Laura Stone, Author at OAMIC: Legal Malpractice Insurance

Court Bonds 101 (and How to Get One)

As most lawyers know, a court bond is a tool to ensure a party will fulfill their responsibilities as ordered by law. Probate attorneys, for example, must often post a bond on behalf of an executor, administrator or conservator of an estate. However, the need for a bond also arises in a wide variety of other matters, such as appeals, injunctions, TROs, replevin actions and more. HISTORY OF SURETY BONDS Although the seemingly modern concept of surety bonds has definitely increased [...]

Be Ready With a Disaster Plan

If the last year has taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. Just in Oklahoma, the past several months have been a wild ride when it comes to weather-related phenomena. Ice storms, snowstorms, late-season tornadoes – we’ve seen it all over the last six months. Plus, our regular tornado season and our roller-coaster spring weather is just around the corner. Disasters aren’t limited to weather-related events, however. Fires, plumbing floods, even burglaries can happen at any time and can [...]

How LPL Works When You Leave Your Firm

When a lawyer leaves a firm we insure, we typically get questions about what to do with regard to the lawyers professional liability insurance (LPL). For the firm they’re leaving, it can be as simple as completing the supplemental application to remove the lawyer from the existing policy. For the lawyer leaving, however, it can be a little more complicated. Whether you’re changing firms, starting your own firm or getting ready for retirement, OAMIC can help you find the options [...]

6 Tips for Keeping Your Tech Skills Sharp (and Why You Should)

Lawyers know they have to stay on top of the latest changes in law. There’s a reason it’s ORPC Rule 1.1 – it’s just common sense. Similarly though, lawyers have both ethical and practical reasons to maintain at least a cursory knowledge of current technology. Comment 6 to Rule 1.1 was even amended to provide: [6] To maintain the requisite knowledge and skill, a lawyer should keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice … including the benefits and [...]

Claims and Errors Trends: What You Should Know

Below is information compiled from OAMIC’s claim data from 2009-2019 regarding common errors and claims. This information was originally prepared as part of the materials for the recent continuing education program Tales From the Trenches, but we’ve made it available here because everyone in Oklahoma’s legal community can benefit from knowing about claims in our state. FREQUENCY BY AREA OF PRACTICE Similar to national trends, claims from 2009-2019 were highest in plaintiff personal injury/property damage work. This, combined with collections and [...]

5 Tips for Writing for Nonlawyers

A lot of what lawyers write is for other lawyers – briefs, emails and letters all be intended for someone also in the practice of law. There are times, however, when what you write may be intended for nonlawyers. Whether composing social media posts, writing a blog post or even just creating or updating text on your firm website, below are tips to make your writing as layman friendly as possible. 1. Avoid acronyms and abbreviations. Imagine your physician explaining test [...]

Basic Tips for Building a Law Firm Website

It’s no secret, every business needs a website. If you have the budget, an easy option is for someone else to build it. If you have an even bigger budget, hiring a company to build and manage it is even easier. However, if you don’t have the budget for either of those, you can build one yourself. Building your own website sounds a little daunting, but thankfully lots of platforms offer an easy setup that lets you get a site [...]

Photo Use Tips for Law Firms

Our world, especially as it relates to marketing and communicating, is a visual one now. Whether on a website or on your firm’s social media accounts, photos are vital, so below are some tips to help you make the most of the ones you use. USING A PHOTOGRAPHER If you don’t have updated headshots and group portraits, ask friends and family for professional photographer recommendations. Because most photographers do on-site photo shoots, you can also ask them to shoot a few [...]

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