April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, and we are celebrating! Hospice Volunteers are some of the most selfless and compassionate individuals in our communities. These individuals give their time and energy to provide comfort and support to patients and families who are facing the end of life. They play an essential role in ensuring that patients…
To be a volunteer is to be aware of the value of your time, and how that time can be used to impact, develop, and build the community you live in. April is National Volunteer Month – a time to look at the people who volunteer their time selflessly to local causes, organizations, and goals. …
I am the mother of a very active, incredibly sweet, extremely brilliant – some may say terrible – three year old named Andrew. Some of you may have seen me sprinting behind him at local parades and festivals. Last year Andrew was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Luckily for us, his pediatrician also has an…
Are you constantly dealing with tiny uninvited guests in your home or storage sheds, leaving you annoyed or with a huge cleaning bill? You probably had an encounter with the Asian lady beetle (harmonia axyridis) also referred to as the Multicolored Asian lady beetle. The beetle was intentionally introduced from Asia and quickly established itself…
I have an observation about my church. I’ve noticed the quality and the quantity of snacks have increased substantially over the past year or so. Every week there’s coffee, that’s pretty much standard for before and after any church service. But now there’s fancy ice water and a cold, milky coffee drink that I can’t…
Q. Judge Smith, how has law practice changed since you started? A. I became a lawyer in 1987. As a newbie, my boss tasked me with legal research, writing, and reviewing documents that the parties had produced for lawsuits. Let’s compare how I did that work then and now. Nineteen-Hundred-and-Eighty-Seven 1987 was nearing the end…
Q. Judge Smith, what are the pros and cons of the parties settling their civil lawsuits, and how do you encourage the parties to negotiate deals? A. Most lawsuits center on the issues of liability and damages. Even if the defendant’s liability is a given, the plaintiff’s ability to collect an award of damages…
Imagine a world in which newspapers have been bankrupted and shuttered. Imagine that Reddit, the Drudge Report and Red Pill are no more and that social media platforms forbid political discussion of any stripe. Imagine that while some television and radio news show still exist, they only feature endless stories about cats and dogs, and…
By Judge J. Layne Smith Q. Judge Smith, what is a default judgment? Does a default judgment end the case? A. Due process of law requires notice and an opportunity to be heard. Plaintiffs begin lawsuits by filing complaints against defendants. The purpose of a complaint is to tell a defendant what he did, how…
Question: “Judge Smith, what advice can you give about cross-examining witnesses?” – Tate I have spent thousands of hours trying to master the art of cross-examination, and I’m still learning. Let me give you a shortened version of what I teach to law students. The purpose of a discovery deposition is to learn what the…
