July 2022 Newsletter

Hey friends,

I hope everyone had a festive and safe Fourth of July weekend. I apologize for the lack of a June 2022 newsletter. But I took some time off to visit family and do some fishing in the Florida Keys. I hope you enjoy July’s newsletter.

Stay healthy, focused, and productive.

With gratitude,

#LEGAL UPDATE

Employers May Compel Arbitration of Employees’ PAGA Claims

On June 15, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Viking River Cruises, Inc. v. Moriana that an employer may compel arbitration of an employee’s individual California Private Attorney General Act (PAGA) claims.

Angie Moriana (Moriana) sued Viking River Cruises, Inc. (Viking River) for California wage and hour violations through PAGA, which permits employees to sue to recover civil penalties for Labor Code violations on behalf of themselves and other affected employees.

Read more (2 min read)

#PRACTICE TIP

InBox Zero?  No Thanks.

Getting to InBox Zero is inefficient or, as Khe Hy says, a “treadmill to nowhere.” While you absolutely must respond timely (i.e., within 4 hours) to emails, you also need boundaries and a system for processing them.

Read more (1 min read)

#PRODUCTIVITY HACK

I make an effort to close Outlook (or only display Calendar) during meetings and phone calls to promote active listening and avoid distractions.

I also schedule time on my Calendar to do other work, connect with clients, market, manage cases, develop strategies, and think about ways to better leverage my time.

In this month’s practice tip, I refer to Quick Steps in Outlook. To create a Quick Step, follow this link.

#BOOK

Building a Second Brain - by Tiago Forte

If you’re like me, you’ve forgotten countless ideas and failed to write down something you read that resonated with you because you thought you would remember it and then forgot it.

According to The Guardian, we receive the equivalent of 174 newspapers in our inboxes every day. The brain is for having ideas not holding onto them.

Read more (2 min read)

#WHAT I'M LISTENING TO NOW

Revisionist History by Malcolm Gladwell. It’s a podcast about “things misunderstood and overlooked.” One of my favorite episodes, “The Tortoise and the Hare,'' is the second of two episodes about the LSAT. The episode begins with a law student asking the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia what it takes to be outrageously successful in the law. Gladwell argues that the LSAT unfairly penalizes those applicants that are tortoises and not hares by not giving them enough time.

As always, I welcome your feedback and ideas for future newsletters.