Personal Blog
Notes by Julia Nagibina
A practicing lawyer's thoughts on law, business, and life
The Pencil and the Eraser: When the System Erases You
2020, pandemic. I am a lawyer with experience — and someone rubbed my name out of a journal. No document, no person. How the system works when nobody watches.
Read more →Yandex Double Standards: Free Speech for Some
A court upheld a client's right to call a lawyer 'rude' — that is an opinion. When I tried to post a fact-based review about a court, moderation refused.
Read more →If You Have to Explain It, You Don't Need To
I used to choose people by their skills. Now I choose by values. Brilliant at work, but not aligned on what matters — simply not my kind of person.
Read more →Building Immunity to Free Work: A Two-Day Lesson
I spent two days on someone else's case for free — built the strategy, found the ace, sent the audit. The client took the roadmap and vanished.
Read more →How I Lost a Client: The Cost of Overconfidence
Fifteen years ago I won a case and still lost the client — because of my own overconfidence. Waiting to pick up the court document cost more than any defeat.
Read more →Collective Punishment in Schools: Legal Nonsense
A deputy proposed punishing the whole class for one student's offence. The impulse is understandable. Legally, it is a step back to the Code of Hammurabi.
Read more →The Family Help Trap: How Experts Get Devalued
A lawyer spends decades rescuing family for free. When they name the value of that work, they hear: 'But this benefits you too.' Sound familiar?
Read more →The Building Manager Hated Me — I Sold for 30% Above Market
For ten years I demanded that the building management company do its job. They hated me. When it came time to sell, my flat went for 30% above market.
Read more →Daycare Until 8 PM: Treating Symptoms, Not the Disease
Extending daycare to 8 pm looks like a win for parents. As a lawyer and a mother, I see it as patching a hole in a sinking boat without bailing.
Read more →Learned Helplessness: WB Sellers Lose Their Money Twice
First the warehouse burns. Then a chat bot says the contract can't be challenged — so the seller walks away. What I see happening to WB sellers every week.
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