I am a trial lawyer who lives and practices in southeastern Connecticut. Preparing a case is all about research and writing.

Anyone who litigates cases is required thoroughly to educate herself the unique issues facing a client, and then to find the most efficient way to synthesize the information for the benefit of the court.

Among my first cases as a young lawyer was a dispute between a golf course owner and his resident greens keeper. To defend my client, the greens keeper, I interviewed turf experts in the departments of agriculture at two state universities. By the end, I could write and speak intelligently about obscure topics such as how properly to manage dollar spot disease on fairways. I was able to avoid a trial through effective negotiation.

My client enthusiastically agreed to trade his job as greens keeper in exchange for what he told me was more money than he thought he would see in a lifetime.

Since then, I've repeated the process many times with experts in all fields of endeavor.

Freelance writing requires exactly the same set of skills and is proving to be less stressful and, so, even more fun.

Travel > Travel Planning & Advice Family vacation on a budget

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In this summer of falling wages and rising prices, many of us are giving serious thought to the idea of replacing our traditional vacation with a so-called staycation close to home.

While it is certainly possible to plan special days for the family without venturing to the airport or spending long days on the highway, it can be a real of a challenge to find variety and new adventures close to home.

A surprising and relatively little-known resource for families looking for quality outings on a tight budget is the local public library. Increasingly, with the help of donations from p...

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