I am biased. I am a huge fan of Michelle Obama. I recently watched the film Becoming on Netflix, which revolves around her book tour for her book of the same name. The film includes some stories from the book but mostly it shows her interactions with people on the book tour. It also includes … Continue reading Becoming – Again
The ABA Journal recently published an article entitled Bar Exam Does Little to Ensure Attorney Competence, Say Lawyers in Diploma Privilege State, describing the experience in Wisconsin, the only state that currently has the “diploma privilege.” Under the Wisconsin rules, in-state law school graduates can become licensed without taking a bar exam. These graduates must … Continue reading The Coronavirus Crisis Provides an Opportunity to Adopt Better Systems for Licensing Lawyers than the Bar Exam
Canadian mediator Rick Weiler just wrote a post with this list of safe zoom practices. Take a look. (Click on the title to access his post.)
From BFOI Kristen Blankley: Colleagues, Here is a near-final draft of an upcoming paper that I am publishing in the Fordham Law Review. It is about Online Resources and implementing Parenting & Financial Plans. Maybe it will give some people new ideas on working with parenting and financial plans in a pandemic. It might give … Continue reading Kristen Blankley’s Paper on Online Resources and Implementing Parenting & Financial Plans
The coronavirus has disrupted the lives of almost everyone on earth. People are stopping much of our daily routines and canceling travel plans, large and small. Practically every sector of society is adjusting, with many canceling activities. As people’s time opens up, our options for spending time are drying up. March Madness and other sporting … Continue reading Dear Committee Members
I recently wrote a post about the film, Marriage Story, which depicts a somewhat bad divorce. That story fit into very common negative narratives about bad divorces and divorce lawyers. Of course, there are bad divorces and divorce lawyers – though probably not as many as suggested in popular culture. Indeed, to reflect some balance, … Continue reading A Story of a Good Divorce
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The law can be a very dangerous thing. Although the legal system inevitably is imperfect, it sometimes provides important benefits such as helping people solve difficult problems, making institutions function properly, and promoting justice. Unfortunately, the litigation process needed to achieve these goals often is extremely … Continue reading The Law Can Be Dangerous to Lawyers’ Mental Health
According to a news report last week, “President Trump brought his trademark disruptive approach to the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, telling attendees of a gathering meant to promote reconciliation, unity and prayer that his political opponents are ‘dishonest and corrupt people’ and that God is on the side of his supporters. “The president’s speech … Continue reading We Should Try to Understand and Respect, if Not Love, Our “Enemies”
There’s a very common myth that all divorces are bitter cat-and-dog struggles like the movie, The War of the Roses. (Of course, many cats and dogs get along just fine, like mine do.) This myth just ain’t so. Although the couple in Marriage Story had some angry fights, they retained a reservoir of love and … Continue reading It’s Not All the War of the Roses
The very touching Netflix movie, Marriage Story, provides an unusually realistic depiction of divorce dynamics. I particularly appreciate the portrayals of the spouses and their eight year-old son, reflecting the complexity of their conflicts and their ambivalences. Both spouses are decent people – and both have their foibles. They struggle with the tension between caring … Continue reading Somewhere Between Reasonable and Crazy
