Blog Posts: Law Blog

Life is long. You will work for a long time. There is no winning instantly. Success takes time. What you do each day matters for your future. The big picture makes living for today essential, which means having a plan and working it. By doing so you really are playing for the future, and for your first taste of, or your continuing, success. The person you do a fav...

Everywhere I look these days people are arguing. At least it feels that way. About politics.  About the environment. About issues big and small. I have written before about how important it is to be an active listener. When I listen I hear a lot of people simply parroting what others say without any independent thought. Or worse, they are speaking a...

We all know the saying “You are either all in or all out.” The meaning of this phrase is obvious, but when you think about it, it applies to all situations in business  or your personal life.   In your personal life, if you spend your time with your kids or significant other connected to a device, email, etc. they will know they don&rs...

Without failure you will not succeed to the level you otherwise have the ability to reach. Wayne Gretzky said “You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take." How true. People are seriously afraid to fail. People are seriously afraid to have someone tell them the failed. Or were wrong. People simply are afraid of criticism, even when it is construc...

My firm has a unique culture, as do all businesses. But the difference at my firm is that we have captured the essence of our firm in 21 fundamentals we call The JW Way Fundamentals.  These are the foundation of our business.  They are how we operate ranging from how we deal with clients to who we hire. Today I am focusing on one fundamental: T...

You know when it hits. It can be anytime, and many times it is not at a convenient time. But when you have inspiration, don't lose it. For me it may be on an issue in a case. Whether I am at my desk, or in the middle of the night, I write it down. I usually use the Note app on my phone, but paper and pen still work. I have learned that if I do not do that at the t...

I wrote about change being constant earlier, but had an experience last week that reminded me of the importance of remembering this. We all know this, especially parents. Me, "don't do that, you could get hurt." Kid, "but I didn't get hurt." Me, "but you could have." We all had this conversation a thousand times growing up and, if you are a parent, you are on your...

We all run into people who appear to be successful. It can be how they carry themselves, the car they drive, the clothes they wear or the words they say. Some are. Some aren't. Fake it till you make it, the saying goes. Of course, some of the most successful people won't look like how many of us picture success. How about Sam Walton driving a pickup truck his whol...

What do people remember? Think of a favorite song. What about it makes you listen? Probably a distinctive element like a catchy riff or lyric. It sticks in your head. Making your case to a judge or jury, a pitch to a potential client or that short time you have when making your elevator speech is the same.  The distinctive riff is an easy to remember sen...

Have a viewpoint. Stand for something. If you don't, you stand for nothing at all.  We don't have to agree with others all of the time. But when you don't, be respectful. Agree to disagree. You learn more from dialogue with someone you don't agree with than with someone you agree with.   Plus, none of us are right all of the time. If someo...