Blog
Is Lying or Stealing Wrong?
Why ask such obvious questions? Because they are not so obvious, at least not in this society. And, from what I hear from France, Greece, Italy, and Russia, America may still have a better sense of the essential “rights and wrongs” than many societies. I listened to a part of a segment on N.P.R. this… View Article
Personal Injury Client Misperceptions
From my hundreds of interviews with potential clients and clients, I find there are common misperceptions among the victims of serious injury. These misperceptions are sometimes simple ignorance of the law and sometimes created by the deceptive “facts” spread by the insurance industry, big business, and the news media. I am surprised how naïve the… View Article
What Burt Has to Say to His (Divorce and Custody) Opponents
The WV Rules of Professional Responsibility for lawyers prohibit my communicating with a represented party. But, a lawyer must deal with unrepresented parties directly. Failure to do so in my opinion is malpractice. I am convinced that misconceptions about the divorce process and allocation of parental rights (formerly paternity actions) create a large percentage of… View Article
Collegiality, Professionalism, and Burt’s Lie Detector
Recently, I needed some letters of support from friends and colleagues, and I got them. It was an uplifting experience to receive such support, but a few of the letters contained a qualification or two that concerned me. Over the years I have heard the suggestion that I can be overzealous in representing my clients,… View Article
Why the Republicans Need to Go to Mediators’ School
Recently I heard a comment from Republican House leader John Boehner. It was so outrageously stupid, it deserved more attention than it got. Any good mediator, or lawyer who mediates, would spot it in a second. He stated, “The Republicans are willing to work with the Democrats on solutions for America, but on the… View Article
Breaking Up With Your Personal Injury, Divorce, or Civil Lawsuit Lawyer
I am NOT writing to encourage anyone to fire their lawyer and hire me. But, it happens to all lawyers. They fire clients and clients fire them. And there are those, “You can’t fire me, I quit!” situations. I have been let go by a client, we all have. I can say with good conscience,… View Article
Lawyers and Language
Precision in language, spelling, grammar, and punctuation can make the difference, between being a good lawyer or a mediocre. It can also make the difference between being a good lawyer or an excellent one. I stopped by my office after church this morning and was slapped in the face with an example. In my haste to get… View Article