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Nov 03

Lawball: How Law Parallels Baseball

Life imitates baseball; that much we can stipulate. So too does law parallel baseball. And what better time to explore that parallel than after a thrilling seven game World Series Let’s Start with Farm Teams Long-time baseball fans–those who predate the designated hitter, multiple teams making the playoffs, and a... read more →
Oct 29

Rounds and Residency for Legal Graduates’ Scrubs Optional

Rounds: Learning in the round More than a century ago, Dr. William Osler introduced grand rounds to young physicians at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Osler would rotate around the Hopkins rotunda with medical students and young physicians, stopping along the way to examine patients and to discuss their cases. The objective... read more →
Oct 13

The Legal Ecosystem: A Quick Look

For many years, the legal ecosystem defied change. Law schools had more applicants than they knew what to do with; their graduates entered a welcoming job market; law firms paid ever-escalating salaries and perks to newly-minted lawyers, the most industrious of whom would go on to make partner and punch... read more →
Oct 06

7 Things Lawyers Should Know About Project Management

About 25 years ago I was having drinks with the GC of a F10 company whose business would later send my daughters through school. Over a second drink, as we peered out at the skyscrapers soaring above us–we were on the 42nd floor–he said, “So Mark, do you really think... read more →
Oct 01

Law and Paradox

Law is derived from logic and experience. It has rules to govern its application, penalties for its violation, and remedies for those aggrieved. Yet it tends to be slow, unpredictable, unnecessarily complicated at times, and selectively enforced at others. And then there are the paradoxes that make law even more... read more →
Sep 28

Trial Tips For “Alternative Providers”

For the record, I have tried many cases during my career but have not done so for several years. But some things–in my case sports statistics, rock lyrics, and trial tactics–persist in the memory. “Alternative Provider” is a term that has become common parlance in the legal world. I eschew... read more →
Sep 15

“Teach Your Children Well”

Some Things Law Schools Should Teach A blizzard of media coverage on the educational crisis and its unsustainable model concludes that for many students, higher education is no longer such a great deal. This includes law schools. Once a ticket to a secure living–if not wealth for those entering elite... read more →
Aug 28

What’s A Lawyer?

The Oxford dictionary defines a lawyer as: “A person who practices or studies law; an attorney or a counselor.” That definition might be expanded to include: (1) licensure; (2) engages in the practice of law; (3) exercises professional judgment; and (4) acts on behalf of client(s).  So, let’s go with:... read more →
Aug 18

Why Legal Mosaic?

I decided to name this blog “Legal Mosaic” for a number of reasons. I am a visual person and, so, try to inject visual images–and metaphors-- into written and oral presentations.  They help to tell a story, and good lawyers are usually good storytellers.  As a recovering trial lawyer, I... read more →
Aug 14

The Legal Delivery Model: A Post-Cubist Paradigm

A “Selfie” of the Current Legal Landscape The legal field is in a state of flux–many would say decline.  I prefer reconfiguration.  The forecast is bleak.  The evidence supports the glum outlook: law school enrollment is declining; student debt is escalating; the job market for lawyers–newly minted and old-hands alike--... read more →