Attorney Larry Rice discusses the various legal grounds for divorce including, but not limited to, adultery, habitual abuse of alcohol or narcotics, living separately for more than two years, willful or malicious desertion, conviction of a felony, bigamy, and inappropriate marital conduct, which is the most common ground for divorce. He also defines fault and no-fault divorces, explaining the differences between the two types.
To view the entire video, please follow the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4KaKl7OUMA
Friday, September 30, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Clerking at Rice Law: by Erin O'dea
If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull.
~ W.C. Fields
Obviously, from the quote I have chosen for this week’s blog post, I am talking about good advice for anyone faced with taking the Bar exam in the future. There are, at this very moment while I am typing this word, 10 days, 15 hours, 53 minutes, and 51 seconds left until the list of successful Tennessee Bar applicants is posted on the TBA’s website at noon on October 7th. People love to tell law school graduates, “Of course you passed the Bar! You’re smart.” My fellow law graduates and I would like to tell those people to try taking the Bar, and see if they still feel that same sense of calm and confidence. I doubt their comments following the exam would be anything along the lines of, “Of course I passed the Bar! I’m smart.” I took the Tennessee Bar in July, and I have been waiting for the results for almost nine agonizing weeks now. I studied more than I have ever studied for a test in my life, but I am still not completely confident I passed. Taking the Bar, you write, and bubble in so much, and regurgitate so much information, that, at the end, you just cannot keep track of what you may have said right or wrong.
In May, prior to taking my leave of absence from work to study for the Bar Exam, Mr. Rice called me into his office and gave me some excellent advice. He said, “Erin, fear the Bar… and you will pass. Don’t fear the Bar… and you will fail.” I heeded Mr. Rice’s warning. I became overwrought with fear. I would wake up from nightmares about coming to the exam late, or naked, which was even worse than the usual naked dream because I was so out of shape after sitting at a desk studying for three months, that Sainthood was more attainable than a waistline. I came to understand what a panic attack was, and then I finally got a grip. I realized what Mr. Rice was really saying. I would have to get over my fear. I would have to use my fear. I would have to really, really study.
My realization paired with my parents allowing me to move back in with them for almost a month so they could cook and clean for me, and do my shopping and my laundry, with any luck, created a recipe for my success. Yes, that is a shout out to my wonderful Mother and Father, Frances and Bob O’Dea. You’re the best, Mom and Dad! Thanks for supplying me with endless amounts of coffee, Diet Dr. Pepper, turkey sandwiches, and clean clothes! I promise to never stick you in a dingy old nursing home, but if it ever comes to that: Mom, you get an attractive and attentive male nurse; Dad, you get the same, but the female version, deal? All joking aside, I am lucky to have such supportive parents.
I am also lucky to work for Mr. Rice who insisted that I take off work for the entire three months between graduation and the exam to study. Mr. Rice understands, and taught me, that Bar applicants need to fear the Bar exam, then take that fear and use it. It is easy to look at the extremely high number of students from the University of Memphis who pass the Tennessee Bar, and assume that the exam is not as hard as people say it is, but that is not true. Attention future Bar exam takers: “FEAR IT.”
If, however, you do not see my name on that list of successful applicants on October 7th, please, assume it is a glitch in the computer system, because that is what I am going to do (especially after this long blog post about how much I studied; talk about embarrassing). According to everyone else, “I’m smart, and so of course I passed the Bar,” which is also the fantasyland I will choose to live in, for at least that weekend, if my name is not on “THE LIST.” Until then, I will continue to live in fear that the velvet rope that is passing the bar may not be lifted for me this time, but thankfully that fear is no longer crippling (talk to me October 6th at midnight, and I doubt I will sound this level headed, but for now the fear is manageable). At some point, after passing the Bar, when I am faced with MY first big case, and things just do not look like they are going to go my client’s way, I will remember what Mr. Rice said about the Bar… “fear it,” and I will hopefully use that fear the same way I used it to prepare for the Bar. I will get a grip. I will buckle down. I will work hard. I will not move back in with my parents, but I will give it my all, and if my client still loses, I will assume there was a glitch in the system.
