Law And More

Law School (and all higher ed) Distrupted - Linking Accreditation to Job Placement

Of course, it's come to this: The recommendation that law school accreditation be determined by the job placement track record. Here's the article in Law.com.

Over is the belief that higher education can operate in the noble-values box. Consumers of the service demand documentation that the purchase will ensure the ability to make a good living.

Recently, Boston Magazine published a major feature on how many colleges and universities are shutting down, merging, or restructuring in New England.

One reason why is that the "worth" of higher education is being questioned. The tipping point might have been the rise of tuition to levels which are no longer tolerated. Education Dive confirms that the shuttering of higher education institutions is happening across the nation.

My hunch is that those dorms will be transformed into assisted living facilities and the administration buildings to house the WeWork concept. 

Of course, the top tier - the Ivies - will survive.

But, others which are determined to continue operation have to reposition and repackage themselves as effective and cost-efficient career-preparation factories. 

For example, the law school's promotional materials will have as its branding not only high placement rate of graduates but also the ability of those alumni to continue to remain working. The first job will be one of many. As "What Color Is Your Parachute? 2019" hammers: The new normal is to be continually searching for work. 

No longer is higher education considered a "special institution" in society. Its professors will have to justify the connection between what they teach and test and the ability to make a good living. Did that elective in second year law school help you get, keep, and move on to better kinds of work? Surveys will be taken. If the feedback is no, that course goes. Maybe the professor does too.

Need affordable help strategically planning and putting together content? That ranges from blog posts and e-books to planning/scripting podcasts and creating traditional speeches. Complimentary consultation on how to generate influence and sell without paying high rates, janegenova374@gmail.com. 

Was It the Shoe?

Lawyers could be speculating.

Public relations experts likely anticipate the worst.

And the marketing folks at Nike hope like hell sales won't collapse.

The legal, branding, and marketing implications of Zion Williamson' slip are massive.

Video caught every nanosecond of how, during Duke's basketball game against North Carolina, his foot slid, his Nike shoe exploded, and he wound up sprawled on the floor.

Those in the loop indicate that he suffered a mild knee sprain but no one has yet declared how many games he will miss. 

Sports are big business. Nike shoes are big business. Williamson's present and future as a basketball star are big business. So, it's no surprise this incident is being covered by MarketWatch. 

As yet, it is unknown what factor the Nike shoe might have been in the slide itself and that nothing prevented it from becoming an actual fall. Should Williamson's ability to play his best game be compromised by the fall, then, of course, his handlers will be consulting lawyers. They have to. 

Meanwhile, there's lots of comic potential in the exploding shoe for late night show monologues and "SNL." That would give audiences a break from TrumpVille.

Need affordable help strategically planning and putting together content? That ranges from blog posts and e-books to planning/scripting podcasts and creating traditional speeches. Complimentary consultation on how to generate influence and sell without paying high rates, janegenova374@gmail.com. 

Skiing in Utah - Gwyneth Paltrow Countersues Terry Sanderson (move celebrities can afford)

Some recall that last January Terry Sanderson, almost 70 years old, filed a lawsuit against celebrity Gwyneth Paltrow.

He contended that in Utah on February 26, 2016, Paltrow was skiing out of control. She allegedly crashed into him, causing extensive injuries. He requested at least $3.1 million in damages.

Well, in response, Paltrow did what celebrities and other wealthy people can do: She countersued. That move can impose additional legal fees on a plaintiff who may not be able to afford them. In a sense, the plaintiff can be painted into a legal corner. If the person doesn't drop the original lawsuit, he or she can be stuck on an expensive legal battleground.

What Paltrow claims is that Sanderson, who had been skiing uphill from her, crashed into her. She also states that he had told his medical doctor before the skiing incident that he was blind in one eye and suffered with 15 other chronic illnesses. 

She is asking for a buck, in symbolic damages. Here are more details from the media.

Celebrities, of course, are perceived as deep pockets. Therefore, they have a target on their backs.

Need affordable help strategically planning and putting together content? That ranges from blog posts and e-books to planning/scripting podcasts and creating traditional speeches. Complimentary consultation on how to generate influence and sell without paying high rates, janegenova374@gmail.com. 

When Clients Turn on Their Lawyers - From Fictional Will Gardner to Real-Life Aaron Brockler

A classic in network television: Will Gardner was murdered in the courtroom by his client. That happened on the fictional "The Good Wife." 

Now, in real life, in Ohio's Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, David Chislton used the hands cuffed in front of him (instead of in back, as usual) to rough up his defense lawyer.

That was after the judge Nancy Russo imposed a sentence of more than four decades. The defendant had been convicted of pistol-whipping his girlfriend and setting the complex on fire. 

