towards whiteness and political power, but you would be asked to prove yourself by visiting violence on your own community. African American community leaders hoped the appointment of Black policemen would curb police brutality, but the city was slower than other metropolises like Chicago, who hired James L. Shelton as the city’s first Black officer in 1871. Samuel Battle became the NYPD’s first Black police officer in 1911, eventually rising to the rank of lieutenant and being appointed a parole commissioner.

Meanwhile, in neighborhoods like Chinatown, entire communities went without police officers who spoke the same language as inhabitants. The first Chinese-speaking officer was hired in 1904. That same year, the General Slocum disaster sent the city administration scrambling for German-speaking police officers to locate relatives in Kleindeutschland to identify bodies of the thousand victims of the burned shipwreck. Fears of “the Black Hand” led to the creation of the Italian Squad, and Guariglia shares the story of how the Italian Squad’s founder, Joseph Petrosino, ended up assassinated while on assignment in Sicily.

“Empire City” is an apt name for New York City, as it had international reach and drew on former colonial administrators. One influential police commissioner, Gen. Francis Vinton Greene, had been involved in the U.S. occupation of the Philippines after the Spanish-American War. Tactics first used to subjugate colonists were put to use in the city. As the Progressive Era led to a preoccupation with eugenics, the New York City police were involved in international conversations about the characteristics of criminals and race science. The idea of molding the perfect police officers also caught hold. In this episode, Guariglia shares how the police departments decided they had to teach their officers how to stand and chew properly.

'Police & the Empire City' explores race and the origins of the NYPD

Ernie Svenson-a.k.a. well-known blogger Ernie the Attorney-was an early evangelist for what he calls The Paperless Chase. The basic premise: "Anything you can do with paper, you can do more with PDF. Way more." 
 
Now he spends a lot of time teaching, training and speaking, all aimed at enabling small-firm and solo lawyers with the ability "to save money, make money and outmatch bigger firm adversaries," he says. 
 
In fact, calling Svenson an evangelist is an understatement. "The walls are closing in on lawyers who haven't adapted, with e-filing in the courts and the increased use of the PDF format by others," Svenson says. "It's here. It's good. Do it." 

Don't fear technology, Ernie Svenson urges; 'It's here; it's good; do it'

Microsoft products assist lawyers daily in document review and communication. In this episode of New Solo, host Adriana Linares talks to Ben Schorr, senior content developer at Microsoft, about the different tools Microsoft provides and how they lend themselves to a successful law firm. Their conversation includes Microsoft Office 365, OneDrive, and Outlook. They also discuss resources you can use to learn even more about Microsoft products. Ben Schorr is a Senior Content Developer at Microsoft. He was a Microsoft MVP for more than 19 years and involved with management and technology for more than 25. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio,  Answer1,  PerfectIt, and Unbundled Attorney

Running Your Firm with Microsoft

Attorney Karen Karabinos from the law firm of Drew Eckl & Farnham discusses judicial estoppel and the impact on insurance claims.

Special thanks to our sponsor, A.M. Best Company, Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys & Adjusters, including Expert Service Providers.

The Application of Judicial Estoppel in Insurance Claims

How can lawyers build influence in the legal community? In this episode of Lunch Hour Legal Marketing, hosts Gyi Tsakalakis and Kelly Street talk to Jordan Harbinger about his career as a social dynamics expert and influential podcaster. They discuss Jordan’s networking advice for creating meaningful and useful professional connections. They also delve into how to make good impressions and exude approachability. Jordan Harbinger is a Wall Street lawyer turned interview talk show host, and communications and social dynamics expert.

Jordan Harbinger’s Networking Playbook for Lawyers

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'Police & the Empire City' explores race and the origins of the NYPD

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