New York Civil Law

New York Civil Law Returns - Don't Call It A Comeback

Consider this blog a phoenix rising from the ashes of the blawgosphere.

In 2004, I created New York Civil Law when I first entered private practice. Somehow, New York Civil Law gained attention and a number of loyal readers over 4 or 5 years. I enjoyed the writing, legal analysis, and the relationships that developed through the weblog.

The blogging screeched to halt after 5 years, however, when a number of life events happened all at once. Some things were positive: I became partner of a law firm and two years later my twin boys were born. Other things were equally life changing, but less positive: I faced a third bout with lymphoma and shortly thereafter experienced burnout.

My life has calmed down considerably since then. I now have time to return to blogging, which gives me great joy and intellectual stimulation.

There will be legal blog posts on Monday and Friday, with posts about attorney anxiety, depression, and burnout on Thursday.

Happy reading, Matt Lerner

(The analysis and opinions of these posts are my own and are solely for educational purposes. They should not be taken as endorsement or criticism as part of my position as a court-attorney referee in the New York State Unified Court System)

Posts Will Resume

For the past year, I have sporadically posted to this weblog.  This lull marked a divergence from prior years, when I posted 3-4 a week.  In the coming months, I intend to resume my prior practice of posting content.  For the next two months (at least), I'll post periodically and rely on my Twitter account for shorter posts.

I look forward to providing you excellent content in the near future.

Editor's Note -- Posts Suspended Until After Summer 2009

As you may have noticed, I have not recently posted to this weblog.  For temporary reasons beyond my control, I will be unable to update the posts to this weblog until after summer 2009 (hopefully, sooner though).  I appreciate your readership and hope you will return to this weblog then.

In the meantime, I am still able to post short summaries on my Twitter account.  To follow those posts in the meantime, you can click on the "follow me on Twitter" link to the right or click here.

In related Twitter news, my feed was named among the "100 Top Twitter Feeds for Law Students" by Online Best Colleges.com.

Back to the Posts . . .

In the past few months, personal matters prevented me from writing posts.  Hopefully the upcoming months will allow for frequent posts and lively discussion.

Old New York Civil Law Poll About the Wikipedia

The old poll that I posted had surprising results.  The poll asked this question: Would you cite the Wikipedia for a non-legal point in a legal document such as a motion submission or appellate brief?

75% stated that he or she would not, and 25% stated that he or she would.  This might come as a surprise to you; there are over 100 reported cases in 2007 that cite to the Wikipedia.  Food for thought.

In any event, please vote in NYCL's new poll about the Court of Appeals.

New Legal Podcast -- The Slippery Slope

I am proud to announce that there is a new legal variety podcast out -- The Slippery Slope.  The podcast is a project by more former colleague, Professor Meredith Miller of Touro Law Center.

Here is a description of The Slippery Slope:

The podcasts will not focus on any particular legal argument, substantive area of law or legal philosophy -- rather, the podcasts will study the culture of law (broadly defined), the gray areas of the law, and the every day places where the law intersects with our lives.  The goal is to be entertaining, to encourage conversation and to discuss intellectual topics that appeal to a diverse audience (i.e., not just legal academics).

Professor Miller is not only super smart, she has a great sense of humor.  The podcasts and blog post will surely be informational and entertaining.

New "New York Civil Law Poll"

The poll regarding citing a weblog was up too long, so I'm cleaning house.  The question asked: "Would you cite a professor's or noted attorney's webog post as persuasive authority in a legal document or scholarly article?  The poll was almost evenly split: 48.4% said yes and 51.6% said no.  Although extremely informal, the poll lends even more legitimacy to weblogs.

Take a look at the new "New York Civil Law" poll and vote.

Because of its ubiquitous nature, I'm curious on your take about the Wikipedia's place in legal documents.  More and more judges are citing the Wikipedia in published decisions.  How comfortable are you with citing to the Wikipedia?

New New York Insurance Coverage Blawg -- Coverage Counsel

New Yorkers represent when it comes to the legal blogosphere.  Add another N.Y. blawger to the list: Roy Mura edits Coverage Counsel.  The blawg is case law focused and Roy is an experienced attorney, who offers his expertise to each post.  Please help me welcome Roy and Coverage Counsel to the blogosphere.

New York Civil Law --- Back In the Swing of Things

Since January 2008, things have impinged my ability to blog on a regular basis.  I've had 5 presentations in the span of a month-and-a-half and just finished co-writing a chapter on the trade secret privilege for a compendium.  Other things have also kept me busy working and not blogging half as much as I wanted to.

So what's with this post?  It's a bit of a celebration.  I've gotten through a busy couple of months and am ready to start blogging about some great cases that I've neglected in the past months and cases that have been recently handed down.  I'm also going to a bit of spring-summer cleaning on the blawg.

So, thanks for your patience and continued dedication to reading "New York Civil Law."

New Poll Regarding Citation of Blog Post in Legal Document or Scholarly Article

New York Civil Law's previous poll regarding the style of weblog posts was by no means a landslide.  The poll asked: How much content do you like in a legal weblog post?

60% of those persons answering the poll stated, "I prefer the newer style, where there are large quotations, more substance, and less hyperlinks."

40% of those persons answering the poll stated, "I prefer the old-style, where the content was minimal and the hyperlinks were plenty."

NYCL's posts kind of fall inbetween the two styles, leaning toward the old style.  For more pressing issues, NYCL will likely lean toward the new style of posts.

Vote now for NYCL's newest poll: "Would you cite a professor's or noted attorney's weblog post as persuasive authority in a legal document or scholarly article?"