By the Numbers
102
– The age of Milwaukee lawyer and lifelong peace and justice activist Charlotte Bleistein when she passed away in September.
A longtime friend and fellow activist said, “What Lillian Gish was and is to silent movie people, Charlotte Bleistein is to Milwaukee-area progressives.”
Bleistein graduated from Washington University Law School in 1939.
“Facing discrimination as a woman lawyer, she went to work for the National Labor Relations Board and in the early 1950s moved to Greendale and opened her own practice. She and a friend literally built the house where she lived the rest of her life,” wrote Jim Stingl, in a profile for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Stingl wrote that Bleistein practiced law and drove a car well into her 90s, took up yoga in her late 90s, and stayed busy pursuing her passions until the very end.
Good Idea
13 Law Schools Now Accept GRE Instead of LSAT
For generations, the Law School Admissions Test (the LSAT) was the first obstacle in the pursuit of law school admission, at least admission to a preferred law school.
Today, more law schools are allowing Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores instead of the LSAT, including Harvard, Northwestern, and Georgetown. Last month, Brooklyn and George Washington law schools joined the list.
Why? More law schools believe accepting GRE scores will open the gates for students with different skills and backgrounds, including those with education and training in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
“By accepting the GRE, we are creating flexibility and options to pursue a law degree for highly qualified applicants with quantitative skills, including those with STEM backgrounds, and those for whom preparation for multiple advanced studies admissions exams is not feasible,” said Brooklyn Law School’s dean of admissions.
Marquette and U.W. law schools have not announced any plans to accept the GRE.
Source: Above the Law.com
Out There
Bud Light “King” Sends Town Crier to Deliver Cease and Desist
A craft brewery received a unique cease and desist letter recently from the lawyers at Anheuser-Busch InBev, makers of Bud Light.
Modist Brewing Co., in Minneapolis, released a new beer, called “Dilly Dilly Mosaic Double IPA.”
But Bud Light uses the catchphrase “dilly dilly” in commercials set in a medieval banquet hall. The king shouts “dilly dilly” when presented with a gift of Bud Light.
So it made sense that “the king” would send the town crier to Modist Brewing, reading aloud from a scroll in full medieval garb, to deliver the cease and desist.
“Let it be known that we believe that any beer that is shared between friends is a fine beer indeed, and we are truly flattered by your loyal tribute,” the town crier reads. “However, ‘Dilly Dilly’ is the motto of our realm, so we humbly ask that you keep this to a limited edition, one-time only run. This is by order of the King. Disobedience will result with additional scrolls. Then, a formal warning.”
Modist’s lawyer said he thought the parchment letter “was a really cool way of handling it.”
Source: ABA Journal
On the Radar
Leading With Diversity Initiative
This month, JPMorgan Chase & Co. will kick off a “Leading With Diversity” initiative.
“Its ultimate goal: to have at least 50 percent women or lawyers from other underrepresented demographic groups in leadership positions on the bank’s litigation teams, as well as among its chosen arbitrators,” wrote Miriam Rozen at Law.com.
The bank, led by senior vice president and co-head of litigation Jill Centella, is inviting lawyers from 15 outside firms to take part in the first event.
Centella was inspired by an op-ed titled “Female Lawyers Can Talk, Too,” by former U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin, which appeared in the New York Times.
“In the 22 years I spent on the federal bench before stepping down last year, not much changed when it came to listening to lawyers. The talking was almost always done by white men,” wrote Scheindlin in August, challenging judges, business leaders, and law firms to work toward greater gender diversity.
Centella recalled her own experience in a New York courtroom, when the judge asked if any women would be speaking. One lawyer stood up. Centella recalled “a roomful of white men.” Now she’s taking action to change that.
Quotable
“More than 70 percent of people don’t follow through on their New Year’s resolutions.”
– Teresa Matich at Clio.
Maybe the problem isn’t the people, but the unlikely resolution. Here are five realistic resolutions that might work for you.
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Get organized. Close open cases, collect outstanding bills, and clean out your desk.
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Accept credit cards online. When collecting fees via secure online card payment platforms, firms get paid 39 percent faster than by other means.
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Go to more networking events. 36 percent of people find a lawyer through a referral from a lawyer they know.
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Set up an automated client intake system. Save time and eliminate human error.
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Take better care of yourself. Eat better, sleep more, and find healthy ways to reduce stress.
Tech Tip
Meet the State Bar’s New Practice411 Manager, Chris Shattuck
Want a tip that keeps on giving? Get to know Christopher Shattuck, the new manager of Practice411™, the State Bar’s law practice assistance program. The new year presents a new opportunity to streamline your business processes, and Chris can help you with that.
Practice411 helps lawyers manage business aspects of their practices, including the use of law office technology to improve efficiencies and deliver better service to clients.
Many State Bar members are solo or small-firm lawyers who may need guidance on computer hardware or software, emerging technologies or tools, or billing or case management systems.
Maybe you have questions about managing your trust account, developing a new website, or joining the Practice411 elist.
Think of Chris as your in-house technology and practice management advisor.
“If I don’t have an immediate answer, I’ll dig in and find a solution for you,” Shattuck says.
Reach him at (800) 444-9404, ext. 6012; practicehelp@wisbar.org.
