Preston Halliburton: Another Lawyer-boxer

As many of you know, I'm also a guest blogger at the JD Bliss Blog. A few days ago, I posted about yet another lawyer-boxer, Preston Halliburton of Buckhead, Georgia. Here's a link to the story.

http://www.jdblissblog.com/2008/05/in-this-cornerp.html

I'd like to say that the number of us lawyer-boxers is growing. I've blogged before about other lawyer boxers, and about law-student boxers. However, I don't know if our numbers are increasing or if we're just getting more press and blog coverage. It doesn't really matter, though, as long as we're enjoying the sport. Keep training, everyone!

Happy Anniversary to Me!

On May 5, 1994, I set out on my own to establish my solo law practice. It's hard to believe that was 14 years ago, but that's how quickly time flies. I can honestly say that I have had no regrets whatsoever; I am blissfully self-employed. I have certainly learned many things along the way, and I would probably do some things differently on a second attempt, but no regrets. It's a great feeling! 14 years--woohoo!

Celebrate RSS Awareness Day!

Mental Training

Yesterday, I focused on doing some mental rehearsal. It was the first time I had done it in a while; I need to do mental training more often.

For Thursday's training session, I spent about 15 minutes visualizing how to handle effectively an opponent who is always charging and hitting very hard--he's a relentless attacker. During the visualization, I recognized the importance of staying light on my feet and being able to move quickly. I always think I can't do too much footwork practice, and this mental training session affirmed that.

My imaginary opponent for the visualization is a friend of mine named Dave. I have fought him twice. I beat him the first time and he came back strong and won the second bout. I am eager to challenge him to a rematch.

Mental practice helps to point out some techniques I need to polish, such as smooth, quick footwork. It also gives me some concrete ideas about strategy; I can try out different approaches and see what works.

A challenge for mental training is the duration of it. I find myself training mentally for about 15 minutes at a time, but then I leave it on the side for too long. I am going to try more frequent mental training sessions and see if that helps me stay focused and improve my technique.

New Blog Sighting

This morning, I happened upon a relatively new blog that has some good content and insights into our sport. It's called The Current Boxing Scene, and it is published by a fellow who calls himself "the boxing fanatic." According to the archives, this blog has been online for about two and a half months and provides very good commentary about what is going on these days in boxing. It's a fine blog and I hope "the boxing fanatic" will be posting more frequently. I already like what I see!

Hat tip to Marc at My Boxing Blog for the link.

Update:

Usually, I don't second-guess myself, but shouldn't that read "glove tip" instead of "hat tip." Or, maybe, "glove tap"? Nah, the latter is too aggressive--Marc might think I'm challenging him or something!

Another Monday

Just 52 minutes of roadwork today. Even better news is that I received my replacement debit card and, unlike the previous replacement card I had, I was able to activate this card and use it. Now I can renew my gym membership (which used the old debit card that got stolen).

Automatic, recurring payments are great--as long as they work. Having my debit card stolen has been a very educational experience about how even simple personal finances and banking can become complicated in this electronic age when various accounts can be linked to one another.

It will be difficult to enjoy the same convenience without the complexity and the interrelationships among my PayPal account, debit card, and bank accounts. Nevertheless, I am developing some backup strategies to make things a lot easier in the event this situation happens again. I hope it wont, of course, but I plan to be prepared for it anyway.

Update on UNB Law Students' Boxing Event

A few days ago, I wrote about an event that law students at the University of New Brunswick planned to hold in order to raise funds for the Lawyers Against Landmines organization. Since then, I have traded a couple of e-mails with Gavin Cosgrove, the event's organizer. He seems like a great guy and he was kind enough to send me this news update about the Knocking Out Landmines event, which was a great success.

Gavin and I have talked briefly about working together to host a USA vs. Canada boxing event featuring lawyers and law students. That would be great, since I've been pondering the idea of organizing another lawyers' charitable boxing event here in Chicago. He and I will talk further about this.

Congratulations to Gavin and the rest of the UNB law students who boxed and raised a lot of funds for the Canadian Landmine Foundation. Well done, lads (and lass)!

Hey, Who Ordered the Snow???

It snowed a little yesterday. A little uncommon, but not unheard of for Chicago on March 27. It's weird because the previous day was partly sunny and very wam--about 60 degrees.

Anyway, even in the snow, I managed 46 minutes of roadwork, then another 30 minutes today. I haven't been to the gym this week (it's a long, boring story). Anyway, keep up the good work everyone!

He's Back!

