Miles B. Cooper

Focus on the goal, not the obstacle, to achieve the desired outcome Long ago, the lawyer was out mountain biking with a skilled rider. The lawyer saw a rock ahead and, looking at it, thought, “I don’t want to hit that.” Like a moth to a flame, into the rock went the bike and lawyer. Low speed, low consequence. The...

Finding mentorship and the rewards that come through good mentoring The lawyer sat watching the law school graduation. The audience seemed particularly jubilant. The school, which for over a century has provided law degrees for working people, attracted an amazingly diverse student body. Not just the first in the family to become a lawyer but for many the first to...

Building teams with the right people in the right seats The lawyer sat contemplating the right people, right seats concept. This was articulated by Jim Collins in Good to Great. Collins defines right people as folks who share a company’s core values and expand the company’s values-based culture. He defines right seat as a situation where a person’s role matches...

Making case closing an essential part of office hygiene The lawyer, reviewing some pre-trial documents, surveyed the living room. A rainy Sunday led to numerous children’s games, books, and toys laying about. One of the two children tromped down the stairs, into the living room. “Can we make popcorn and watch a movie?” The lawyer’s eyes widened, scanning the mess...

Management for those of us who never knew we’d need to do it The lawyer thought back to law school. Socratic method. Rule against perpetuities. Outlines. Interesting stuff. Nothing, however, about managing people. Interesting, the lawyer pondered, because whether one works with a single assistant, runs a trial team, or oversees multitudes as managing partner, management becomes a core lawyering...

Successful time-limited pre-filing demands after C.C.P. § 999’s arrival The lawyer listened to the presenter. “For those of you wanting a solid bad faith case after an insurance company wrongfully fails to accept a pre-filing demand, there’s a new statute, and it’s a big deal.” The lawyer, who liked bad faith pivots as much as the next person, perked up...

An “on-shoulders-of-giants” primer on successful jury selection cause challenges Every fiber of the lawyer’s being crackled. Jury selection did that – spotlight attention on one prospective juror, peripheral awareness of all. They were discussing gay marriage, as the lawyer’s clients were gay and married. The prospective juror, a pastor, acknowledged, “Those people may have a legal right to be married,...

An introvert’s guide to surviving and thriving at industry events Our lawyer, shortly after passing the bar, was sent off to an industry party. The firm had an extra ticket. “Exciting!” thought the lawyer. Until the introvert-trending lawyer walked in. The people the lawyer arrived with saw friends, disappearing into pre-formed conversational circles, leaving the lawyer standing alone. A sense...

Evaluate healthcare liens at a case’s beginning, when you have the most leverage The lawyer made notes during the client call. “Your health insurance was through your union? The good news is I’m guessing they covered everything. The bad news is they have a right to reimbursement – known as a lien – and their rights are governed under federal...

Small changes can make big impacts in shortening a case’s duration Years ago, the lawyer listened to a presenter talk about representation agreements. “We ask the potential client to put the phone on speaker, open a browser, navigate to our website where there’s a hidden section, walk them through the terms, tell them where to put in their name, the...