Michael P. Maslanka

June 20, 2005 | National Law Journal

Ah, summer! Let's hit the beaches, swim in the surf, pour on the tanning oil, and trade our briefcases for beach bags. Summer also opens clogged calendars, allowing busy general counsel time to reflect, think, and read. Here, then, is this summer's reading list to help corporate counsel work better, faster, and smarter.

By Michael P. Maslanka

7 minute read

May 30, 2013 | Daily Report Online

Facts don't clarify, stories clarify. Here are 10 scenarios of client frustration with the law and lawyers, plus 10 stories that the general counsel can use to educate, ease and explain.

By Michael P. Maslanka

6 minute read

May 14, 2012 | Texas Lawyer

The hot legal question of the day is this: Can employers ask applicants for their Facebook password as part of the hiring process? Michael P. Maslanka offers one piece of advice employers' lawyers need to share with their clients: Do not ask a job applicant about or investigate matters that are irrelevant to the hiring decision.

By Michael P. Maslanka

7 minute read

February 18, 2008 | National Law Journal

Remember that the company is firing people, not widgets. The law and the jurors prefer human decency over legal virtuosity.

By Michael P. Maslanka

6 minute read

September 02, 2013 | Texas Lawyer

There are two types of employment cases: those teaching empowerment and those illuminating disaster. Let's talk disaster, the stuff that gets burned into our neural pathways, imparting lessons learned and never forgotten.

By Michael P. Maslanka

6 minute read

November 07, 2011 | Texas Lawyer

Been to a singles bar lately? Checked out an Internet dating site? Not that he would know, writes Michael P. Maslanka, but he hears that the No. 1 question is, "So, what do you do?" The question enslaves if used as a proxy for valuing people, but it liberates if used as a starting point for understanding them. Art illuminates the contrast between life and work. It can teach values, provide clarity and generate understanding, he says.

By Michael P. Maslanka

6 minute read

December 24, 2012 | Texas Lawyer

Michael P. Maslanka wants to talk legal etiquette — the real deal, though. No platitudes on returning phone calls promptly, promising to adhere to a budget or proclaiming knowledge of the client's business. No, it's about the hard stuff, which is more immediate, useful and hard-wired. He offers an etiquette guide for the hopeful, the aspiring and the bewildered.

By Michael P. Maslanka

7 minute read

May 13, 2013 | Texas Lawyer

Facts don't clarify, stories clarify. So, here are 10 scenarios of client frustration with the law and lawyers, plus 10 stories that the general counsel can use to educate, ease and explain.

By Michael P. Maslanka

7 minute read

April 22, 2011 | The Legal Intelligencer

The Family and Medical Leave Act continues to bedevil corporate counsel. The idea is a good one: providing 12 weeks of unpaid leave for employees who find themselves or their close family members incapacitated. But implementing a worthwhile idea is an entirely different matter than legislating it. Let's look at whether 2010 brought clarity or confusion.

By Michael P. Maslanka

7 minute read

July 15, 2013 | Texas Lawyer

I am grateful for my speaking gigs over the last 25 years. A friend who's a new lawyer asked what advice I would give aspiring speakers. Here are 10 things attorneys can do to excel in front of an audience.

By Michael P. Maslanka

6 minute read