"He" is a fellow boxer-blogger named Duncan Higgitt who lives in Wales. He has recently resumed blogging. Here's a link to his site.

http://boxingaches2.blogspot.com

Welcome back, Duncan. It's good to see you online again and good to know you're staying with our sport!

It's a shame you're all the way in Wales. I'd be glad to invite you to my gym. It's a great place with lots of great people.

Keep punching, man! I hope your schedule and life commitments will allow you to keep with your training.

Law Students Set to Box in Charity Event

First, we have some lawyer-boxers (such as Marc Saggese and yours truly). Then we have a lawyer-boxer-turned-Aikido-practitioner. Then there's Marc, the first law student-boxer I have met online. Also, Brett Trout is a lawyer-cage fighter, also known as Iowa's Toughest Attorney.

Continuing the fine tradition of legal types as fighters, eight law students at the University of New Brunswick's law school will climb into the ring tomorrow to put on a boxing show to raise funds for the charitable group Lawyers Against Landmines. Pretty cool stuff, eh?

Here's the Web site for the event. If you happen to be in the area, check these guys out. They're hosting the event for a good cause and it looks like it will be a blast. New Brunswick's kind of far from me; otherwise, I'd love to attend.

I expect the law students and their audience will have a great time. (I wonder if they would allow lawyers who have already been admitted/called to the bar to participate.) Several years ago, I was privileged to box in a local fundraiser for the DuPage County Legal Assistance Foundation. It was serious fun and I hope to have the chance to participate in similar events again.

That gives me an idea. Wouldn't be neat if we had an organization for lawyers and law students that could periodically hold events like the Knocking Out Landmines event? We could help some worthy organizations, encourage lawyers and law students to maintain higher levels of fitness, and have fun doing it. What do you think? Post any ideas you have here in the comments, or feel free to e-mail me at steve@lawyerboxer.com.

To the New Brunswick law student-boxers: good luck in your event. I hope it will be a great time, a huge success for the fund-raising campaign, and a memorable and fun event for everyone. Let us know how it goes!

Updated on March 25, 2008 at 5:20 p.m.: Here is another news article about the event.

Updated on March 27, 2008 at 12:12 a.m.: I don't have any post-fight coverage of the event, but here's an additional story about it:

http://law.unb.ca/news/2008/03/knocking_out_landmines.html

Monday Brief Update

Nothing extraordinary going on in the training department here: just some roadwork (40 minutes today), shadowboxing, and mental training. Work has been consuming tons of time again. It's amazing how busy a guy can be doing essentially non-paying (or, as we lawyer like to call it, "non-billable" work). Oh well, just a temporary situation. Stay positive!

A New Yorker's Look at Gleason's Gym Gets Me Thinking

Jeremiah Moss recounts a visit to Gleason's Gym on his blog. It's not a bad read, as blog entries go, and much of its message resonates with me.

I grew up as an inner-city boy. I was multicultural before that word was used fairly widely in common parlance. I was diverse before diversity was a multi-million-dollar industry. I know the pain of seeing my beloved city (in my case, Chicago) become gentrified and lose its familiar roughness and grittiness.

While I train today at a gym that some might call "upscale," I'm no stranger to the rough-and-tumble world of the storied Windy City Gym and various Chicago Park District boxing gyms. While I am technically, I suppose--can you sense my ambivalence about this?--one of those "white collar" guys about whom Moss seems to have deep misgivings, I'm pretty simple and pretense never did much for me. I'm equally at home throwing down with a kid several years younger than me in a gym in a rough part of town, and boxing against another lawyer in a charitable fund-raising event.

While I could complain a bit about how Mr. Moss painted his picture of Gleason's Gym and its environs, my complaint would not really be about his message or even how he delivers it. My frustration may be the same as his: I lament the loss of many things that give our cities an identity that goes beyond block after block of what Malvina Reynolds famously called "little boxes."

One can't dismiss me as some sort of anti-progress Luddite who naively yearns for "the good old days." I'm a technology kind of guy. My law practice and much of my writing concentrate on Internet and computer law and I have lots of information technology experience. I don't dislike innovation and change; technological progress fuels my livelihood. Still, I don't necessarily think something is better just because it's new. I may be in the minority, but I feel a lot safer in integrated neighborhoods, where all kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds learn to live together peacefully, than I do in places where everyone looks the same, talks the same, lives in the same kind of house, and drives basically the same kind of cars.

I can't do very much to stop the tide of gentrification and all the phenomena that accompany it. But I don't have to like it and I certainly won't stop asking whether there are other, better ways to improve our cities.

