TREBLAW BLOG
TREBLAW BLOG
WHY GREAT LAWYERS MUST BECOME GREAT MEDIATORS
“A good lawyer makes a living, a great lawyer makes a difference.” Preet Bharara – September 26, 2017.With our society mired in fractionalized discord. When people can no longer talk with each...
Transformation Based Upon Inclusion
Image description: Chris Trebatoski and Haben Girma dancing at the House of Blues in New Orleans. Chris and Haben are in the process of completing a dance move known as a wrap turn. Their fingertips...
Mediation before Litigation – It works with the right Mediator.
When I first graduated from law school more than thirty years ago, I always viewed the dispute resolution provisions contained in contracts between business partners or businesses with continuing...
Engage in Mediation – Choose an Effective Mediator – Control Risk
I have been a trial lawyer for more than thirty-three years. For the first twenty-seven of those years I trusted every jury I stood in front of to listen to the evidence,...
July 4, 1776: “We hold these truths to be self-evident” Today’s Juries: What is truth?
There was a time – not so long ago – when Americans believed in truth and the viability of American institutions. We can all see from the national political discourse – one cannot call it dialog...
In 2017, don’t get stuck in roundabouts
I was driving through Carmel, Indiana on Thanksgiving day the first time I saw this street sign – driving to a Thanksgiving dinner. I thought to myself, “How the heck do I navigate these...
FINDING RAINBOWS AMID CHAOS
The Rainbow Bridge spanning the Niagra River from the American Falls to the Canadian Falls – a place, where when the sun is out, you can see rainbows formed in the mist created by the chaos of...
STRATEGIC DEPOSITIONS – A SIGNAL THAT MAYBE YOU SHOULD SETTLE YOUR CASE
A lawyer who has a strategy to win at trial can be spotted by the trained eye immediately. They do not waste time asking worthless questions at depositions. In the vast majority of cases who cares...
TRIAL MYTHS – “NEVER ASK A QUESTION FOR WHICH YOU DO NOT KNOW THE ANSWER”
The most often stated phrase related to trials used by both lawyers and non-lawyers is that the most important rule of cross examination is never ask a question for which you do not know the answer....
HONORING TOMMY REVISITED – FOR THOSE WHO VOTED, THANK YOU
More than 126 million people cast votes in the Presidential election. Each and every one of you honored those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect our right to vote and choose our leaders....
THERE’S A STOP SIGN AT THE CORNER OF EASY STREET AND HO-HUM ROAD.
When you looked at the picture you thought it was photoshopped – right? Come on, be honest. The picture is real. On the corner of Easy Street and Ho Hum Road in Carefree, Arizona, there is a Stop...
MY LAWYER NEVER LOST A CASE!!! REALLY?
We settled a contentious case two weeks into a three-week trial. Ever see that on TV? I didn’t think so that would make for boring TV. In my case, after the settlement, the opposing client whispered...
PREPARE TO PARK AND WALK TO YOUR DESTINATION … ?
We were headed home from a vacation. We had to drive from Toronto to Buffalo to catch our plane. The car was packed. Before we started, Inna said, “Make sure to set the GPS on your phone.” So I did....
100% COMMITMENT – “DREAM AND THE WORLD WILL CONSPIRE TO MAKE IT SO”
Inna and I planned a visit to wine country in Canada on the way to the Canada Salsa and Bachata Congress. I’m not a wine snob, but I was skeptical. Of all of the wine regions I’ve been in the world,...
TO HONOR TOMMY – VOTE, BECAUSE HE SACRIFICED ALL …
Illinois Avenue in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. No houses there anymore. It’s the road next to the St. Michael’s Hospital’s parking lot. Not so when I was a kid. It was a road where every person on the...
NEVER STOP – BE REAL – AMAZING THINGS HAPPEN …
I cannot even count the number of times I have told clients going into a trial, “Never stop – Be real – Amazing things happen.” Every single one was skeptical. Something the client perceives as...
DON’T TELL ME WHAT WINE YOU DRANK, TELL ME WHO YOU DRANK IT WITH …
Inna and I were about to get married. We were taking our adult children to the Napa Valley for the wedding – their first trip to wine country. One wasn’t sure he like to drink. One would rather...
DON’T SPEND MONEY ON STUPID SHIT PART IV: PAYING LAWYERS FOR WHAT MACHINES DO BETTER
Can you remember the last time you used the “Yellow Pages?” Can you even remember the last time you saw a Yellow Pages. For that matter when is the last time you used a regular telephone book. When...
STOP SPENDING MONEY ON STUPID SHIT PART III: WHAT’S THE ROI OF SUING BASED “ONLY” ON PRINCIPLE?
Kids fighting in a sandbox. “That’s my toy.” “You’ve played with that toy too long, it’s my turn.” “You wrecked my sand castle!” “That wasn’t a sand castle it was a pile of useless sand.” All...
MEDALS AND BRUISES: CANADA SALSA & BACHATA CONGRESS
You dance. Really? Latin dance? Salsa, Cha Cha, and what in the world is Bachata. The answer is yes, I dance. So does Inna. We are both in final preparation to compete in the Canadian championship...
DON’T SPEND MONEY ON STUPID SHIT PART II: “FREE CONSULTATIONS”
Everybody likes things that are free. Free things often make us happy. Sometimes free things are valuable to us – sometimes they are junk. Sometimes they actually cost us money and aren’t really...
IMMIGRANTS’ ADVANTAGE IN U.S.: “DON’T SPEND MONEY ON STUPID SHIT”
At the end of a two-day conference jammed full of ideas and innovation, when Gary Vaynerchuk stood up and sad that immigrants succeed because they don’t spend money on stupid shit the room erupted...
EFFECTIVE MEDIATION IS NOT SIMPLY NUMBER SHUTTLING AND EVALUATION
Many clients become frustrated in mediation. Sometimes that is because the case is not ready for mediation. Sometimes that is because their lawyer has not provided a solid foundation for...
POWER OF ATTORNEY? BE AWARE OF POTENTIAL CRIMINAL LIABILITY
We represented a son who had been convicted of felony theft from his mother under a power of attorney that she granted to him. He was the one of six siblings chosen by his mother to hold her power...
PLEASE DON’T CALL ME A LITIGATOR
Law firms call one of their practice groups “litigation.” The result has been the title “litigator.” The term “litigator”, according to the Cambridge Online Dictionary means “a lawyer who...