His lawyer - Aaron Brockler - seemed relatively cavalier about his injuries. They include a broken nose and possible concussion. Here are more details from the New York Post.

The reality is that dealing with convicted felons is dangerous business.

One reason I decided to leave being a probation officer was the fear that those I had reported for violations and who went to prison would "get" me when they got out. Long before fictional FBI profiler David Rossi made it his business to attempt to analyze criminals minds I had a sense of the darkness. 

The recent "20/20" documentary about Ted Bundy showcased how little we really understand the internal dynamics of those with a grievance against society. 

Need affordable help strategically planning and putting together content? That ranges from blog posts and e-books to planning/scripting podcasts and creating traditional speeches. Complimentary consultation on how to generate influence and sell without paying high rates, janegenova374@gmail.com. 

Tech Provides Global Exit Ramp Out of Practing Law, Model for the Mindset of Career Change

It's almost a platitude. That's the saga of professionals investing blood, sweat, tears - and hefty tuition money - to become a lawyer.

Then they all too soon wind up hating the work, the long hours, the rigid hierarchy, and stress.

Or, just as often, they don't make partner. Given the up or out system of law firms, they find themselves jobless and with a rigidly defined professional identity.

That story line can also apply to in-house law jobs. They aren't up or out but as corporate legal departments handle more work those jobs can be experienced as more secure versions of the typical legal rat race. 

What was next usually has been covered in both the business and legal media. Iconic, for example, had been Harvard Law School JD Elie Mystal's migration into journalism and social media activism. 

Now, though, there is a new wrinkle on that Next. 

As Law.com reports, a natural next for those with legal training is to pivot to legal tech.

They already know the tech gaps in the legal sector which are causing inefficiencies. Models are out there what other industries are doing to embrace, for example, AI (artificial intelligence). And, since they had been good at academics, to suit up for the next in legal tech they can pick up a degree such as an MBA. 

Essentially that's the story of Daniel Porus. He is now head of business development at Legatics. He did study for the MBA. 

This pivot into tech can provide a useful model to others who want to get out of their current career path or, as in much of the  media industry, are being forced to. 

The biggest nut to crack in an attempted career shift, especially for those over-50, is the inability to redefine their experience and skills into what is marketable. That has to kick off with a mindset that welcomes change. Here, free to download, is my book for older professionals to take that initial leap out of what had been. 

I have lived through what can happen to those who can't envision another career path.

In the 1970s, I was part of the Generation of Lost PhDs. The tenure-track university positions we had studied years in order to fill vanished.

There were those who wouldn't or couldn't think beyond earning a living in academia. They sought refuge in low-paying underemployment associated with higher education. Those slots ranged from adjunct professor to part-time administrator. 

Then there were those who leveraged the skills they did have to the next. Eventually, they acquired credentials that opened the door to good jobs outside academia. That's how my career in business ghostwriting began. Again, as Boston Magazine documents, there is a reversal of career fortune in academia. As the higher education bubble bursts and colleges/universities below the top tier of the Ivies are shutting down or merging, faculty and staff are being laid off. They can avoid being the 21st century version of the Lost Generation of the Highly Educated of the 20th century.

Takeaway: Extreme investments in higher education needed ruin an overall career. In addition, it can be useful to pick up yet another professional degree. 

Need affordable help strategically planning and putting together content? That ranges from blog posts and e-books to planning/scripting podcasts and creating traditional speeches. Complimentary consultation on how to generate influence and sell without paying high rates, janegenova374@gmail.com. 

 

 

The Occult and A Convoluted Plot/Subplot Don't Fit - Lousy Episode of "NCIS New Orleans"

The hardnosed detectives in "NCIS New Orleans" operate in the environment of the occult. That's the offbeat charm of the series.

But, last night that was undermined by complexity. Both the main plot and the subplot were so convoluted that I almost gave up following.

The lead story focused on an eccentric journalist who faked his own death to force an investigation of a series of murders. Law enforcement contends they are solved. The journalist doesn't agree.

Algorithms are introduced. At first the dots are connected based on the assumption that there has been a conspiracy mirroring that of "Strangers on a Train." Then that's ditched. Instead of being drawn into the mystery we quickly get worn down.

Woven around that is the former CIA agent who relapses into alcoholism. He is haunted by what he perceives as a coverup of the murder of an entire family. The details are many. Actually, so many that we really don't give a damn. 

Hopefully, this series will contract with writers who value simplicity.

The one series in which writers are getting away with complexity is "A Million Little Things." The audience is buying into the layers and layers of mystery surrounding Jon's suicide.

Need affordable help strategically planning and putting together content? That ranges from blog posts and e-books to planning/scripting podcasts and creating traditional speeches. Complimentary consultation on how to generate influence and sell without paying high rates, janegenova374@gmail.com. 

