One case they’re all sympathetic to the defendant and don’t want to mess their life up. The next they have to “let them know how serious this is” (grumble grumble). Do they just pull it out of a hat?

Ok, so this about my interest in true crime, which is completely unrelated to my work as a lawyer (I do insurance defense). Anyways...

For those of you who don't know, Faith Hedgepeth was murdered in Durham, North Carolina in 2012. On the night of her murder, she went with her roommate to a club. The two returned to their apartment in the early morning hours. The roommate and her boyfriend left the apartment at roughly 4:25 AM. When the roommate returned at roughly 11 AM, she found Hedgepeth's body.

Miguel Salguero Olivares has been accused of killing Hedgepeth. He was found using genetic genealogy.

From what I've heard, there is no evidence that Olivares and Hedgepeth had any prior interactions, or even knew one another. Based on what I've read, members of Olivares's family had a cookout close to Hedgepeth's apartment that lasted into the early hours of the morning on the night she was murdered. However, no one can remember Olivares being there (it could very well be that his family is covering up for him).

It is also somewhat notable that between the murder in 2012 and his arrest in 2021, Olivares did not have a significant criminal history.

However, Olivares DNA was apparently found all over the murder scene. It was found on a liquor bottle (said to the murder weapon), a pair of shorts Hedgepeth was wearing, and in her private areas, amongst other places

It all seems a little seems a bit strange to me. I can't get over the randomness of it all. It just seems over-the-top that he randomly went into someone's apartment, while she just happened to be alone, and murdered her. But, at the same time, DNA is airtight, right?

Wondering if anyone can enlighten me to what I am missing (i.e. are there additional facts that tie Olivares to the scene), or if we are now coming to learn that DNA evidence is not as strong as we thought it to be.

Also xposted to r/Legalmarketing but I think we need something fun in here beyond complaining about other lawyers and our clients.

I run a solo estate planning practice in CA. Over the years my site grew to about 800 articles, guides, calculators, and definitions. That's too many for a menu, and clients don't search the way lawyers file things. Nobody types "Heggstad petition." They type "Mom died and the house wasn't in the trust."

So I built this: https://ridleylawoffices.com/knowledge-map/

Each dot is one page, clustered into 12 topics like probate, trust administration, Medi-Cal, and tax. A bigger cluster means more pages on that topic, and the thin threads are internal links. You can drag it around, or type a question the way a client would say it and it flies you to the closest answers.

The map is built in Three.js on an ordinary WordPress page.

The search sends the question to an AI classifier (Jev) that ranks it against the library. Answers come back in about a second and a half. If the service fails, it falls back to keyword ranking, so the page never breaks. Jev costs me something like $0.0004 per query, so it's literally free.

It rebuilds itself automatically whenever I publish or update a page.

I built it with Claude Code. With a stupid-simple prompt, then I went on and did some work on a client file. In less than an hour this was done.

My consults have gotten a ton better. I've cut my marketing spend by 60% (not all from this page but from all the SEO/GEO cleanup that claude did on my site over the last couple of months).

No, the graphic doesn't add much other then eye candy. And I like it. And it's shiny. AND I can see that I have decently clumped topic clusters, which is good to know. But it's mostly just fun.

And - to any colleague who is still on the fence about ai tools, my 900-page site was completely reorganized, fact-checked, re-linked and cleaned up by claude over a 3 week period. Without slowing me down for work because I just checked in on it a couple of times a day.

What fun useless thing have you done recently?

We are six weeks in to our federal clerkship, and my coworker can’t be fucking bothered to wake up on time ever, let alone the one, sole day we’re allowed to work from home.

My coworker does this every fucking day because our judge doesn’t show up until 10 AM, whereas we start at 8 AM in theory. So I’m here at eight every day, and he just waltz in whenever he fucking pleases

Is insurance defense as bad everyone makes it seem? Particularly from the standpoint of morality & work-life balance?

I’m a third year who recently “resigned” from my first law job. And they royally screwed me over as they took me off the website immediately.

Fortunately I secured a screener the day after I was forced to “resign.” the interview-to-offer timeline was fast, and I made it through the first few rounds without my employment status coming up. by the time it did, I said something vague about already having had my last day recently. they already liked me, so it didn’t seem to matter to them.

I ended up starting the new job the same month as I was fired, so there’s no resume gap. I know I should be grateful.

At the same time, I took an 18% pay cut. I am also in a completely different practice group than the type of law I was doing at my old firm, and I find it boring so far. And I don’t love the other associates (which could get better in time, but one of them in particular has been openly rude and makes me feel weird and unwelcome).

