I’m a lifelong writer who has also worked as a lawyer and law professor. In recent years, writing has become my primary focus.
I’m the author of two novels, A Quicker Blood and Jealous Mistress.
I’ve written articles, book reviews, and op-ed pieces on the law, on travel, on the environment, and other topics, published in professional journals and in the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Daily News, the Baltimore Sun, the ABA Journal, the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, the Los Angeles Daily Journal, the San Francisco Daily Journal, and other publications
I’ve also worked as an editor on two publications.
Here’s a list of my publications as of September 2012.
Fiction
Two novels:
A Quicker Blood, a thriller published in 2009
Jealous Mistress, a murder mystery published in 2011
Both are available for purchase on Amazon.com.
“Neglect,” a short story published in Chicago Lawyer Magazine (prizewinner in its First Annual Fiction Contest), August 1993
San Francisco Chronicle Publications
Twelve op-ed/commentary pieces, January 2007-December 2011:
“No butts about it,” January 29, 2007
“A good man is not so hard to find…if he’s been cloned,” September 16, 2007
“Charitable organizations presume too much,” October 28, 2007
“Why emulate Chicago?,” June 16, 2008
“High heels are killers,” July 4, 2008
“Gender equality came via the keyboard,” September 14, 2008
“Toys for boys and girls,” December 24, 2008
“Federal waste we can end,” January 28, 2009
“Before you buy, ask: Is it reunion-worthy?” May 12, 2009
“To travel cheaply, sleep on the sofa,” July 23, 2009
“Unequal pay harms U.S. women,” April 23, 2010
“Politics afflicts the Christmas tree trade,” December 15, 2011
Chicago Tribune Publications
May 13, 1996, “Pension Problems Come Alive, Along with Practical Guidance” (book review of The Pension Book by Karen Ferguson and Kate Blackwell)
June 28, 1992, “Foul play: Some games have no winners” (commentary)
October 12, 1991, “How much is a child’s love worth?” (op-ed piece)
April 12, 1989, “Playing by the Rules” (travel)
September 11, 1988, “Law School Ladies’ Day is No Longer Such a Trial” (commentary)
March 15, 1987, “Intellect Can Sprout in London’s Bloomsbury” (travel)
November 23, 1986, “Questionable Language: to a Person, We Could Use This Cure For Sexism” (commentary)
March 18, 1986, “It’s All the Lawyers’ Fault!” (op-ed piece)
Money-saving tips for travelers to Paris, 1982 (also published in the NY Daily News)
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin Publications
March 21, 2003, “Author: Racial ‘pathologies’ still plague U.S.” (book review of “Interracial Intimacies: Sex, Marriage, Identity, and Adoption” by Randall Kennedy)
February 24, 2003, “A case of contempt” (book review of “The King of Torts” by John Grisham)
July 22, 2002, “Searching for truth; decisions of consequence” (book review)
October 23, 2001, “Structure your writing to make your point”
May 23, 2000, “Sometimes both sides lose” (book review)
November 19, 1999, “Sexual autonomy as the foundation for a new law on rape” (book review)
August 18, 1998, “Watch out! Your vacationing relatives may be ‘living with’ you”
March 11, 1998, “Getting tough in fight against pollution”
December 17, 1997, “State should recognize value of children’s companionship”
March 15, 1996, “Horrific acts spark attorney’s internal debate” (book review)
January 25, 1996, “Ensuring future security with private pension plans” (book review)
January 9, 1996, “Personal liability under Family Leave Act”
August 1, 1995, “Insurance case yields ruling on allocation”
June 22, 1995, “Insurer forced to cover sex abuse claim”
June 6, 1995, “Admission withheld, admission denied”
May 4, 1995, “2d Circuit says it’s reasonable to rely on insurance broker’s coverage statements”
April 27, 1995, “Distinguishing between law and equity”
April 11, 1995, “Officers escape some liability for failed S&L”
March 30, 1995, “Pollution case weighs personal liability”
September 12, 1994, “Appeals court rejects bank’s claim for lien”
July 13, 1994, “Judge allows parents to recover in vaccine-injury case”
May 24, 1994, “Court invokes two-part test for preferential transfers”
Nov. 19, 1993, “Making Adoption Accessible, Affordable and Acceptable” (book review of “Family Bonds” by Elizabeth Bartholet)
Oct. 20, 1993, “‘Lax business practices’ prove fatal in bank dispute”
May 24, 1993, “United flight attendants on strong legal grounds”
July 2, 1993, “Courts must do their part in fight against sexual harassment”
February 2, 1993, “Court rules IRAs exempt from a bankruptcy estate”
January 12, 1993, “Landowners’ indifference’ will not be rewarded: court”
November 2, 1992, “After 4 losses, lenders win in 5th Circuit”
Some Other Publications
