I remember the world before email and smartphones. If you needed information, you grabbed a newspaper, atlas, world almanac, or an encyclopedia. If you were a lawyer, you went elbows deep into the books, i.e., case reporters (like the Federal Supplement), treatises, “Am Jur,”[1] key number digest, “Words and Phrases,” law review articles, the
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Cool Tech for In-House Counsel (2026 Edition)
Every August or so, I write about “cool tech” for in-house lawyers. It’s something I enjoy doing because I love technology and the promise that it brings to make life (work or at home) better and more productive. And over the past 10+ years (my first “cool tech” blog was way back in 2015), I…
Ten Things: Delivering Results That Matter – How Legal Can Become the “Gas Pedal” of the Business
I was recently interviewed by LawVu Legal Leaders[1] for an article on the future of the legal department. In that article, I mention that it is time for legal departments to stop being the brake and start being the gas pedal. I have had a number of requests to expand on what I…
Ten Things: Presenting to the Board of Directors
Over the past few posts, I have been spending a lot of time writing about dealing with business leaders (see, e.g., Ten Things: Dealing with Business Executives and Ten Things: Ten Questions In-House Lawyers Should Ask the Business Right Now). I have been doing this because, as we get deeper into 2026, I think…
Ten Things: Have a More Productive Day (Ten Simple High-Impact Productivity Hacks for In-House Counsel)
One of my most recent books is on productivity for in-house lawyers.[1] Ironically, the book is over 400 pages long so it may not be the most productive use of your time to meander through it looking to pick up a useful nugget or two. At 400 pages it does make for…
Ten Things: How to Market Yourself (and Build Your Brand)
My grandfather had a pretty corny sense of humor (which my daughters tell me is genetic… and potentially fatal). One of his favorite jokes was telling six-year-old me and my five-year-old brother that his basset hound kept elephants away from the house. We’d, of course, respond with, “There are no elephants in York, Nebraska, granddad.” …
Ten Things: How to Prioritize Your Work
One of the hardest skills to develop as an in-house lawyer is knowing how to prioritize your work. It certainly was for me. In the in-house world, everything is urgent, and everything is important, and everyone needs their project done yesterday. We have all heard this “the sky is falling” plea from the business yet…
Ten Things: Ten Questions the Legal Department Should Ask the Business Right Now (2026 Edition)
Hello everyone and hello 2026! It’s time to kick off another year of “Ten Things You Need to Know as In-House Counsel.” For a number of years, I started January with my “essential issues” for in-house lawyers post, i.e., things I thought were important for in-house lawyers to watch out for over the upcoming year. …
Ten Things: The Best Blogs, Podcasts, and Other Media for In-House Lawyers (2025 Edition)
Hello everyone and welcome to the end of 2025. It’s been a jammed packed year for me and the blog. As usual, I like to end the year with my list of the best blogs, podcasts, and “other media” for in-house lawyers. And, no surprise, there is a lot of great content – and a…
Ten Things: “Cool Tech” for In-House Counsel (2025 Edition)
Hello my friends and welcome to another edition of “Ten Things You Need to Know as In-House Counsel!” Every summer for the past ten years, I have written about “cool tech” for in-house lawyers. It is one of my favorite posts and over that time I have stumbled upon a number of great bits of…