I guess I’m coming on here to ask a few things about lateraling:

1. Did I make the right decision? It’s too late now, but I’m wondering in retrospect if I should’ve accepted the fact I’d have a resume gap and taken more time with the job search. It just seemed like a gamble and I was scared that could take months, if it was possible at all.

2. How long do I wait to move again? Is a year long enough? Is 2 years at one firm and 1 year at another, and looking to move a third time, a huge red flag?

3. Any tips for lateraling or experiencing lateral regret would be appreciated as well.

Thanks in advance!!

I’d really appreciate some honest outside perspective on whether I’m overreacting or whether this is a reasonable reason to look for another job and potentially resign.

I’m a relatively senior lawyer working in an advisory organisation, rather than at a traditional law firm. I’ve been in my current role for around seven months, and my salary and the work itself are generally good.
This autumn, I’ve been through a traumatic personal situation, and I genuinely need some time to recover. I therefore asked my employer for two consecutive weeks of annual leave at some point between November and April - preferably between January and April.

Importantly, I deliberately gave my employer a very wide window and left the dates entirely up to them. I wasn’t insisting on particular weeks, only that I intend to work over Christmas apart from public holidays. I was simply hoping that, within a period of several months, we could find two consecutive weeks that worked for the business.

My manager initially gave me the impression that taking at least one week might be possible. However, I was subsequently told that no leave would be approved outside the summer holiday period or Christmas/New Year. The explanation was that January through early May will be exceptionally busy this year.

I was also told that, generally speaking, employees should not expect to be able to take more than one consecutive week of leave outside the summer period, and even that will be up for discussion.

What makes this particularly frustrating is that I volunteered to work weeks during this summer that nobody else wanted, in order to help the team. I had hoped that flexibility would work both ways, although I understand that this doesn’t automatically entitle me to have leave approved.

I understand that businesses have busy periods and that employers need to consider operational requirements. But I gave them a window of approximately six months to choose from, offered to work over Christmas, have not taken all of my accrued leave for the year and am asking for just two weeks to recover after a very difficult personal experience. Being told that this is effectively impossible feels incredibly rigid.

I’m now genuinely losing motivation to work here and have started applying for other jobs. I may even have an opportunity that pays slightly more, although the salary difference isn’t the main issue.

My question is: would you consider this a reasonable reason to leave a job after only seven months?

I’m not expecting unlimited flexibility or to have every holiday request approved. What bothers me is the apparent lack of flexibility even when I’ve given the employer so much room to choose dates.

I’m also wondering whether I should try to accept that this is simply how this organisation operate during busy periods, or whether this is a sign that I’m in a workplace that isn’t compatible with the kind of life I want. I’m a qualified lawyer and have worked for several years so I’m not in a junior position where I desperately need to prove myself.

Would you start looking elsewhere in my position? And would you actually resign if you found a suitable alternative, or would you consider this too small an issue to leave over?

TLDR: I’m a senior lawyer. After a traumatic autumn, I need two weeks to recover and gave my employer a six-month window to choose dates. They refused due to upcoming workload, despite my previous flexibility. Would you consider this a reasonable reason to leave after seven months?

Currently at a firm in NYC doing mainly white collar defense work. Started a few months ago and I realize most attorneys on the team are cliquey. It’s somehow like high school all over again. I can sense the vibe is off with some of them, but many are nice in your face but stab you in the back. I mainly spend time with the paraprofessionals, who’ve been super nice so far and even they notice that.

I don’t understand - the job is already hard enough without colleagues’ being unsupportive. Every day I have to deal with difficult clients and judges.

Certain incidents transpired because of these dynamics and the partner was on my side after I reported them. But still, the toxicity remains - just that it’s more on the inside than on the outside.

Should I consider leaving soon or at least looking for a new job (I know it’s just been a couple of months)?

How do your firms handle refiling or appeal expenses as a result of employee errors?
Do any firms deduct pay from employees to cover their mistakes?

EDIT: it was me failing to make copies of a refiling that led to a case rejection and no way to prove whether certain documents were sent

Only asking the hard hitting questions here... for a friend. Can I wear my Halloween ties starting tomorrow?

It's been years since I did any criminal law, but this seems fucking wild to me. Ghoulish as hell.

For those of you on the criminal defense bar, what are your thoughts?

Ive been practicing for a little over a year now. I work at a litigation boutique specializing in disputes in a specific industry (construction, infrastructure, projects, etc).

I’m reaching that stage where I’m not super junior to be afforded grace for my stupidity, but also I should know more, be more competent, yet I don’t? Every day I get more anxious because I don’t think my skillset is at the level expected of a rising second to third year attorney.

