I know that I usually start the year with my list of things that in-house lawyers should be watching out for over the course of the coming year.  I will still post that blog in the next week or two.  To be honest, it’s been kind of crazy watching national and global events unfold over the past couple of weeks, so I am still refining my list (and waiting to see what else pops up in the next few days).  I also wanted to mix things up a bit to keep the blog fresh and not feel I have to do everything exactly the same as I have done things in the past.  This first post of 2025 started with a conversation with an in-house lawyer about things they could do to be more effective this coming year.  Which, as always, got me thinking about what I would do if I were in their shoes. Like most of my ideas (good, bad, or wildly shitty[1]), it just popped into my head that, in addition to the typical goals everyone creates for the year, every in-house lawyer should consider starting the year with some “New Year’s resolutions” designed to help them enhance their effectiveness, well-being, and contributions to the legal department (and the company). Unlike most New Year’s resolutions, I wanted these to be practical, manageable, and realistic. So, I put pen to paper and started to sketch out a few resolutions.  After about 15 minutes, I had way too many, which is a recipe for getting nothing done.  So, I just stopped writing and started culling.  These are the ten that made the list for 2025.  If I do this again, 2026 will likely be very different but you’ll have to stick around for 12 months to find out (how’s that for quality foreshadowing?).  But, enough of this blather.[2]  Let’s get going!  This edition of “Ten Things” sets out ten New Year’s resolutions all in-house lawyers should consider adopting:

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