nursinglawbandit

Is Short and Rude the Standard for Attorney to Attorney Interactions?

I spoke with a fellow nurse attorney this week and she was very rude and downright nasty over the phone. I was surprised and I laughed when I hung up the phone because I thought wow, this person has issues. I am never nasty to nurses, attorneys, clients, or anyone in my law practice. Now my personal life is a different story.

I have never met this women and you can best believe I will never recommend or refer anyone or anything her way.

I like what I do for a living and although everyone has a bad day here and there, I just don't feel the need to be nasty, rude, or short with anyone related to my law and consulting practices. What is the point?

I can say in my eleven years of law practice, this is only the second rude nurse attorney I have encountered. Most nurse attorneys I have met are genuinely excited about meeting another nurse attorney and discussing the practice of law with a nursing background.

Is it becoming the "norm" now in law practice to be rude and short with your colleagues?

Multi-State Law Practice: Pros and Cons

Do you practice law in more than one state? Do you find that the benefits of multi-state licensure outweigh the burdens (CE, licensure fees, travel, etc.)? What advice do you have for other attorneys about a multi-state law practice?

I paid $270 to renew my Kentucky license and $110 for Indiana this month. I attend the Kentucky Law Update (two days of CLE) every year to cover my CLE requirements and its free. Don't ask me the CLE requirements for each state.

Its challenging but enjoyable. I practice law in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. I live in Cincinnati and its about the same distance (90 minutes give or take 15 minutes) for me to drive to Columbus (Ohio Board of Nursing), Indianapolis (Indiana Board of Nursing), or Louisville (Kentucky Board of Nursing). The majority of my cases are in Ohio and Kentucky with just a few in Indiana.

Unlike most licensure defense attorneys, I represent only nurses primarily because I have to stay abreast of law, rules, and standards in the three states. Also I want it my way, like at Burger King, so I decided early on that I wanted to work primarily with other nurses. I practice med mal defense in my big firm days and worked primarily with dentists and physicians.

Self-Help Center for Pro Se Filers

See this post about a legal self-help center for pro self filers that was axed.

http://www.law.com/jsp/law/sfb/lawArticleSFB.jsp?id=1202423757677

Do you think the government and/or state bar associations should fund such projects for access to the justice system? Will these types of efforts harm solo practitioners and small firm attorneys?

When I first read the article, I thought wow it seems selfish for attorneys to oppose the self-help center. However as I thought more about it I wondered how I would feel if a state nurses association offered a legal self-help center staffed by attorneys. Surely nurses would contact a legal self-help center affiliated with a state nurses association for assistance and counseling before contacting an attorney like myself.

What do you think about self-help centers staffed by attorneys?

Recognizing the Need for Assistance

This is week 2 of my sister working as my legal assistant and I love it! I finally have someone I trust assisting me with administrative and clerical tasks. This allows me to focus more on practicing law. She is working five days a week and 3-4 hours a day.

It took me a while to recognize that I needed assistance. Its tough to delegate when you are accustomed to doing everything yourself. But I like this!

You Know Its Time to Quit When.....

I really enjoy the Complete Lawyer. As a member of the Indiana State Bar Association and the Kentucky Bar Association, I receive the online journal as a benefit.

How do you know when its time to quit your current position or transition into another type of practice? See this article http://kentucky.thecompletelawyer.com/volume4/issue4/article.php?ppaid=9787&apage=2.

I can remember some of these myself. I used to cry before I went to work or cry at work after my son called and asked when would I be coming home. He was calling me at work at 8pm. I cried one morning before I dropped him off at summer camp and he asked me will I see you before I go to sleep tonight? I lost it in the car. Now that I think about it, I will have to ask my mother was she prompting my son with some of these comments and remarks....