I apologize for the very Bar centered post, but if you were in my shoes, this would be all you would be able to think or write about too. To add to what is becoming a post about good advice, I’ll leave you with one more W.C. Fields quote. Mr. Fields may have had an affection for the bottle, but he also had a way with words… “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no point in being a damn fool about it.” ~ W. C. Fields
~ W.C. Fields
Obviously, from the quote I have chosen for this week’s blog post, I am talking about good advice for anyone faced with taking the Bar exam in the future. There are, at this very moment while I am typing this word, 10 days, 15 hours, 53 minutes, and 51 seconds left until the list of successful Tennessee Bar applicants is posted on the TBA’s website at noon on October 7th. People love to tell law school graduates, “Of course you passed the Bar! You’re smart.” My fellow law graduates and I would like to tell those people to try taking the Bar, and see if they still feel that same sense of calm and confidence. I doubt their comments following the exam would be anything along the lines of, “Of course I passed the Bar! I’m smart.” I took the Tennessee Bar in July, and I have been waiting for the results for almost nine agonizing weeks now. I studied more than I have ever studied for a test in my life, but I am still not completely confident I passed. Taking the Bar, you write, and bubble in so much, and regurgitate so much information, that, at the end, you just cannot keep track of what you may have said right or wrong.
In May, prior to taking my leave of absence from work to study for the Bar Exam, Mr. Rice called me into his office and gave me some excellent advice. He said, “Erin, fear the Bar… and you will pass. Don’t fear the Bar… and you will fail.” I heeded Mr. Rice’s warning. I became overwrought with fear. I would wake up from nightmares about coming to the exam late, or naked, which was even worse than the usual naked dream because I was so out of shape after sitting at a desk studying for three months, that Sainthood was more attainable than a waistline. I came to understand what a panic attack was, and then I finally got a grip. I realized what Mr. Rice was really saying. I would have to get over my fear. I would have to use my fear. I would have to really, really study.
My realization paired with my parents allowing me to move back in with them for almost a month so they could cook and clean for me, and do my shopping and my laundry, with any luck, created a recipe for my success. Yes, that is a shout out to my wonderful Mother and Father, Frances and Bob O’Dea. You’re the best, Mom and Dad! Thanks for supplying me with endless amounts of coffee, Diet Dr. Pepper, turkey sandwiches, and clean clothes! I promise to never stick you in a dingy old nursing home, but if it ever comes to that: Mom, you get an attractive and attentive male nurse; Dad, you get the same, but the female version, deal? All joking aside, I am lucky to have such supportive parents.
I am also lucky to work for Mr. Rice who insisted that I take off work for the entire three months between graduation and the exam to study. Mr. Rice understands, and taught me, that Bar applicants need to fear the Bar exam, then take that fear and use it. It is easy to look at the extremely high number of students from the University of Memphis who pass the Tennessee Bar, and assume that the exam is not as hard as people say it is, but that is not true. Attention future Bar exam takers: “FEAR IT.”
If, however, you do not see my name on that list of successful applicants on October 7th, please, assume it is a glitch in the computer system, because that is what I am going to do (especially after this long blog post about how much I studied; talk about embarrassing). According to everyone else, “I’m smart, and so of course I passed the Bar,” which is also the fantasyland I will choose to live in, for at least that weekend, if my name is not on “THE LIST.” Until then, I will continue to live in fear that the velvet rope that is passing the bar may not be lifted for me this time, but thankfully that fear is no longer crippling (talk to me October 6th at midnight, and I doubt I will sound this level headed, but for now the fear is manageable). At some point, after passing the Bar, when I am faced with MY first big case, and things just do not look like they are going to go my client’s way, I will remember what Mr. Rice said about the Bar… “fear it,” and I will hopefully use that fear the same way I used it to prepare for the Bar. I will get a grip. I will buckle down. I will work hard. I will not move back in with my parents, but I will give it my all, and if my client still loses, I will assume there was a glitch in the system.
