I Saw The Future Of Law, And It's Not What Any Of You Morons Are Talking About On The Internet

I spent the day at my law school alma mater yesterday speaking to students about, well, about a lot of things. They asked questions, I asked questions, They talked about their future, and I spoke of my past.

I've also been sitting back, watching the failed lawyers try and convince the greater legal community via blogs, articles and quotes at happy conferences that the future of law is what they deem it to be. The drum beats louder every day. It's no longer that e-lawyering is part of the future, we are now being told if we are not part of the sit-at-home-and-sell-legal-services- world, we will not be a part of this perceived future. Google + is a total complete failure, but to those who have nothing to talk about, it's the future. Lawyers are shutting down their practice because they have determined they have the secrets to running law firms, and rather than practice law, they are going to sell you their secrets to success.

Bullshit.

Bullshit.

There is no "future of law."

None.

Not a single student asked about building a practice by keyboard and monitor from mommy's basement. Not a single student spoke about twitter, dropbox, or anything with .com at the end.

They spoke about offices, firms, clients, courtrooms, "meaningful" practices," and passion.

They don't know you "future of law" people are full of crap yet, because they haven't met you, you and your self-fulfilling prophecies that because you are un-interested in going to an office and having face to face communication with clients, everyone else one day will be as well.

It's OK if you have decided that your future of law is going to be in pajamas, or going from Starbucks to Starbucks, or trying to tell successful lawyers that (for a fee) you have all the answers. Most of us know better. Most of us know that it's merely your reality, your inability to practice law like lawyers - in the presence of clients, in a suit, in a courtroom or conference room. You are merely tired, or broke, or getting to the point of being broke, and trying to convince the world that lawyers who practice "normal" law are going to die off soon.

Your future of law is law by tech and teaching "secrets" that are about as secret as your failure. That's great, for you.

But it's not the future.

Because as I know, and as I heard yesterday, your future is just that.

Yours.

Non-anonymous comments welcome. Located in Miami, Florida, Brian Tannebaum practices Bar Admission and Discipline and Criminal Defense. He is the author of I Got A Bar Complaint.

Are There Any (Other) Impressive, Creative Law Students Out There?

Because Im bad for business, I've only been invited to a few, well, two, social media/tech conferences to talk about the sewer that lawyers have made of the the internet.

My other speaking engagements are limited to boring conferences, like talking to real lawyers who have real practices and actually believe that ethics play a part in marketing and law, and law students who are looking to not go afoul of the Bar Rules.

So last week I was invited to address an early morning Professional Responsibility class at a local law school. They chuckled, they asked questions, some stayed after to ask more questions, but most played on their laptops (some followed me on twitter as I was saying the most important things they've ever heard- so I thought), and for the most part, they got up and left and went to their next class or took a nap or something.

One student sent me an email. She wanted to say thanks but was admittedly too busy to stay after for that purpose. Apparently staying after class to commiserate with some old relic from the 90's was less important than her own studies, which I appreciated.

In her email, she told me about a recent presentation she gave to a local Bar Association (the 4th largest in the country) on ethics in advertising and the newly proposed Florida Bar Rules.

No, I'm not kidding. Apparently the law school has some clinical internship program where law students can do these types of things. Apparently, she was interested in this topic.

I asked her to send me the presentation. It was pretty impressive. Actually, it was first-rate kind of stuff. We'll talk more about it when I take her to lunch in a couple weeks. (Yes, there was a small lesson in that paragraph.)

So this got me thinking, besides all the law students we read about in the blawgosphere who are suing their law school for forcing them to attend based on promises of jobs, or whining about why lawyers don't see how incredibly epic and awesome they are, what the other ones doing?

That's my question.

Is this law student I met an anomoly? Are there others out there that ignore the economy, the crowd of crybabies, and the social media hacks that promise them wealth and fame by keyboard and instead have engaged in interesting projects that may result in a lawyer out there actually taking interest?

Take a minute from begging people to "Like" your Facebook Fan Page and let me know.

I'm interested. Really.

Non-anonymous comments welcome. Located in Miami, Florida, Brian Tannebaum practices Bar Admission and Discipline and Criminal Defense. He is the author of I Got A Bar Complaint.

Law Students: Good News! You Don't Need A Lawyer, For Anything

One of the best parts of my practice is representing law students trying to gain admission to the Florida Bar. I love making that call: "you're a lawyer." I love walking out of a hearing knowing that things went well, even when my client disagrees.

I hate this question: "Do I need a lawyer for this?"

"For this?"

"For this."

You mean the one moment you will have to convince those that hold your future whether you are worthy of admission to their club?

Truth be told, this is the most frequently asked question.

Not, "what's the hearing like?" "How do I prepare?" "What might happen?"

The most frequently asked question, translated, is "I know I spent 3 arduous years, tens of thousands of dollars and have put my life into my future, but can I get away with doing this on my own, saving some money?

The answer is "Yes!"

You don't need a lawyer "for this."

In fact, let me help you as you enter the legal profession, telling your clients that a client who represents themselves has a fool for a lawyer.

You don't need a lawyer, for anything.

Traffic ticket? Why hire a ticket lawyer who lives in traffic court when you can crack open a book and handle it yourself?

Will? You can get a will online. No need for a lawyer to give you advice on tax consequences or protecting your kids.

Buying a house? What could go wrong?

Minor arrest? Hey, you're a lawyer, you can tell the judge you didn't do it.

Injured? Work it out with your insurance company. Save the 40% you have to pay a lawyer.

So, no, you don't need a lawyer "for this."

You just need to stop asking me, and start asking yourself.

Located in Miami, Florida, Brian Tannebaum practices Bar Admission and Discipline and Criminal Defense. Read his free ebook The Truth About Hiring A Criminal Defense Lawyer. Please visit www.tannebaumweiss.com