Virtual Bookshelf: February 2023- So you want to be a lawyer

It's no secret that individual lawyers are under siege in a profession with a high incidence of stress, divorce, substance abuse, and suicide. In this groundbreaking multi-dimensional collection, you can find tools and information that enable you to have both a successful career and a happy, satisfied life. These tools will teach you how to harness the transformative power of being more relational and less transactional. The earmark of happy lawyers is the development of emotional intelligence, resilience, and mindfulness practice. The book provides the keys to the kingdom, what is essential to thrive in the competitive environment of lawyering. The material comes from recognized experts who provide step-by-step behavioral guidance of what you need to do. The material is easily accessible. Each chapter has a summary and conclusion. Follow the wisdom and it's guaranteed to change your life and career.

[This books covers aspects] of the civil litigation process and then some, told with humor and erudition. This book does not purport to be an academic treatment of the subject. Instead, it provides practical pointers on everything from dealing with clients and adversaries to managing ethical dilemmas to marketing one's practice and learning how to avoid alienating prospective clients at the next fund-raising dinner ... Taken as a whole, the book provides a ... checklist and how-to guide for civil litigators.

Through the sheer volume of litigation facing the courts, complete, concise, and well-reasoned arguments are demanded of today's lawyers. Both trial and appellate benches are more dependent than ever on well-prepared written arguments of counsel, particularly because many decisions occur without any oral argument. In cases where oral argument is permitted, there are additional challenges including rigid time constraints that make every statement count.

An adversarial "client warrior" image dominates historical notions of the lawyer, and a commitment to "zealous advocacy" remains one of the core norms of the legal model. Yet structural changes within both the justice system and the legal profession have rendered the "warrior" notion outdated and inadequate, with a shift toward conflict resolution rather than protracted litigation. The new lawyer's skills go beyond court battles to encompass negotiation, mediation, collaborative practice, and restorative justice. In The New Lawyer, Julie Macfarlane explores the evolving role of practitioners, articulating legal and ethical complexities in a variety of contexts drawn from Canadian and American legal literature as well as from her own empirical research.