Slow Training this Week

It has been one of those slow weeks of training. I wanted to do more this week, but the demands of work have required me to spend more hours on my law practice. That's fine. While I'm a bit disappointed, I remember that I am learning my livelihood as a lawyer rather than an athlete, and I am able to keep things in perspective. There are also some really good aspects of this week, so I want to share those, too.

• After almost 14 years, I am still positively thrilled to be in solo practice. It is the right fit for me. From talking with friends of mine over the years, as well as blogging for the JD Bliss Blog, I have learned that I am really blessed to be working on my own and not at one of the "law factories" (or in "big law," as it's often called). Sure, I have made my share of mistakes in solo practice and I've learned better ways to do things, but going solo in 1994 was undoubtedly the very best decision I have made in my career.
• I have been working with a new client and they have presented me with a fascinating legal issue. Because of professional confidentiality and the attorney-client privilege, I can't go into details here, but the project is perfect for my hyper-analytical mind; my neurons can really crunch on it and savor it. It's taking somewhat longer than I originally expected it would. I appreciate the client's patience and the opportunity to be at the forefront of important legal questions related to doing business on the Internet.
• I earn part of my living by writing. I update my book quarterly, to keep it current, and doing that helps me keep up to date, too.
• I earn part of my living by blogging. How cool is that?

Overall, at least in this moment, I am blessed and I am grateful.

Tuesday Roadwork and Shadowboxing

36 minutes today. Gotta keep going.

Blogging Lawyers Are Still Pretty Rare

Earlier this week, law marketing guru Larry Bodine pointed out that only about 10% of lawyers have blogs. Seeing that figure startled me. I read lots of legal blogs, so I had always been thinking a greater number of my colleagues had joined the blogosphere. Not so, says Larry.

He offers 7 compelling reasons to start a professional blog. I like his reasons and they offer me a reason to continue blogging. Additionally, knowing that, oh, about 90% of about 1 million lawyers in the USA do not currently blog, tells me that there is a large, and still untapped, market for consulting services to develop blawgs. As I said a couple of days ago, I love this Internet!

The Best Laid Plans O' Mice and Men

Hah! Foolish humans. They think they can plan stuff and actually make it happen. Don't they realize that various circumstances can quickly conspire to confound even their best efforts?

That's what happened to me on Thursday. I had planned--and hoped--to attend the free continuing legal education webinar, but a meeting I had ran longer than expected, so I missed the program.

Thanks to Peter Olson's blog, Solo in Chicago, I have found additional information about reasonably priced MCLE programs, such as MentorCLE. Obviously, cost is but one consideration in selecting CLE programs to attend, but since I am a solo lawyer, it's an important factor in my decision. I'd love to fly to New York or Los Angeles and spend two or three days soaking up all the latest developments in my areas of practice but that's not quite as feasible now as it was, say, in 2000. Nevertheless, I'm grateful for the opportunity to participate in the online programs because they really are convenient. On the other hand, the networking opportunities as great as the programs you attend live, but hey, these days we have blogs and MySpace and Facebook and LinkedIn for networking, right? Right?

Going to a CLE Program this Afternoon...

...in the comfort and convenience of my own home. I love this Internet!

Thanks to colleague, fellow Chicagoan, and fellow home office lawyer, Peter Olson, who mentioned this Web-based CLE program recently on his excellent blog, Solo in Chicago.

This webinar looks to be a really good program. While I don't currently have a trial practice, or any significant litigation practice* for that matter, I find it useful to stay as up to date as I can on trial issues, evidence, and court rules for at least three reasons.

First, you never know when I might get back into it, either as a decision to restructure my practice a bit or to work on a particular case that's especially interesting or where I can put my skills or passion to good use.

Second, while I concentrate my practice and writing primarily on Internet and e-commerce law for small businesses, it is important to stay reasonably connected to the areas of law that may affect my clients. Among other things, I need to be able to anticipate how various information might be used as evidence and counsel clients appropriately.

Third, since this particular CLE course deals with matters of ethics and professionalism, and particularly the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers, I believe that one can never study ethics and professional rules too much. The integrity of our profession, our service to our clients and to the public who has placed its trust in us, and our own ability to pursue happy and meaningful lives in the law depend on maintaining solid ethical foundations and buttressing them with continuing education.

I look forward to attending this program this afternoon. It's cold outside, but as I said, I needn't leave my comfortable home office to participate in it. Of course, just after the program ends, I'll need to attend a meeting at Northwestern University Hospital that is not available online, but I digress...

Thanks, Peter, for the heads-up about this!

