My eldest daughter is a (gulp) high school senior. While she’s knee-deep in college applications and essays, I’m struggling to come to terms with the fact that this time next year my baby won’t be at home. To make sure I can help her if god forbid a life-altering accident and illness happens to her, I will be having her sign basic estate planning documents once she turns 18. Why? Believe it or not, even though you pay all of the bills for your 18-year-old and still do her laundry, in the eyes of the law, she is legally an adult and you have no more rights to her medical information than you wo ..read more

Get it in writing. If I could give influencers and other content creators just one piece of advice, that would be it. Every deal needs to be in writing. Make no mistake. If you are creating content and want to get paid for your work, you my dear are running a business. This is true whether you are working with an established company or with the gal next door. Get it in writing. Why? Emails get lost. People forget. People lie. Yes, people lie. Even people you know well can lie when money is on the line. Especially when money is on the line. If you want your business to be taken seriously, and ..read more

Attention parents with swimming pools. Should you have other parents sign a liability waiver and release, like the ones you sign at an indoor trampoline park, before you allow their kids to swim in your backyard pool? I’ve been both a parent and swimming pool owner for seventeen years. There’s a definite an uptick in the number of kids showing up at my door in swim suits with towels in hand once the temperatures start to hit the 90s. Here’s the bad news. The greatest amount of financial and legal risk you will ever take with regard to your home is owning a swimming pool. What risks? Serious ..read more

My mommy works on the computer and FaceTimes people. She is really good at her job. That’s how my first grader described what my job is in a recent school writing assignment. While I appreciated the complement, it made me realize just how hard it is to explain to my little girl what a lawyer is, especially one like me who doesn’t go to court. Her Fisher Price Little People Community Helpers set doesn’t include an in-house lawyer who drafts, reviews, and negotiates commercial contracts. If you are a lawyer mom like me who wants her kids to know all of the amazing things lawyer moms do, check ou ..read more

Have you read Instagram’s Terms of Use? Probably not. Don’t feel bad. A 2017 Deloitte survey found that 91% of people consent to terms of service without reading them. For people ages 18-34, that rate was even higher, 97% did so. Whether you are posting photos on Instagram for your main gig or side hustle, or just for fun, here’s what you need to know about what Instagram can do with them. Spoiler alert. It’s not good. You own your photos… Yes, you own your photos. From the moment you snap a photo, your ownership or copyright in the photo begins. You can do whatever you want with it, including ..read more

“As a woman, you can be a literal supreme court justice and still get shouted down like someone’s little sister isn’t exactly encouraging news.” Just ask Sonia Sotomayor. Manterrupting is the annoying tendency of men to talk over and interrupt women. One of the reasons my girls are in co-ed schools is to learn how to deal with interrupting boys (and men). I’ve taught them to say “I was speaking” when interrupted by a boy rather than “But … ”, “Yes, and … ”, “Can I just … ” to get back in the conversation, or worse, being silent and letting the boy continue to talk. It’s a really hard skill to ..read more

Gen-Xers, do you remember Spencer Elden? You may not remember his name, but you certainly will his genitals. Or at least how they looked when he was a baby. Yes, Spencer was the baby featured on Nirvana’s Nevermind album, drifting naked in a pool, seemingly reaching for a dollar bill dangling on a hook. Anyone who’s ever experienced a “Code Brown” during a toddler swim class knows just how crazy a naked baby in a pool really is. I was in high school when the album came out and remember being too creeped out by the cover to buy it. But not enough to not listen to Nirvana. A lot. Still do. Heck ..read more

“I would rather retake the bar exam for two weeks straight than have to repeat the balancing act I miraculously achieved for months on end last year.” Strong words from a fellow lawyer mom describing what a disaster the last 18 months have been for working moms in a recent article for Vox. Affordable, universal, high-quality childcare? Tackling work culture and policies that are often stacked against working moms? Prirorities for sure. But as a working mom for 16+ years, I’m going to add one more. One common refrain I’ve heard from a lot of working moms during the pandemic is “I make less mone ..read more

I almost crossed paths with Britney Spears on my honeymoon. My husband and I were hiking up the volcano on Nevis in the Caribbean, a hike that required a machete-wielding guide to break the path. As our guide happily slashed through the vegetation without cutting off any body parts, he regaled us with tales of all of the celebrities he had led up the volcano, including, the day before, Britney Spears. Britney was an integral part of the soundtrack to my high school and college years, her music played at every high school dance and college mixer. (You Drive Me) Crazy still makes every one of my ..read more

Who says kids get to have all the fun in summer? We parents know there’s not a whole lot of relaxation and fun in store for us this summer. We can look forward to summer camp drop offs and pick ups, endless requests for snacks, desperate pleas of boredom, and attempts to apply sunblock on kids resembling a wrestling match with a gator. One sure and easy way to include a little fun into summer is reading a good book. I’m never without my Kindle Paperwhite, waterproof and glare resistant, perfect for reading by the beach or pool. Here are my picks for books to add a little fun into your summer ..read more