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Many safety concerns exist between the alleged criminal and a victim of domestic violence.

The perpetrator of the domestic violence has an extensive access to the victim. They may both live together, or have a consistent contact with each other for doing parental rights. If they are not living together, the criminal somehow knows the daily routine of the victim or has ready means to go about her whereabouts.
Domestic violence perpetrators operate on a pattern of social, physical, psychological and/or economic control over their intimate partners. Many of such abusers who sees loose of control over their partners resort to physical violence to regain it. Appropriately, a courts mediation in such abusive behaviour may elevate the risk of violence for everyone concerned with the case.
Domestic violence usually happens at home, where the witnesses are in control by the abuser. Such happenings is a predicament evidence process, as well as the victim to participate in it. This may also cause the victim to appear “crazy” to outsiders who in that case does not know how to discern the “craziness” as a normal reaction to the abuse.

In Maryland, prosecutors do not take domestic violence charges lightly and neither should you. Domestic violence laws pose unique challenges to defendants. It is possible to be arrested, charged and convicted in a domestic abuse case where the other party was equally at fault in the argument or there was an innocent explanation. Furthermore, prosecutors are the ones who press charges, not the alleged victims. This means that you can be convicted of domestic abuse even if the alleged victim says you never committed it.
At Scott MacMullan Law we are committed to protecting your rights in these sensitive legal matters. In Maryland, victims of domestic violence can get protection any time of day, seven days a week. During business hours, you may obtain an ex parte temporary protective order from the district court or circuit court. This order is valid for seven days.
On weekends or holidays, you may be granted an interim protective order which is valid for two days. Before that order expires, you may have a hearing to be granted a temporary protective order.
When a temporary protective order is granted, you will have a hearing within one week, in which a judge will decide if a final protective order will be granted. Protective orders make it illegal for the alleged abuser to have contact with you, and may affect child custody, visitation and support matters.
Scott MacMullan represent clients on both sides of this issue. We are committed to helping victims of domestic violence, as well as those who are facing accusations of domestic abuse.

As the membership co-chair of the Maryland State Bar Young Lawyers Section, I am often approached at various events and aggressively asked in so many words, “Do you have a job for me?” I always cringe at this. As John F. Kennedy meant to say: “Ask not what your bar association can do for you, ask what you can do for your bar association.” Or ask yourself what you can do for that community association or for that person you are meeting at the networking event. When you meet people you should be asking yourself, ‘How can I help the other person?’ Networking takes time. Exchanging a business card is just the beginning, it isn’t the end. Networking takes time because networking is really about trust and trust takes time to build. There will always be people who I will describe as “political hacks”, who are seemingly able to network with ease. They do little work and they skyrocket to that dream job or to that position despite the lack of work. Maybe this is because they were born into the right family or work at the right firm. Long term success, however, will ultimately depend on your consistency and reliability to others. There really shouldn’t be an “I” in networking.
But there should be a “U” in “success.”
What do YOU think?

All lawyers are guilty of “Humblebragging.” Young lawyers maybe even more so are guilty. What is humblebragging? Humblebragging has been defined as “bragging in the guise of humility, putting a thin veneer of humble over a clear expression of proud.” A lot of times the humblebrag is over social media but sometimes the humblebrag is executed to your face. This usually leads to sudden urges to slap someone.
Check out some of these examples of the legal humblebrag:
“I wasn’t able to get into the University of God’s Father’s Law School so I will have to just settle and go to the University of God’s Law School. I am still grateful for this opportunity!”
“I only got my client a million dollar settlement. I guess my kids will just be going to the local private school instead of boarding school. So happy for my client.”
“I’m so honored to be named a leading lawyer! My firm only had to make a $5,000 donation to the publication which named me a leading lawyer this year!”
“I’m so honored to be named a super duper attorney! I filled out a form and got my friends to say I am a super duper attorney! This is awkward because there are people who have been practicing law for 30 years and are not super duper attorneys! #feelingblessed.”
“It is such a pain in the ass to be invited to this prestigious conference for the 5^th year in a row. Boooring!”
“I am so busy with clients. My phone keeps ringing. I don’t even believe I can write this sentence to you!”
“I don’t know how I am going to manage my crazy life. I just got invited to give a presentation to the entire state on my area of law. It is such a pain being this authoritative and sought after.”
“I’m humbled to be named a leader in my community. Every year right before this admirable and respected award is given out, I brave the elements outside of my firm for a quick photo opportunity and take a picture of myself giving homeless people food. It’s cold out there but I gave up one billable hour to those in need. #sacrifice. #frostbite. #theregoesmybonus.”
If lawyers would only say what they mean… I am very busy. I have money. I have influence. I piss excellence. I $#!t gold. I am the cat’s meow.
Anyway, I am so happy to be the one to bring this problem to your attention. I’m excited to hear if you have any other examples of legal humblebragging. (Special thanks to Elizabeth Morris for inspiring this entry by posting an article on Facebook on the subject. I am humbled and honored to know this great lawyer!)
What examples of humblebragging did I miss?
MORE IMPORTANTLY, is there a better way to self-promote or market oneself than the humblebrag?

A “Dictator” writes 10 pages for what should be a 3 page motion. As a former law clerk, these long dictated motions would always chap my @ss. Such a waste of time. As a practitioner, however, I see the monetary value of these long, bloated, John Candyesque (or Elvis in his later days) motions. A younger writing revolution will lead to a take over as technology continues to breakdown the old, evil, Mussoliniesque billing empires. These younger revolutionaries get their point across effectively and memorably in a paragraph as opposed to 10 pages.
As William Wallace in Braveheart meant to say:
“I am a Young Legal Writer. And I see a whole army of my professionals, here in defiance of dictation. You’ve come to write as free men… and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you write?”
Well, will you write? Or will you dictate and die like Mussolini, John Candy or Elvis. (How about that for a false dilemma?)
Or is the better question: Has dictating made legal writing suck?

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