Writing
This page lists most of my published works. I hope eventually to complete the list, so that all of my published writing will be listed here.
I am available for various kinds of writing, blogging, and editing projects, including legal and technical writing, on a freelance, contract basis. Please e-mail me at steve@imparl.com for more information.
BOOKS
- Internet Law: The Complete Guide (North Vancouver, BC: Specialty Technical Publishers, 1998-Present). Three-volume treatise and handbook about Internet law, updated quarterly.
- Quarterly updates to Internet Law: The Complete Guide. 41 consecutive quarterly updates, numbered 101 through 141 (1998 to present).
- 3 Illinois Civil Practice Forms (St. Paul, MN: West Group, 2002). Revised volume of litigation forms for Illinois lawyers in the topical areas of Bankruptcy, Banks and Banking, Bills and Notes, and Blue Sky Law.
ARTICLES
- Brief article about the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA), written when Steve served as a National Reporter for the America Online E-Commerce Project.
- “Online Bidding Services for Construction Projects (Part 2 of 2),” Intermountain Contractor, Vol. 57, No. 9, p. 71 (September 2001).
- “Online Bidding Services for Construction Projects (Part 1 of 2),” Intermountain Contractor, Vol. 57, No. 8, p. 78 (August 2001).
- “Wireless Internet for the Construction Industry (Part 2 of 2),” Intermountain Contractor, Vol. 57, No. 5, p. 53 (May 2001).
- “Wireless Internet for the Construction Industry (Part 1 of 2),” Intermountain Contractor, Vol. 57, No. 3, p. 71 (March 2001).
- “Developing an Acceptable Internet Use Policy for Employees,” Intermountain Contractor, Vol. 57, No. 2, p. 49 (February 2001).
- “Entering Contracts by Computer (Part 2 of 2),” Intermountain Contractor, Vol. 57, No. 1, p. 39 (January 2001).
- “Entering Contracts by Computer (Part 1 of 2),” Intermountain Contractor, Vol. 56, No. 12, p. 71 (November 2000).
- “Into the Abyss and Back,” Newsweek Japan (Dec. 4, 2002), pp. 54-55.
WEB SITES, BLOGS, AND TWITTER
- Law firm Web site and blog.
- Uses blog format to facilitate updates and provide information.
- Provides general information about Internet and e-commerce law.
- Presents content related to the “Entrepreneurs Transcending Disability (EnTranDis)” group, an online community hosted on Facebook and LinkedIn, for entrepreneurs, would-be entrepreneurs, and self-employed people who deal with a physical or mental “disability,” but who are not letting the “disability” limit their opportunities to succeed in business.
JD Bliss Blog
Guest Blogger and regular contributor to, JD Bliss Blog, “a blog for attorneys seeking career satisfaction, work/life balance and personal growth.”
Representative posts:
- “Michelle Obama Puts the Spotlight on Work-life Balance for Lawyer-moms” (December 31, 2008).
- “In Challenging Economy, U.S. Lawyers Increase Pro Bono Service” (December 30, 2008).
- “Women Lawyers Transition to More Satisfying Careers” (November 16, 2008).
- “Matt Homann Shares His ‘Ten Rules About Hourly Billing” (October 28, 2008).
- “Susan Cartier Liebel” Explains Why Now Is a Perfect Time to Go Solo” (October 24, 2008).
- “Today’s Economy Prompts Rethinking the Billable Hour” (October 23, 2008).
- “‘Alternative Lawyer Jobs’ Site Helps Attorneys Find Alternative Careers” (October 22, 2008).
- “Does Work-life Balance Help Lawyers Serve their Clients Better?” (October 21, 2008).
- “Sumpter & Gonzalez Practices Criminal Defense by Treating the Client as a Whole Person” (October 20, 2008).
- “Losing Lawyers to Lack of Work-life Balance” (October 14, 2008).
- “Gravett & Gravett”: Divorce Attorneys Who Help Couples Save Their Marriages” (October 8, 2008).
- “Attorney John Rittelmeyer Champions Disability Rights” (October 7, 2008).
- “Stephanie West Allen Shares Mindfulness Resources for Lawyers” (September 18, 2008).
- “Ford & Harrison Sees Good Results from Eliminating Billable Hour Quota for First-Years” (September 16, 2008).
- “Lawyer Louis J. Farrah II Helps Save Baby Born with Heart Defect” (September 10, 2008).
- “The Economist Ponders the Fate of the Billable Hour” (September 1, 2008).