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* Several years ago, about 90% of my law practice was litigation. It was a blast, a rush, and I enjoy being in court and crafting, refining, and presenting legal argument on behalf of clients. However, I also went four years in a row with no vacation.

Freezing Out There

I did roadwork and shadowboxing the last two days and it has been really cold! Yikes. 30 minutes on Tuesday and 16 minutes yesterday. I've been doing it on the street because the pavement is free of ice. The sidewalks are mostly free of ice, but at the end of each block, there is always a patch of ice, often black ice, that threatens to have me looking at the [street] lights, so staying on the pavement is easier and safer.

Some Thoughts About "Charging"

Recently, I was talking with a friend about boxing styles and technique. He commented on the tendency of some shorter boxers to "charge in" on their taller opponents head first, without even bothering to use their jabs or other punches. Since I frequently have to move inside on a taller opponent, here are some of my thoughts about "charging."

I use my jab a lot, all the time. I need to get inside and punch--that is very often a key component of my offense--but I have found that using the jab is the best and safest way to do that. Jab low. Jab high. Fake low and then jab high (nice to add a quick left hook after that one, if possible). Or throw repeated jabs at him while I'm working to cut off the ring.

I know what my friend meant about the shorter guys who charge a taller boxer head first. Some guys can pull it off, but to me charging seems like a recipe for disaster. For one thing, if you just charge in, you give up an opportunity to score with the punches that help you get inside. In amateurs, especially, that can really put you at a disadvantage since those bouts rely so heavily on points scored, and don't give you any extra credit for a hard punch unless you knock the guy out or really clock him hard enough to get the referee to stop the match. For another thing, not using the jab throws away the "built in" defense (as well as distraction) that you have when throwing the jab. You're a much easier target to hit.

That second point can compound yet another problem that happens when you charge: getting off balance. I can't recall seeing any boxer looking well balanced when he was charging his opponent. I have seen lots of instances where the charging boxer ends up in the ropes as his opponent quickly (and rather easily) steps to the side, or where the charger finds himself in a very awkward position at an angle where he can't punch, but can probably be hit pretty well.

Finally, if the other problems aren't enough, the risks of getting clobbered while charging are just too great to make doing it worthwhile. I have spent quite a few rounds in the gym practicing for dealing with chargers when my coaches thought I would be facing one. Charging can definitely be very intimidating when you are first starting out, but if you practice drills against it, charging seems like one of the most beatable approaches out there.

The boxer who is charging is in full view of his opponent; the boxer being charged can see everything the charger is doing and he's probably in a great position to launch his own attack with both hands. Think about it. If you're the taller boxer/puncher and if I try to charge you, when I end up at the edge of your "blasting range" (my friend's term), are you going to just wait for me to finish the charge, in effect saying, "Hey, come on in; it's all yours!"? I don't think so!!!

I think I learned to box pretty much the same way my friend did--placing a lot of emphasis on developing a good jab--so the jab is an essential element of my strategy. In addition to lots of rounds of using the jab on the heavy bag, I can remember countless more rounds of jabbing while stepping forward, jabbing forward and then moving one step back, jabbing while moving laterally to left and right, jabbing while circling, and so on. Heck, I still do those kinds of drills fairly often. I've been blessed to have coaches over the years who always emphasized the importance of the basics. I figure you can never really practice them too much. The basic punches, moves, defenses, and counters are the foundation of the sport.

Even after working on some new, "fancier" technique, I might still have to resort to the basics like a good left jab and hard right cross if I can't pull off the fancy-schmancy stuff for whatever reason. I had one bout against a taller guy who was about my level of skill and a hard hitter. I was ready for him. Man, I had been practicing quick hooks to the ribs and head, uppercuts for being in close, and so on: all the textbook technique. During the first round, I was faking a hook to the head, going for a hook to the body, and so on. The problem was that it wasn't working. The guy had kind of an unusual stance, plus he moved at some strange angles that made him hard to hit. Even worse was the fact that he was hitting me, a lot.

I was really frustrated after the first round. Back in the corner, my coach gave me some of the very best between-rounds help I've ever gotten. He said, "Steve, forget about all that fancy stuff. If you couldn't do it with this guy in the first round, it's not going to happen. Use your double-jab and right hand to get inside and then pound the guy with everything you've got."

I followed his suggestion and it worked great. The irony is that it was the basics, the Boxing 101 stuff, that let me get inside and start working the speedier combinations I had been practicing. The other boxer was a very tough opponent and brought out the best in me. It just so happens that the best was the elementary boxing skills. I love this game!

Friday Roadwork and Shadowboxing

1 hour today. It's like a swamp out there as the rain falls and the snow melts.