I apologize for the very Bar centered post, but if you were in my shoes, this would be all you would be able to think or write about too. To add to what is becoming a post about good advice, I’ll leave you with one more W.C. Fields quote. Mr. Fields may have had an affection for the bottle, but he also had a way with words… “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no point in being a damn fool about it.” ~ W. C. Fields
Monday, September 26, 2011
Memphis Divorce Attorney Larry Rice: on Domestic Violence in Tennessee
To view the complete video, please follow the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z04mFE_t0TY
Friday, September 23, 2011
Memphis Divorce Attorney: on Discovery in Tennessee
Memphis Divorce Attorney Larry Rice discusses the stressful components of the discovery process when going through a divorce. He elaborates on the rules of discovery and the challenges both the attorneys and clients face when preparing the discovery.
To view the entire video, please follow the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LMH2-vA7JE
To view the entire video, please follow the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LMH2-vA7JE
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Clerking at Rice Law: by Jessica Farmer
“With Friends Like These…”
One of the most perplexing and yet, wonderful things about the legal field is the ability of lawyers to fight all day in Court but still respect each other at the end of the day…most of the time. What happens when two opposing counsels genuinely don’t get along? Well, I’ve had opportunities to see that unfold. I’ve seen attorneys raise their voices, make gestures in Court, and even cry.
The ugly truth of the matter is that although most attorneys respect one another for a job well done, some just do not get along. The important thing though, is that the attorneys (at least the ones that I am privileged enough to work for) make the issues in the case and their clients their top priorities. It takes restraint and diligence, but at the end of the day, professionalism and civility prevail.
I think this is an important lesson for people, both inside and outside of the legal profession. It is impossible to surround yourself every minute of every day solely with people you like. However, personal feelings do not have to impede your ability to have a good working relationship.
When attorneys have a job to do, a little respect and civility between them can go a long way. In fact, seeing someone you generally do not like going out of his or her way to be professional and respectful, may make some of that hostility disappear. I believe that this is a lesson I will continue to carry with me after law school and into my many years of practicing law.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Memphis Divorce Attorney Larry Rice: on Contempt in Tennessee
To view the entire video, please follow the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0Ru4ljMDQY
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Clerking at Rice Law: by Chelsea Conn
The pressures of going to school and working can be extraordinary, but I have found that the key to getting through just about any situation is being prepared. Sometimes, you have to learn the value of preparation the hard way. Professors at law schools use something called the Socratic method in class, meaning they call on students at random to answer questions. This ensures that each student is prepared and ready to talk about the day’s assignment.
My first class in law school was a Torts class. The Professor called on a student, but she didn’t know the answer because she hadn’t read the assignment. Instead of making her leave, the professor decided that she should read the case while the class waited. It was an agonizing fifteen minutes for the class to sit silently while she read. Most of us could imagine ourselves in her position, and we felt embarrassed and sorry for her. After that, no one came to class unprepared, including her.
It is important for people to be prepared at school, but it is even more important for attorneys to be prepared at all times. I can’t think of a worse situation for an attorney than a judge deciding that a client should lose a case because their attorney was unprepared. It is one thing to lose a case, but it is unacceptable to cause harm to a client because of a lack of preparation.
Since preparation is so important, most of the time at the firm is working towards preparing a client’s case. All the ducks need to be in a row, so to speak, and everyone works towards keeping everything organized and updated. I think every attorney owes clients a duty to be prepared in front of the judge.
In the end, I think that is why professors use the Socratic method – to ensure that we are ingrained with the habit of staying prepared. If we can master the art of preparation, we can create new arguments and approaches to problems with ease. I am endlessly impressed with Mr. Rice’s focus on preparation at all levels of his firm. To my knowledge, no one at the firm has ever been unprepared to go to Court. Perhaps that is because that along with emphasizing preparation, the attorneys also have the qualities of competitive spirits and a genuine interest in their clients’ cause. Mr. Rice always stresses that the law is supposed to be fun, but I seriously doubt that anyone would be having fun losing cases because of their own personal failures. In order to have fun, you have to be prepared!
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