Missouri Lawyers Media Missouri legal news and public notices

Among the (growing) list of things that annoy me are misuses and abuses of language. Overly redundant. Any and all. They’re, there and their used inappropriately, second only to your and you’re. Epic, awesome, and iconic for things that are ...

I went to Chicago for the first time when I was in my early 20s. I had never been to a city that size, and I was shocked at how many people were walking around on city streets after 10 ...

It had been a gloomy day, and I don’t just mean the weather. I was running behind schedule to court. The closest parking spot was three blocks away, so I got to enjoy a brisk walk to the courthouse in ...

I’ve keep running into pirate symbols lately. Trial lawyers have a lot in common with pirates, as I’ve written in this space before. Pirates came up with a system of workers’ compensation long before it was popular elsewhere. They always ...

In 1998, I was both a new father and a new lawyer. Fortunately, I was blissfully unaware of how unprepared I was for either gig, and that is what kept me from running — screaming — into the woods. The ...

Tagged with: Under Analysis

Gentle Reader: It has been pointed out (many times, in fact) that I don’t look forward to the holidays. I don’t hate the holidays, and it isn’t even that I don’t enjoy them, necessarily. Holidays, like vacations, mean not going ...

Tagged with: Under Analysis

It is officially autumn in these parts. In the Midwest, it is more properly called Fake Fall, the season f/k/a Indian Summer. It is a dangerous time of year for lawyers. If we set out a suit to wear at ...

Tagged with: commentary Under Analysis

We are deep in the summer doldrums. It is hot here, and by here, I mean Planet Earth. It would be unfair to blame Al Gore, but he is the easy foil. When someone asks how I am doing, I ...

Tagged with: commentary letter to the editor

Summer is in the rear view mirror now, and I am grumpy. Redneck holy days, a/k/a deer season is over. My quest to kill the evil Talibambi fell short yet again. College football is also winding down as my beloved ...

Sports metaphors are popular in trial law. In part because trial lawyers see themselves as gladiators, and that means there is a winner in most every contest. In part, because of misogyny in a profession that has been dominated by ...

Few Americans have read the documents that founded our nation. One need look no further than the daily news to realize that our lawmakers don’t understand the Constitution. If they did, it would not be incumbent on the courts to ...