- “Working Mother” Magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers Announce Their 2008 List of the “50 Best Law Firms for Women” (August 25, 2008).
- “Tools to Help You Be Happy and Successful as a Lawyer” (August 19, 2008).
- “Dr. Paul Lanthois Advises Busy Professionals to Achieve ‘Work-Wife’ (or ‘Work-Husband’ Balance” (August 14, 2008).
- “Lack of Work-life Balance Can Be Fatal” (August 5, 2008).
- “Professional Coach James Dolan Advises Lawyers to Work—and Live—in the Present Moment” (July 31, 2008).
- “Want to Retain Your Attorneys? Try Mentoring” (July 29, 2008).
- “Stephen Ellis Offers Seven Simple Suggestions for Success and Happiness in the Law” (July 24, 2008).
- “Axiom Global Inc. Offers New Model for Delivering Corporate Legal Services” (July 20, 2008).
- “Law Society of Upper Canada Seeks to Retain Women Lawyers” (July 15, 2008).
- “Article Emphasizes the Importance of Attorney Cover Letters” (July 9, 2008).
- “ABA to Honor Women Lawyers at Margaret Brent Awards on August 10” (July 7, 2008).
- “Lawyers Look Past Perception Problems to Find Post-retirement Careers in Business” (June 30, 2008).
- “Venture Capital Firms Like Sofinnova Ventures Offer New Career Opportunities for Corporate Attorneys” (June 29, 2008).
- “Rhonda Joy McLean Uses Diverse Talents and Experiences in Law Practice and Life” (June 27, 2008).
- “NYC Bar Association Issues ‘Parental Leave Policies and Practices Report’” (June 25, 2008).
- “Being Truthful: Stephen E. Seckler Explains the Importance of Honesty During Job Interviews” (June 18, 2008).
- “Chinwe Enu: Pursuing an Opera Career” (May 20, 2008).
- “Jack Marshall Makes Legal Ethics Entertaining” (May 14, 2008).
- “In this Corner…Preston Halliburton Balances Careers as Lawyer and Professional Boxer” (May 5, 2008).
- “Justice Scalia Offers Different Perspective on Balancing Work and Family” (April 30, 2008).
- “Four Successful Attorneys Who Pursue Their Personal Passions in Their Professional Practices” (April 29, 2008).
- “Ex-‘Big Law’ Attorneys Overcome Obstacles and Start Successful Small Firms” (April 28, 2008).
- “New York State Bar Report Finds Work-life Balance Still Eludes Most Attorneys” (April 24, 2008).
- “Commercial Law League of America to Sponsor May 1 CLE Event in Chicago That Will Address the Billable Hour, Transitioning Between Firms, and Ethical Issues for Attorneys” (April 21, 2008).
- “Nathan Sawaya: Lawyer’s Love of LEGO Blocks Leads to a Life Outside Law Practice” (April 16, 2008).
- “Back to ‘Big Law’: John Liu and In Lee Move from Two-Lawyer Practice Back to Fenwick & West” (April 9, 2008).
- “Reality Check: Gloria Noh Cannon Counsels Caution on Moving to an In-house Job” (April 4, 2008).
- “Eversheds Report Discusses Work-life Balance and Other Trends Affecting Law Firms in the 21st Century.” (March 31, 2008).
- “Turning Experience into an Asset: One Lawyer’s Transition from Jurist to Private Attorney” (March 27, 2008).
- “Building a Better Legal Profession: Grassroots Group of Law Students Demands Commitment from Law Firms to Work-life Balance, Mentoring, Diversity, and Pro Bono Work” (March 21, 2008).
- “More Large Law Firms Such as Skadden Arps and Debevoise & Plimpton Seek to Improve Attorney Retention by Letting Lawyers Return to Firms After Extended Leaves of Absence” (March 9, 2008).
- “More Lawyers Are Blogging and Realizing the Benefits” (February 25, 2008).
- “Celebrating the Lives of Two Lawyers in Their Golden Years” (February 23, 2008).
- “Smiling at the ‘Solo’ Aspect of Solo Lawyer Practice” (February 19, 2008).
- “Work-life Balance: Helping Law Firms Recruit the Lawyers they Want” (February 18, 2008).
- “Allen & Overy Lets Lawyers Buy and Sell Vacation Time” (February 13, 2008).
- “Diversity at Kelley Drye & Warren: Law Firm and Corporate Clients Working Together” (February 9, 2008).
