The Legal Pad

Important Deadline ~ October 8, 2008

You may not realize it, but you wouldn't have a job if it weren't for the government. Lawyers couldn't exist without the legislative branch making laws, the executive branch making regulations and enforcing laws, and the judiciary, interpreting laws and settling legal disputes...

Do you want to be counted? Do you want your voice to be heard?

In order to vote in the General Election on November 4, 2008,  to choose the President and Vice-President of the United States, you must be a registered voter. If you haven't registered to vote in the state of Missouri, you must act quickly.

October 8, 2008 is the last day for you to register to be eligible to vote in Missouri in the General Election. If you are not registered -- you cannot vote.

To find out more information you can visit The Missouri Voting Rights Center on-line at: http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/govotemissouri/ to find out how you can register to vote.

Trying to Sneak a Sunrise Past a Rooster

Even though I spend most of my waking hours at work -- like you and everyone else -- I have another life entirely, away from work. Here's a slice of that life...

There's a rooster in our neighborhood. My husband and I don't know where the rooster lives, but he lives pretty close to us. We're early risers. We usually have coffee on our back porch and visit and have been entertained by the rooster who announces it's time to get up!

We've listened to him long enough and often enough that he's become part of our conversations. We both wondered how this rooster knows what time it is. Neither of us had a clue, so I told my husband that one of these days I'd look it up on-line.

I thought there was some magical hormone at work inside the rooster's brain that's triggered by the sunrise. I thought there had to be some sort of scientific explanation and surely, someone would've posted this on-line for those times when no one knows the answer to the question - how does the rooster know what time it is?

I googled "why do roosters crow?" and there were 187,000 results. Holy cow! You know you can't trust everything you read on-line, but here's the best "scientific" explanations I found:

Roosters crow to let the others know where they are and they're defending their territory. Roosters don't just crow in the morning; but at all times of day. Sometimes they crow when they're disturbed by a light or a noise.

Well...that's not too scientific, and actually, none of those explanations are definitive.  So, here's my own theory -- I think it has something to do with the guy who lives next door to where the rooster lives. He leaves early for work and when he goes out the door, he scares the rooster and the rooster starts crowing!

Rise & shine - Have a great day!

Learn Missouri Law While You Exercise

Although going to law school is one way to get an in-depth understanding of Missouri laws, it's not the only way to get up-to-date on Missouri's laws and legal system. Learning about the law can be as quick and easy as taking a walk around the block and listening to a 20-minute interview of a lawyer talking about a legal topic that you want to know more about.

The Missouri Bar produces a blog and podcast -- The Law in Your Life -- that each week includes an interview with a Missouri lawyer about laws that are in the news and affect you. If you want, you can listen to the interview on your computer. Or, it might be more convenient for you to download the interview onto your iPod or other MP3 player and listen to it while you exercise or walk your dog.

To view the blog and podcast go to: http://learfieldcreative.typepad.com/mobar/ If you sign up on the podcast page, you can be alerted each time a new interview is completed and ready for a listen. Listening to The Law in Your Life won't get a law school education, but you'll get a better understanding of your rights and responsibilities that can make life easier.

The Magazine Rack

The last time I had to sit in a waiting room -- was when I took Angie to the urgent care center. She was carpooling that day and didn't have her car. I offered to drive her to the center because she wasn't feeling well. She got water in her ear over the weekend and she was in a lot of pain.

We arrived. Angie filled out the necessary forms and her name was called to see the doctor.

Meanwhile, I looked around for the magazines. I found hunting magazines, golf magazines and sports magazines. YUK. What are these folks thinking? Call me crazy; but I don't think ALL the patients who come into the urgent care center are into hunting, golfing and sports. This begs the question: Who gets to choose which magazines go in the waiting area?

The receptionist was behind a glass window, but the gossip between the receptionist and her cohort was much more interesting than the magazines they had available to read. Did you know that sometimes you can hear conversations through glass windows? (Note: People may forget what you tell them but people NEVER forget what they overhear).

Angie had a double whammy...a sinus and ear infection. The doctor gave her some medicine and we went back to work.

So, let's think about who comes into your office. Not everyone who comes in there is an avid hunter, golfer or sports freak, right?

We did a quick check-in with some Missouri Bar staff members at our office. If they had a choice, here are a few magazines they'd like to see in waiting room offices: "Country Living", "Family Fun", Better Homes & Gardens", "People", "Time", and "Newsweek".

What kind of magazines do you have available in your waiting area? You can begin with the kinds of magazines you'd like to read -- or your clients can sit in your waiting room and listen to the staff gossip.

Clever Packaging

If you've ever eaten Dove milk or dark chocolate miniatures, you already know about the Promise. Inside the blue or red foil packaging, there lies Dove's Promise...an uplifting, positive saying much like a fortune cookie at a Chinese restaurant. Here's an example: "Try something new tomorrow".

Okay, okay...I've read some of the other blogs. I know some of you think the little sayings are pretty hokey; but I think there's something we can agree on -- Dove chocolate is really good.  Their link is: www.dovechocolate.com/ Everyone who partakes of the candy from the bowl in my office loves those miniature chocolates.

So, indulge me this Monday morning. Here's today's question: What does your packaging say about your office?

Do you have an inviting entrance to your office? Do your clients have a positive or negative expectation? Is your office exterior drab or sloppy-looking? Have you thought about jazzing it up just a bit? Could you use a new "Welcome" mat? If you don't have one, do you need one? Maybe you could do a little decorating on the exterior to brighten things up a bit and improve your own office "packaging" that's not too expensive. How about a simple wreath decorated for autumn on the door?