Well, it’s the first day of the year, and I’m excited to see what 2014 has in store. I’m looking forward to more blogging about contracts and the business of law here, as well as working on Blue Maven Law, LLC, my new project that I’m launching today.
One of the best decisions I’ve made in recent years was pulling the trigger on launching this blog three years ago. I’ve met a ton of great people through the blog and other web 2.0 platforms. My life–both professional and private–is much more full than if I’d remained in the shadows. Since I launched the blog, I’ve averaged a little under one post per week, although I’ve been pretty silent for the past several months as I’ve focused much of my energy on my new law firm concept.
I wrote a few articles in 2013 that I’m proud of and think you might like, if you missed them. My favorite post of all time is How to Sign a Contract. I’m neither academic nor novice, but a practitioner who has spent a little over a decade in the trenches. How to Sign a Contract brings the best of what I have to offer in a practical how-to post that seems to resonate with both lawyers and business people. Some great conversation also broke out in the post’s comments. I hope to write more pieces like that in the coming year.
A couple of other practical posts are Five Tips for Keeping Track of Contract Versions and Why You Should Review Key Contracts Before You Sell Your Business. In 2013 I published form contracts for the first time. In both Sample Contract for the Sale of Goods and Simple Asset Purchase Agreement I explore the concept of drafting contracts that are no more complicated than appropriate for the occasion, which I discussed in Considering a Contract’s Legal-Battle Rating.
I continued my tradition of trying to serve as a resource to my fellow members of the Missouri Bar in Non-Competes in Missouri, but I don’t plan to write in 2014 summaries of Missouri cases, such as Missouri State Contract Cases 2012 (Part 09): Personal Guarantee, Rescission, and TCPA. I’ll continue to read all the corporate law cases from the 8th Circuit and Missouri courts, but I’ll only write about the ones that are the most interesting to me.
Although the article is nearly two years old, Battle of the Forms Explained (Using a Few Short Words) was my most-read piece in 2013. Apparently, the 1,800-word article, which uses a few large words in addition to the short ones and is by no means a light read, has some utility. Unless it somehow falls off Google’s radar, in 2014 it’ll become my first post with 100,000 page views.
Thank you for reading, commenting, sharing, and connecting in 2013. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