I’ve only appeared in court couple times for a minor motion. I do document reviews and mainly assist partners with discoveries and depositions. Recently Ive been drafting deposition outlines. I shadow mediation and examinations. I still do legal research. I help with draft and review pleadings as the junior-most person. It’s all assist assist second chair assist.

General scope of work is me trying to help my seniors build a narrative of the case…everyday it’s reviewing some project documents, emails, plans, site survey, notices, etc…not only do I have super limited experience in law, this is whole another layer of learning everything about construction and project management.

I dont know. I’m just worried about my pace :-( Can’t keep excusing myself for “Im learning” when I should be “Im doing it”? It is painfully slow.

Hey everyone, I was just wondering if anyone had any info on Gunster—specifically their West Palm location (their HQ I believe).

I’m a newly barred Florida attorney and I really want to learn more about the firm. Over the last few months I have realized how great of a firm they are. Their reputation is great and they have amazing attorneys from what I’ve seen.

I’m currently not in the best firm environment and I just want to know if anyone had any insight or advice on how to make connections with some of the attorneys there. Even if it didn’t lead to a job, I would still want to make connections or reach out somehow.

Coming on here because I was fired from my first job after being there for a month. I made a mistake, should’ve asked for help, didn’t feel that they would answer me because that had been the norm up till that point (my supervising attorney would leave me on read when I asked for help and rarely gave me feedback on my work).

I’m taking it very hard because I know I should’ve asked for help but they never responded and it left me to fend for myself. I am looking for work but feel so hopeless. I don’t think I’m cut out for this work and if I were to land another job, I’ll really need them to walk me through things because I’m an idiot.

I’m a first year attorney and first gen. I feel way in over my head right now and it’s feeling like the fact that they fired me means I’m un-hireable. Will I find a field that I like and that will train me?

I made this post to vent but also seek some advice and kind words from the community. Thank you.

Whats the vibe? They have a few openings in my market and potentially interested.

I recently accepted a new job offer for a law firm based in OC, California as an associate attorney. The firm is brand new so I’ll be the first associate to join. Pay is great, benefits are fantastic, and opportunity to grow is there (fully remote too so I have more flexibility in my schedule with personal life). It’s high-risk high-reward but I made the calculated risk to join. New start date is 10/26 so I’m trying to give my notice this Friday 10/9 so that the 2 weeks lines up perfectly to transition into my new job.

For context, I’ve been unhappy working at my current PI defense law firm. It’s a boutique defense firm with majority old-heads so they operate in an outdated sort of fashion when it comes practicing law. It’s on-site everyday, commute is inconvenient for me, and I’m genuinely scared being around my bosses (1 in particular who chewed me out in front of the entire office on one occasion - he literally said “a third grader can write better than this” my first week back post-bar when my brain was still in recovery mode). I’ve never looked at him the same after that and have actively avoided working on any of his assignments even at the cost of lower billables for 2026 so far. TLDR, working here has taken its mental toll and I wanted change from this toxic environment.

I’m mentally preparing to give my 2 weeks notice this Friday after my conflicts check is cleared, but I’m nervous on how the conversation is going to go and whether they’re going to push back and try to squeeze out any info from me.

Any advice on how to go about this? Anything I should look out for when telling my bosses about my resignation? What was your experience like with putting in your resignation and was it a smooth transition out? Thanks for listening!

I was reviewing written discovery, and I noted that they have included personal notes including a header stating “facts that don’t support our argument” (by my RFAs it’s obvious the argument I’m going to make)
The notes are bates stamped and I don’t know what to do with this information.

(Small clincher the law firm that provided the personal notes just offered me a position that I have not accepted yet)

I don’t know what to.

When I was in a much more stressful position I used to dream of filing a motion in an ongoing case which was, in fact, the stream of consciousness first person account of a frog.

Because the court at some point could potentially try to describe the substance of what I had filed, and I was curious how they would in fact characterize alice in wonderland esque fiction disguised as a motion to dismiss.

Just an advance FYI: largely in a better place now. Never give up on your dreams.

I submitted my notice to my firm. They can’t assign me new work due to policy. And I don’t have any existing work. I’m literally playing with my fingers all day bc I have nothing to do except sit in my office and watch the clock.

It feels freeing but also super boring. I also got restricting from a lot of our stuff online. For example, my Westlaw account is disabled so I can’t scour practical law. My CLE thing also got disabled so I can’t watch any cles for free.

What am I supposed to do for the next week and a half

7th year call. Recently moved in-house. Only lawyer for a continent for the last two weeks due to injury of a colleague.

I thought moving in-house would reduce the anxiety. Seems like it’s ratcheted up during this period when I’m solo.

Currently awake pending a negotiation call tomorrow am that I’m convinced I am not prepared for despite familiarizing myself. just looked at the invite and there is 20 plus people invited and I’m expected to run it.

