What We Think Is and What Actually Is.

No. 1,610 Nasim Nicholas Taleb has made a career in explaining to us that some things we think we control are random and some things we think are random are really under our personal control. When we win, too often we call it skill. When we lose we call it bad luck. Of course, there […]

You’ve Got to be Kidding! Oh, You’re Not?

No. 1,521

Intelligence is Like Beauty, in the Eye of the Beholder.

No. 1,506 A friend of mine, who is my age, has been tested several times recently for symptoms of dementia. He asked his wife why the tester always asked questions about the date, day of the week and the like. “Is it important?” he asked. It was a good question for him, since he had […]

Loneliness of the Long Distance Lawyer

No. 1,462 Are you surprised that, as reported in the ABA Journal, lawyers lead all categories of workers in feeling lonely? Yes, most of us experience long periods in front of computer screens, drafting pleadings, briefs and the like. But in a law firm there should be many other opportunities for collegiality. Yet the feelings […]

Rules, rules, rules.

No. 1,434 I just heard a doctor on the radio who contracted Lymes Disease and after being wheelchair bound and in excruciating pain for a year and a half, effected a cure, partly through experimenting with herbal medicines. He says that we have a Lymes pandemic in semi rural locations in Western Pennsylvania and that […]

Oh well . . . (sigh).

No. 1,431

Growing the Culture of Winning.

No. 1,421 Pirate third baseman David Freese arrived at spring training and gave a candid answer to the question of the hour. What’s wrong with the Pirates? He is quoted extensively this morning in the Post Gazette. Here’s some of it: “My opinion is I don’t think we lost 87 games because [Starling] Marte wasn’t […]

“Resulting” — How We Think Good Decisions Were Bad and Vice Versa.

No. 1,417 When our team wins, how often do we admit it was luck? Almost never. But we are guilty of thinking that a decision is good or bad, depending upon the outcome. That phenomenon is called resulting. Professional Poker Player Annie Duke has developed a social science approach to decision-making. She points out that […]

Supreme Court Initiates Sanctions Against Lawyer Who Let His Client Tell Him How To State The Argument In A Petition

No. 1,123 In the Matter of Discipline of Howard Neil Shipley, No. 14D2827. Live long enough and you can see everything. Every lawyer has had clients who want to micromanage the case. Its a serious handicap. But most of the time, it just makes the task harder. But not always. In a rare move, the […]

Welcome

CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk

Legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus.

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