We’ve all been there. The phone rings and the dreaded “unknown caller,” obscure area code, or “1-800-some annoying telemarketer” pops up on the caller ID. Frustrating? Yes. Borderline harassing? Sometimes.

In the next few weeks, the SEC and the heads of various stock exchanges will be telling you how to invest your money. “ The biggest U.S. equity markets will urge regulators to begin a program next month for temporarily halting individual stocks that swing more than 10 percent…” So who does he, she, or they want to protect?

Odds are you’ve been contacted by a debt collector at some point. Even if it wasn’t your debt, maybe they called you about your ne’er-do-well brother, cousin, or ex-boyfriend. You know that debt collector is just doing his or her job, but it’s really frustrating!

jurors, judges, opposing counsel, future employers, current employers, disgruntled romantic interests and everybody else all have one thing in common: access to the internet! And while it’s true that jurors and judges—in particular jurors— shouldn’t be indiscriminately Googling, blogging, tweeting, or texting about ongoing trials, the reality is that they do. A lot. Even if they are told not to. By the judge.

Being a lawyer at a cocktail party is a little bit like being a doctor at a cocktail party: everyone wants you to diagnose their legal problems. That can be very challenging what with the liability issues involved, and problems with stepping on another lawyer’s toes. But the most disconcerting question lawyers get asked is “Why won’t my lawyer return my calls?”

One of the scariest things in a lawsuit is when a litigant believes the judge has it in for him or her. Of course, everyone thinks at one time or another that the judge “just doesn’t like me!” But it’s different when you’re firmly convinced that the judge has aligned with the other side against you.

A process server approaches a Gentleman from out of town, announced himself and his business and offers the Gentleman the papers. The Gentleman declines to take them, so the process server droppes them at his feet. The Gentleman then bends down, picks them up, and walks away—disgruntled I’m sure. So what’s the legality of dropping the papers at his feet? Completely legal, if he refuses to accept service.

We wrote a little about going pro se–representing yourself–in our FAQs, but this recent article in the Los Angeles Times got us thinking about the issue even more.

We recently went to court on a minor matter for one of our clients. The lawyering part wasn’t so interesting–the plaintiff didn’t show up–but the people watching was fascinating.

We’ve danced around the issue of whether you should sue, and how quickly you have to decide. But we really have avoided the underlying issue: suing responsibly in what is often regarded as an overly litigious society. When we’re faced with cases like the Washingtonian who sued for $64 million over his pants, which were lost by the dry-cleaners, it’s easy to see why society is all up in arms about changing the way lawsuits and damage awards work.