Law Blog

JW Way Fundamental #9: Leave Your Ego at the Door  "At all times, stay focused on serving the needs of our client and our firm, rather than on serving your ego. Remember - it's about the client and our firm, not you!"My parents were in town a few weeks ago so I invited them to meet me for lunch. My Mom, Dixie ordered.  My Dad, Phil ordered.  I orde...

I first remember reading or hearing this in a quote from Jim Valvano, the North Carolina basketball coach who said “Every Single Day, in Every Walk of Life, Ordinary People do Extraordinary Things.” In 1983, his underdog team was pitted against the heavily favorited Houston Cougars in the NCAA Men’s Basketball championship game. They won right at ...

As a general rule, if somebody owns something, whether it is as small as a cell phone or as big as ten-acre parcel of land, no one else may use it without the owner’s consent. There is, however, a notable exception to such rule found in the legal concept of prescriptive easements. While there are various types of prescriptive easement claims, such claims ofte...

There is a growing interest in the use of products containing CBD (Cannabidiol). These are products containing oil that is derived from the hemp plant, the same plant that produces marijuana.  Unlike medical marijuana, CBD products contain little or no THC, the psychoactive compound found in marijuana. In 2018, Congress passed a new Farm Bill (Farm Bill) ...

JW Way Fundamental #5: Listen Fully "Listening is more than simply not speaking. Give others your undivided attention. Set aside your own judgments and preconceived notions. Listen with focus. Most importantly, listen to understand." This is a JW Way fundamental that applies not only to work but also to life outside of work.  Listening fully is one of t...

JW Way Fundamental #8: Act with Integrity  "Demonstrate an unwavering commitment to doing the right thing in every action you take and in every decision you make. Own up to your own mistakes and apologize. If you make a mistake, clean it up." Food for thought.  It is easy to tell warm and fuzzy stories of those who act with integrity, but I tend to...

JW Way Fundamental #7: Honor your commitments.  "Do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it. If a commitment can’t be fulfilled, tell others early and agree on a new commitment."Some fundamentals apply only to attorneys, and others may apply only to work, but this fundamental is for everyone, every day, and everywhere! No m...

JW Way Fundamental #8: Act with Integrity  "Demonstrate an unwavering commitment to doing the right thing in every action you take and in every decision you make. Own up to your own mistakes and apologize. If you make a mistake, clean it up." We live in integrity-challenged times.  It sometimes seems that the people with the least integrity, those ...

JW Way Fundamental #3: Clarify and Manage Expectations "Establish mutually agreeable expectation as to the time, expense, and goals of every engagement. Let people know what to expect and when. Ensure clarity by reviewing goals, action items, responsibilities, and dues dates to ensure expectations are understood."This JW Way fundamental is often a challenge for m...

JW Way Fundamental #7: Honor your commitments.  "Do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it. If a commitment can’t be fulfilled, tell others early and agree on a new commitment."It is easy to honor some commitments.  As lawyers we have deadlines, court appearances, and scheduled dates we must comply with. Those are calendared, we ...