Book Review: Deep Work by Cal Newport

Now that my campaign for Mayor of Phoenix is over, I’ve had a chance to read a few books and wanted to jot down my notes on the main themes for my future reference and for anyone who might be considering the book. The first one I read on vacation in Flagstaff, Cal Newport‘s “Deep…

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The Next Chapter in my Career

Over 70 years ago, Roman “Slim” Sarwark moved from South Bend, Indiana to Phoenix, Arizona to convalesce after he lost a lung to tuberculosis. His doctors didn’t give him much chance to live for many more years. Slim started Sarwark Motor Sales in 1942, selling one or two cars at a time. His hard work…

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Last day as a public defender

Today is my last day as a Deputy State Public Defender.  Over the last five years, I have fought beside some of the best people I’ve ever met to defend the indigent accused.  I’ve had the honor of saving men from living the rest of their lives in a cage. I’ve experienced the pain of…

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Book Review: So Good They Can’t Ignore You

“Follow your passion and the money will come.”  How many people have been given this advice when deciding what to study in school, whether to take a job, and whether to quit a job to do something else?  It turns out that it’s terrible advice. That’s the thesis of “So Good They Can’t Ignore You:…

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First month update

On Thursday I will have completed a full month as a public defender. The move out here went smoothly and we’re pretty much settled in. It’s been busy, with two trips back to the east coast, so not a lot of time to rest. Life as a PD is busy. I have over 100 cases…

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It’s been too long

I’m not dead yet. There’s a lot of change in my life. I’m married now. We’re moving to Colorado within the next two weeks, and I start my job as a Deputy Public Defender. I’m renting out my house in the DC area and am in the midst of a mad scramble to do all…

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Being a Happy, Healthy, Ethical Lawyer

Orin Kerr posted a question on the Volokh Conspiracy from a not yet employed 3L looking for career advice. There are good suggestions in the comments, but the best one is from “Anonobvious,” who linked to Patrick J. Schiltz’s law review article, “On Being a Happy, Healthy, and Ethical Member of an Unhappy, Unhealthy, and…

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Better presentations

Merlin Mann has a new post up about how he made his presentations a little better. One of the best recommendations he has is to use Guy Kawasaki‘s 10/20/30 rule for PowerPoint.* Both posts offer excellent advice for anyone who has to give presentations. Using their tips will instantly make you a better presenter than…

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Good things to know about the workplace

Guy Kawasaki has an excellent post with the top 12 things he wished he had learned before graduating from college. My experience is that there are quite a few people well into their careers who still have not learned some of these lessons, such as how to write a five sentence email (“All you should…

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