» Building a Better Law Firm
Four standards of review at the Veterans Court.
When appellate courts review the decisions of lower courts – or in administrative law where a Court like the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) reviews the decisions of the BVA, an administrative tribunal – they use “sta…
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May 18th, 2022
Contributor: Chris Attig
Tags: 38 C.F.R. §20.1304, abuse of discretion, arbitrary or capricious, Butts v. Brown 5 Vet. App. 532 (1993) (en banc), clearly erroneous, de novo, Gilbert v. Derwinski 1 Vet App 49 (1990), Hersey v. Derwinski 2 Vet. App. 91 (1992), inadequate reasons and bases, not in accordance with the law, standards of review, Thun v. Peake 22 Vet. App. 111 (2008)
Lawyers with a Purpose: a path to happiness in the law.
If you hear the phrase, lawyers with a purpose, what is your immediate reaction? Do you roll your eyes? Yawn? Close this page and find something else to read? I’ll be honest, the first time a business coach told me that my law practice needs to…
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September 6th, 2019
Contributor: Chris Attig
"Mind Your Business"
The Business of Law – its not something we really think about until we need to know something about it. Every time I’ve needed to find a lawyer who can help me understand the law, argue a point in a motion or brief, or figure out the practice…
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September 3rd, 2019
Contributor: Chris Attig
Categories: Building a Better Law Firm
It's not bad to be an Unhappy Lawyer.
“I am not happy doing what I’m doing.” I’ve had that thought several times in my life. We all have – I hope. In fact, the thought that I was unhappy doing what I was doing was the thought that led me to law school. Back in 1999, I was worki…
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August 23rd, 2019
Contributor: Chris Attig
Categories: Building a Better Law Firm
Replace yourself from the ground up.
“I can’t take a day off or a vacation. Someone has to get the work done.” If you are a lawyer and that is the reason you are not taking a vacation, or at least a day off, then you are bailing water from a sinking ship. Working to keep from drow…
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August 12th, 2019
Contributor: Chris Attig
Lawyer Wellness in the practice of law.
“To be a good lawyer, one has to be a healthy lawyer.” So begins an August 2017 report from the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being. The problem with this statement, however, is that it is a false comparison. Some of the best attorne…
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August 9th, 2019
Contributor: Chris Attig
Coffee w/Chris (11-14-2018): The problem of attorney suicide.
In today’s episode, I’m going to give you a quick introduction to the case of Cook v. Wilkie, a November 2018 precedential decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. This case is big: it involves when and how the BVA…
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November 14th, 2018
Contributor: Chris Attig
Monday Morning Coffee w/ Chris: The ONE financial metric that lawyers should know cold.
Coffee w/ Chris: (Monday, October 29, 2018) What Financial Metrics are important to evaluate your law firm’s progress? If you get behind the wheel of any car, there are certain metrics you will find on the dashboard. Are there similar metrics t…
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October 29th, 2018
Contributor: Chris Attig
Monday Morning Coffee with Chris: Do THIS when you get back from a Legal Conference.
What to do when you get back from a Legal Conference? I just returned home from a multi-day legal conference: this time the Fall Conference for the National Organization for Veterans Advocates (NOVA) in Washington, D.C. Here’s what I’ll t…
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October 22nd, 2018
Contributor: Chris Attig
Tags: 2018 CAVC Oral Arguments, Anxious Lawyer, Barton F. Stichman, Caitlin S. Milo, Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), Headspace, Hire Slow Fire Fast, Judge Amanda L. Meredith, Judge Margaret Bartley, Judge Mary J. Schoelen, Julia A. Turner, NDSS, Next Lawyer Up, NOVA, NVLSP, Speigner v Wilkie #16-2811
Monday Morning Coffee with Chris: Are You Taking Care of Your Law Firm's Most Important Asset?
Taking care of your law firm’s most important asset. Law is a service business. We help people resolve the disputes which impact their ability to live. That makes your law firm’s most important asset … you. If you are a small firm o…
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March 12th, 2018
Contributor: Chris Attig