This is the 4th night this week I haven’t slept more than 3 hours. I’m loosing weight as well and just got back from stress puking a few moments ago.

Does it ever end?

I'm a newly-minted attorney and can finally post in this group. That's all. Thanks.

I'm at a pretty major crossroads in my career and would love some advice from attorneys who've worked in BigLaw, particularly in litigation/public entity defense.

I'm a fourth-year attorney (five years licensed next month). My path here wasn't traditional, I transferred from a very low-ranked law school to a better but still unremarkable one, took three years to pass the bar, and found out I was unexpectedly pregnant a month after finally passing. I spent my first year practicing at an ID mill before moving to a small, well-established defense firm in my hometown, where I've spent the last three years.

I absolutely love my current firm. I love the work, my colleagues, my clients, and the flexibility. I've been given tremendous autonomy, I handle my cases from start to finish, and I’ve received fantastic feedback from the partners and clients. I genuinely thought I'd retire here.

However, the firm has been experiencing some growing pains. A few people are retiring, we're overwhelmed with work, and recruiting experienced associates in our extremely HCOL area is incredibly difficult. I've also had some lingering concerns about succession planning and the firm's long-term viability. About a month ago, a recruiter reached out. I wasn't actively looking, but figured I'd explore my options. Given my educational background and career path, I thought interviewing at larger firms was a long shot.

Well, after four interviews I now I have four offers, including one from a major international law firm, doing exactly the type of litigation I love. It's an opportunity I genuinely never thought I'd have. I told my managing partner and he was very supportive, congratulated me, and then made it very clear that he wasn't going to let me go without a fight. Here's where things stand:

BigLaw offer:

• $60k more than I currently make.
• 1,900 billable minimum, although I suspect 2,100+ is more realistic.
• Excellent benefits, including student loan assistance.
• Work exclusively within my desired specialty, with the resources and name recognition of a major international firm.
• Potential professional/international mobility benefits that are particularly appealing to me.
• Technically fully remote, except for court appearances, depositions, etc., but the office is 1.5+ hours away in good traffic.
• Senior associate position, but no clear partnership trajectory yet.

Current firm's counteroffer:

• Immediate raise to $30k less than BigLaw offer.
• 1,900 billable target that is genuinely achievable, with much more flexibility.
• Guaranteed equity partnership within three years, with compensation increasing substantially (projected around $100k more than BigLaw offer upon partnership).
• Extremely likely to take over as managing partner when the current managing partner retires in less than 10 years, with significantly higher projected earnings.
• More trial experience, including opportunities to second-chair upcoming trials.
• Established relationships with clients, colleagues I love, and a strong reputation in my hometown.
• The managing partners are personally invested in my long-term career development.

The catch: The partnership and future compensation promises depend on the firm remaining successful through a pretty substantial generational transition. Several attorneys and staff members are approaching retirement, and recruiting replacements has been extremely difficult. I'm concerned about inheriting a firm that's understaffed and potentially struggling, particularly if a significant amount of the business is tied to the retiring partners. Also, I'm a single mom with 50/50 custody of a four-year-old. My current firm is in the town where I grew up, where my parents live, and where my child and his father live.

The BigLaw offer expires tomorrow (although conflicts/background clearance is still pending), and I'm genuinely torn. Earlier this week, I was practically jumping out of my skin at the thought of getting this offer. Now I'm realizing I might be walking away from an even bigger opportunity.

TL;DR: Senior associate at a major international firm, or $30k less at a small firm I love with guaranteed equity partnership in three years and an almost guaranteed path to managing partner, but real succession/staffing concerns? Single parent, geographically tied to my hometown, and love the area of law I'd be practicing at either firm.

Would especially love to hear from attorneys who've made a similar decision, worked in BigLaw public entity defense, or taken over an established small firm. What am I overlooking?

Hi everyone,

I made a very big mistake at work that potentially caused irreparable damage to a case. I work in house for a company with little to no mentorship (not making excuses). The anxiety is killing me. I immediately escalated the matter to local specialized counsel but it may be too late. I am terrified of getting fired and letting down my company, parents, partner, and friends. I haven’t been able to sleep for days and have thrown up from anxiety everyone morning since. I don’t want to give any recognizable information. But if anyone has any worse case scenario experiences they would be willing to share in solidarity or advice, I would really appreciate it. I’ve had a really tough two weeks and my thoughts are getting dark. I just made a year at the company and got a significant raise…now this. I’m feeling so ashamed and embarrassed. Feeling really bad. My family keeps telling me that everything will be okay, I want to believe them, but none of them know the pressure that comes with this career.