Along with the medical profession, the legal profession has traditionally been associated with sleep deprivation. Late nights and early mornings were a rite of passage for new attorneys and a badge of honor for seasoned attorneys. While the pandemic ushered in more flexibility with scheduling and normalized work from home, remote work is not a panacea for the sleep deprived. Yes, valuable commuting time is saved but many attorneys report feeling pressure to be available during nontraditional work hours when working remotely.

Does AI get SAD?

In the Pacific Northwest we are no strangers to the mood-altering effects of The Big Dark. While some of us embrace the gray skies and rain, others hunker down with our books, coffee, and happy lights to chase the SAD (seasonal affective disorder) away. In what would seem to be more suited to a movie plot or an Onion article, in November people began to comment on tech & social media platforms that ChatGPT4 was getting lazy. Come again? Users reported that ChatGPT4 was refusing to do work and giving much less finished/ detailed responses than previously. Conspiracy theories abound. Is it possible that AI has become so self-aware that it too, falls prey to seasonal affective disorder? The timing is suspicious!

Each September, county law libraries across Washington publish their annual reports for the previous calendar year. It’s always interesting for me to look back to the previous year, especially since by the time the report is published much of what transpired seems very far back in the rearview mirror and we are on to other new and exciting projects. I thought I’d take you all with me on my trip down memory lane.

As a young person travelling in England, an iconic memory was hearing the sonorous English voice telling me to “Mind the Gap” in the tube station. A nice bit of nostalgia but it also puts me in mind of the gaps that we face when trying to provide truly effective service to those who are representing themselves in legal proceedings. While there are plenty of resources to help pro ses, there are just as many gaps that make it difficult for people to advocate for themselves.

A few months ago, I read an article about a Virginia case that made me do a double take — as in — wait, there’s no way this is an actual, real opinion. The case centered around a dispute over frozen embryos of a divorced couple. 

A few months ago, I read an article about a Virginia case that made me do a double take — as in — wait, there’s no way this is an actual, real opinion. The case centered around a dispute over frozen embryos of a divorced couple. 

I often think of Transfer on Death (TOD) deeds as a new estate planning tool in Washington, but they’ve actually been around for almost a decade. That said, it seems like TOD deeds are still flying under the radar for many attorneys. In this column, I chat with Stephen Seely, Director of the Pierce County Law Library, about all things TOD. When Stephen was the KCLL Outreach Services Attorney, he created an excellent self-help Transfer on Death deed packet. The packet is available for purchase in the law library or via our website.

The other day when I was searching the KCLL catalog for something totally unrelated, the title Acting Skill for Lawyers popped up. I envisioned advice on how to chew the scenery with “Law and Order” level aplomb, did a big eyeroll, returned to my research, and moved on. Later in the week while giving a presentation on resources available for remote access through our Lexis Digital eBook subscription, I remarked that resources ranged from the full run of gold standard treatises like Corbin on Contracts to lots of “fun” titles such as . . . (naming the first title that popped into my head) Acting Skills for Lawyers. Dang it. That title had infiltrated my psyche.

While getting on my bike to ride to work in the cold rain and dark during Seattle winters can seem like torture, it is usually the best part of my day. I often have “Ah ha!” moments during my ride where I can resolve issues that seemed intractable the day before. The connection between the mind and body is an idea as old as the ancients. Roman poet Juvenal wrote orandum es tut sit mens sana in corpore sana — you should pray for a healthy mind in a healthy body.

In the February edition of the Bar Bulletin, Mike Goldenkranz (self-described “full-time curmudgeon”) made a compelling appeal to our community to create pathways for young attorneys to pursue low bono law practice.¹ Renting office space in the Puget Sound region is almost out of reach for young attorneys establishing a market-rate practice and virtually impossible for those starting a low bono practice. Add to that the cost of subscribing to Westlaw or Lexis and the other expenses of running a law office and suddenly you realize that maybe the only newbie attorney who will be able to afford to go low bono upon becoming barred is Kim Kardashian.