- “More Fathers Seeking Satisfying Balance Between Family Life and Work” (February 6, 2008).
- “Some Law Graduates Cheerfully Choose Alternative Careers” (February 4, 2008).
- “The Ford & Harrison and Strasburger & Price Law Firms Swap Mentoring and Training Time for Billable Hours for New Associates” (December 11, 2007).
- “Are You An Attorney Looking to Change Jobs or Careers? Look Before You Leap” (December 4, 2007).
- “Jim Karger: Former Labor Lawyer Finds Happiness in Mexico Helping Homeless Dogs” (November 26, 2007).
- “Bankruptcy Lawyers at Weil Gotshal Seek to Reschedule Hearings to Accommodate Winter School Breaks” (November 20, 2007).
- “What’s Your Motivation as a Lawyer?” (October 11, 2007).
- “2007 Wisconsin Solo Attorney & Small Firm Conference (November 29 and 30)” (September 25, 2007).
- “Billable Hours Aren’t Everything: One Group of Lawyers Takes Back Their Weekends” (September 20, 2007).
- “Lawyer Dads Cite Onsite Day Care as Key Work Life Balance Benefit” (September 12, 2007).
- “Solo Lawyer Offers Some Advice About Taking Vacations” (September 5, 2007).
- “Some New York Lawyers Now Bill at $1,000 Per Hour. So What?” (August 27, 2007).
- “California Bar Adopts Voluntary Civility Guidelines for Lawyers” (August 7, 2007).
- “Scott Turow’s Rallying Cry: The Billable Hour Must Die” (August 6, 2007).
- “Balancing Zealous Advocacy with Civility” (August 1, 2007).
- “Attorney Retention Tip: Keep Your Attorneys Motivated With Challenging Work and Meaningful Feedback” (July 30, 2007).
- “Solo Attorneys: Surround Yourself with Positive, Energetic People” (July 27, 2007).
- “Downsizing: Finding Happiness at (Much) Smaller Law Firms” (July 25, 2007).
LawyerCasting™
Guest blogger and former regular contributor to LawyerCasting™, “An Online Marketing ‘Best Practices’ Blog for the Legal Industry.”
Representative posts:
- “Boosting Adoption of Digital Media at Your Firm” (May 4, 2009).
- “When Producing Online Videos There’s a Fine Line Between Cost and Quality” (April 13, 2009).
- “Use Subtitles to Attract More Viewers to Your Online Videos and Keep Them Watching Longer” (April 7, 2009).
- “Should Lawyers Use YouTube? Of Course, But…” (April 1, 2009).
- “2 Free Tools to Check Your Law Firm Website for Broken Links and Duplicate Content” (March 27, 2009).
- “YouTube Traffic Exceeds 100 Million Unique Visitors For First Time in January 2009” (March 20, 2009).
- “Is Pay-Per-Click Advertising Worthwhile for Your Law Firm?” (March 16, 2009).
- “Formerly Skeptical Lawyers Now Use Twitter in Interesting Ways” (February 4, 2009).
- “LinkedIn for Lawyers 101” (January 20, 2009).
- “More Marketers to Embrace Online Video in 2009” (December 23, 2008).
- “16 Ways Lawyers Can Use Twitter” (December 18, 2008).
MaleDepression.com
A comprehensive, guy-friendly health information site, founded in March 2002, helping men who suffer from mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder. The site had approximately 1,200 registered users as of August 2009, and is a member of:
The site has been featured in articles in major news media outlets throughout the United States, including:
- WebMD,
- San Francisco Chronicle,
- Chicago Tribune,
- Newsday,
- Third Age,
- Parade magazine, and
- Men’s Health magazine.
Steve has also published an article about depression in Newsweek Japan.
Lawyer-boxer’s Blog
- Covering “the training, adventures, work, and life of a lawyer and amateur boxer.”
The Manly Teas Blog
A Weblog designed to provide information and news about tea, and to encourage more men to enjoy tea.
- Provides tea reviews, and
- Offers tea news headlines.
Steve’s Midlife Crisis
- “Midlife from a Man’s Perspective”
- A blog published regularly from September 2003 until December 2008.
- Blog is currently on an extended hiatus.
Daily Blog Tips
Guest Article: “10 Essential Legal Points for Bloggers” (April 28, 2008).
TWITTER-BASED NEWSFEEDS
The latest news about the legal issues arising in the new and expanding area of cloud computing.
The most current news about legal issues related to the Internet and social media.
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