“Legal Writing 101: Some tips on creating a framework that makes your documents clear and easy to understand,” The Recorder (legal publication in San Francisco) (December 21, 2009)
Book reviews of Unwanted Sex: The Culture of Intimidation and the Failure of Law by Stephen J. Schulhofer appear in 86 American Bar Association Journal 86 (August 2000); Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (Nov. 19, 1999); Los Angeles Daily Journal (Dec. 28, 1999); San Francisco Daily Journal (Dec. 28, 1999)
Book reviews of We Love Each Other, But by Dr. Ellen Wachtel appear in Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (May 23, 2000); Los Angeles Daily Law Journal (June 13, 2000); San Francisco Daily Journal (June 13, 2000); 22 Pennsylvania Family Lawyer 73 (Dec. 2000)
“You’re a lousy dentist!” November 1998 (focus: defamation), in the ADA Legal Adviser: A guide to the law for dentists, a monthly newsletter published by the American Dental Association
The high cost of getting old, August 1998 (focus: long-term care insurance), in the ADA Legal Adviser: A guide to the law for dentists, a monthly newsletter published by the American Dental Association
One patient’s tale of trouble, November 1997 (focus: insurance coverage), in the ADA Legal Adviser: A guide to the law for dentists, a monthly newsletter published by the American Dental Association
Do you want a perfect lawn or a healthy family? Pioneer Press Forum, May 30, 1996
Mozart and the Abuse of Women, Today’s Chicago Woman, April 1996
Granada Memories Will Live On (commentary), Chicago Sun-Times, March 5, 1990
Symbolic Synagogue (travel article about Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island), Raleigh News & Observer, January 1, 1989
Legal London: A Brief Walk Lets Visitors Judge Its Historical Treasures (travel), Baltimore Sun, Jan. 18, 1987
Legal London: A World Rich in History (travel), Chicago Sun-Times, June 15, 1986
A Walking Tour of Legal London: The Inns and Outs (travel), Raleigh News & Observer, May 18, 1986
Everything you always wanted to know about the federal judiciary (but didn’t know you could find in a book), Washington University alumni publication, 1985
Travel article about the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark, New York Daily News, 1982
Travel article about Paris, New York Daily News, 1982
Articles in professional journals
Book review, 86 American Bar Association Journal 86 (August 2000), reviewing Unwanted Sex: The Culture of Intimidation and the Failure of Law by Stephen J. Schulhofer
Preemployment Inquiries and Examinations: What Employers Need to Know About the New EEOC Guidelines, 45 Labor Law Journal 667 (1994)
Book Review, 17 Illinois Family Law Reporter 159 (July 1994), reviewing Elizabeth Bartholet, Family Bonds: Adoption and the Politics of Parenting (1993)
The Fourth Circuit decides that ‘indifference’ will not be rewarded, March 1993, Environmental Control Law (Illinois State Bar Association newsletter)
Twenty Tips for Associates, 7 CBA Record 24 (Feb. 1993) (with Elias N. Matsakis), reprinted in 34 Law Office Economics & Management 143 (1993) and selected by the editor to appear in LOEM Manual at sec. 18.07 (1993 update)
Hoffman Homes decision limited USEPA’s power to regulate isolated wetlands, September 1992, Environmental Control Law (Illinois State Bar Association newsletter)
A Fairer Hand: Why Courts Must Recognize the Value of a Child’s Companionship, 8 Thomas M. Cooley Law Review 273 (1991)
Book Review, 62 Kentucky Law Journal 1161 (1974)
Business-Sponsored Mechanisms for Redress and Arbitration, in Staff Studies Prepared for the National Institute for Consumer Justice (1973)
The Captive Patient: The Treatment of Health Problems in American Prisons, 6 Clearinghouse Review 16 (May 1972), reprinted in Medical and Health Care in Jails, Prisons, and Other Correctional Facilities: A Compilation of Standards and Materials (American Medical Association, Commission on Correctional Facilities and Services, 1973)
Legal Analysis of Problem Situations, in Freya Olafson, Confidentiality: A Guide for Neighborhood Health Centers (Monograph No. 1, Neighborhood Health Center Seminar Program, 1971)
Abortions for Poor and Nonwhite Women: A Denial of Equal Protection?, 23 Hastings Law Journal 147 (1971) (with Alan Charles)
The State of Emergency Medical Services Under the Highway Safety Act, or Don’t Be Caught Dead in an Ambulance, 5 Clearinghouse Review 72 (June 1971)
A Child of a Different Color: Race as a Factor in Adoption and Custody Proceedings, 17 Buffalo Law Review 303 (1968)
Editing
Editor of the Almanac of the Federal Judiciary: Profiles of All Active United States District Court Judges (1984-85)
Editor and author of articles in the ADA Legal Adviser (newsletter published by the American Dental Association; winner of the 1998 Silver SNAP award) (1996-98)
susanjustwrites
Susan Just Writes 