Through Extra Crunch, TechCrunch Pivots to Subjects Like the Right Lawyer for Startups

The way to establish a paywall that isn't officially a paywall is to launch a premium service.

That's what BusinessInsider had done.

And now TechCrunch is doing it with Extra Crunch. Membership goes for $15 a month or $150 a year. 

Among what TechCrunch is promoting to encourage paid memberships to Extra Crunch is the analysis of the importance of the right lawyer for each startup. Here is that article.

Smirk Smirk. If you retrieve the article, you will notice that the piece cuts off before the author, who is a lawyer, gets down to the nuts and bolts about what constitutes a "good" lawyer for startups.  

Obviously, digital natives are struggling, just like legacy media, to make a buck.

Need affordable help strategically planning and putting together content? That ranges from blog posts and e-books to planning/scripting podcasts and creating traditional speeches. Complimentary consultation on how to generate influence and sell without paying high rates, janegenova374@gmail.com. 

Business Writer to Focus on Investor Communications for Startup Medical Tech - Remote

Details

Kelsey Berreth Case - Alleged Love Triangle

Among the most lethal configurations is the love triangle. 

According to Krystal Lee Kenney, who took a plea for felony tampering, that had been the dynamic which led to the alleged murder of Kelsey Berreth.

Kenney was in love with Berreth's fiancé Patrick Frazee.

He allegedly sought Kenney's assistance in removing Berreth from the relationship.

His alleged immediate motivation had been to protect his and Berreth's daughter from abuse. Authorities have found no signs of abuse on the child.

The details Kenney gave were these, reports the New York Post. Several times Frazee asked Kenney to off Berreth through poison or a fatal beating. What wound up happening was that he wrapped a sweater around Berreth's face and beat her to death with a baseball bat in her own home. He had Kenney clean up the blood. However, she contended she did leave some blood as evidence. Then he burnt the body on his own ranch.

Frazee will be back in court in April.

Meanwhile, human beings will continue giving away their hearts to other human beings, with complete trust. 

Need affordable help strategically planning and putting together content? That ranges from blog posts and e-books to planning/scripting podcasts and creating traditional speeches. Complimentary consultation on how to generate influence and sell without paying high rates, janegenova374@gmail.com. 

 

Hey, Document Reviewers, We Who Comment about AI Poaching Your Jobs Could Be Gone Before You

That was fast.

We content-creators report on how the robots are coming for legal jobs doing document review and even personal care ones tending to the elderly.

Now we find out: The robots have already been designed to poach our own  jobs and assignments.

Actually, the only thing holding them back from marching into public relations agencies, marketing firms, corporate communications departments, and newsrooms is this: The artificial intelligence (AI) is so remarkable at generating text that those who invented it are not releasing it. (at least not yet)

As the New York Post reports:

"Called the GPT-2, it [the software designed by OpenAI], was trained on a database of 8 million web pages and is so good at mimicking the style and tone of a piece of writing that it has been described as a text version of deeptakes [which replicates in video celebrities]."

The fears include that the powerful software could be used to:

• Cook up fake news
• Impersonate others digitally
• Automate scams transmitted through email
• Unleash abusive content that can go viral. 

Once these concerns are addressed by the IT folks, then it's over for us.

In corporate communications departments, which are being pressured to do more with less, they can do lots more without us.

Bring in the AI for everything from press releases to earning reports.

The elements for an op-ed for the chief executive officer for publication in The Wall Street Journal can be programmed in.

New scripts can be put together automatically from old scripts. 

The good news for us who still have to earn a living is that some lines of work still need humans.

For now, long-distance drivers remain in demand. It will be several years before the driverless technology is perfected for the tractor trailer to navigate the on and off highway ramps. For about $7,000 and in a few months we can train to be licensed to take over those rigs. A nice job perk: We can bring along our dog.

The opioid epidemic continues to accelerate demand for certified counselors in substance abuse. The training is available online as well as in community colleges. 

And an innovative category of work can be created in providing a platitude cleanse for information and insight about The New Aging. Too many over-50 are still listening to the supposed experts who tell them to do this and don't do that. If those in the platitude cleanse niche partner with plaintiff lawyers there could be class action lawsuits for everything from alleged fraud to alleged wrongful death.

Meanwhile, I plan to stay in the content box. Podcasting has generated additional demand for our services. And, if there is a whopper of a global economic downturn, we will be putting together plenty of job-search materials. In 2009, that niche business paid off my credit card debt, during the worst of times.

Need affordable help strategically planning and putting together content? That ranges from blog posts and e-books to planning/scripting podcasts and creating traditional speeches. Complimentary consultation on how to generate influence and sell without paying high rates, janegenova374@gmail.com.