the supplemental materials after the program has ended. CLE can be an effective way to stay current on major developments in your principal areas of practice if you invest in the process. One side note here, don’ t minimize the value of any educational opportunities that focus on improving your research and legal writing skills, as well as those that focus on trust accounting procedures. Trust me, there are more than a few of us who could benefit from these types of programs.
Third, and this is one that catches a lot of attorneys off guard, don’ t fall into the trap of thinking that because the work is just a legal favor for a friend, family member, or staff member it’ s okay to not give it your all. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is no exception to Rule of Professional Conduct 1.1 Competency that lists all the circumstances where it’ s permissible to practice“ legal light.” Favor or not, this is real legal work. You can and may ultimately be held accountable for any unsatisfactory outcomes.
Fourth, commit to conducting a regular and thorough file review on every matter. If possible, this process should involve multiple levels of oversight and include tasks such as ensuring all factual information is correct and no key facts have been missed, reviewing all documents before filing, verifying legal research( to include any generative AI research!), and reviewing any applicable statutes to confirm the accuracy of calendared critical deadlines.
And finally, prioritize your own health and well-being as a way to stay sharp and focused, because shoddy work is shoddy for a reason. If you invest little or no time pursuing personal interests or taking vacations because your workload is beyond reasonable, your energy level and performance will suffer. That’ s pretty much a given. Mistakes are more likely to happen when you are tired, the work has become mundane because it’ s all you do day in and day out, or if burnout has started to enter the picture. For similar reasons, don’ t minimize the importance of nurturing the important personal and professional relationships in your life. If these relationships are neglected for too long, the support systems they represent may not be there when you most need them. This too can all to easily lead to missteps down the road.
Alternate Dispute Resolution Services in person or by VIDEO
TIMOTHY G. RICHARD trichard @ serklandlaw. com
NEUTRAL MEDIATORS
Mediation is an effective and cost efficient method to resolve disputes. We are experienced to provide mediation in the following areas:
• Personal Injury
• Wrongful Death
• Professional Malpractice
• Construction
• Product Liability
• Trusts and Estates
• Discrimination
• Business Disputes
• Contract
PETER W. ZUGER pzuger @ serklandlaw. com
701-232-8957 serklandlaw. com
10 Roberts Street N. Fargo, ND 58102
Alternate dispute resolution can also include Arbitration, Early Neutral Evaluation, Mediation / Arbitration.
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