Every legal professional knows that mastering the law takes more than a J.D. and a license to practice. If you really want to be the best, you need an edge, something that brings your work out of the theoretical and into the practical. The level-by-level guide that stands out to all of us as California lawyers is the CEB series. These guides not only keep you in compliance, they’ll enhance your entire practice.
No matter where you practice law, whether on your own, at a small firm, in a large firm, or in-house, CEB practice guides can help you get to the most crucial part of your job: being a great lawyer. Let’s look at how these resources can help you change your practice, one case at a time.
Using Legal Resources to Benefit Your Practice
CEB is a self-supporting program of the University of California that is cosponsored by the State Bar of California. These guides touch on more than 80 legal practice areas such as personal injury, family law, estate planning, criminal defense, real estate, and business law. They’ve been authored by veteran lawyers and judges who have worked with California’s legal processes for years.
What makes them unique is their pragmatic orientation. Unlike other references that focus on hypothetical situations or general legal theory, CEB practice guides are written by real, practicing attorneys, and they have hands-on experience with the laws and issues that they are writing about.
Improving Case Preparation
When writing a motion, getting ready for a hearing, or counseling your client about the next steps in the litigation, the key is being prepared. CEB practice guides and other legal resources can give you a path to follow for every necessary step in the conduct of a case. These guides detail what should be done, when it should be done, how to file, and best practices to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
For instance, a litigator can access the civil litigation series in order to ensure discovery is done right and on time. A family law lawyer could be using the custody litigation blueprint to deal with complicated parenting schedules. These are not only time-saving, but can also help avoid procedural mistakes that can be expensive for your client.
Accessing Templates and Sample Forms
What is particularly impressive about legal resources such as CEB practice guides is their wide variety of sample forms and templates. These are documents that are formatted, drafted, and targeted toward a very basic or general provision of law. They are ready to adapt to the specific details of your case, and usually come with a little bit of teaching or information. This could be a game-changer, particularly for solo attorneys or small law firms that don’t have extensive administrative support.
Sharpening Your Legal Strategy
Aggressive legal strategy isn’t only knowing the law, but knowing how to use it. Whether it’s deciding what motion to file or when to settle, seeing how a judge is likely to regard a particular piece of evidence, referencing quality legal resources can give you a decided competitive advantage.
Staying Current with Legal Updates
The law is constantly evolving. New statutes, appellate decisions, and court rules can redefine how a matter should be raised. A significant advantage of employing CEB practice guides, in particular, is that they are up to date. Guides are revised throughout publication in print or on the web on CEB’s OnLAW platform.
As California law updates and court rules change, CEB’s editorial staff updates the appropriate practice guides right away, so that you never need to worry about working with old information. This minimizes the danger of your standing on stale precedent or missing a new statutory change that could impact your client’s result.
Making Research More Efficient
Legal research can take time, especially if you’re dealing with niche matters or many layers of legal issues. Well-vetted legal resources can make this task easier, presenting checklists and forms sequentially and providing an outline of issues for a haphazard process. The cross-references, table of contents, and index of CEB practice guides, specifically, enable easy access to what you’re looking for.
Training and Mentoring for New Lawyers
Yet another place where tried and true legal resources come in handy is in teaching the ropes to junior attorneys and mentoring law school students and clerks. These guides offer the sort of practical, step-by-step advice that many new lawyers need but don’t receive in law school. They take the mystery out of routine tasks and provide practical advice on how to practice effectively and ethically.
A good lawyer doesn’t become a great one overnight; it can only happen when you have the right tools at your fingertips. Utilizing well-established legal resources, such as CEB practice guides, is essential for your career. Whether you are writing your first legal brief or preparing your closing arguments, these guides provide the foundation, strategy, and confidence you need.
Bob Duncan is the lead writer and partner on ConversationsWithBianca.com. A passionate parent, he’s always excited to dive into the conversation about anything from parenting, food & drink, travel, to gifts & more!