Lori Duff Writes

Hi.  My name is Lori, and I’m a recovering lawyer.

After thirty years practicing law, I decided to start doing what I always wanted to do, and what I always secretly did, which is write.  I started with a blog on the Patch, and achieved “Star Patcher” status.  That led to a humor blog and a legal column on Your Local News.  Then my own website, an award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, a spot on the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop faculty, and a blog on the Huffington Post. I’ve also won a few awards, including the Georgia Bar Journal’s annual fiction competition (in 2022 and 2023) and the Foreword Indies Gold Medal for humor.  Oh yeah, I also wrote a few books.

Check this out, for example:

After a while, it got to be that all I wanted to do was write.  Nowadays,  I don’t go anywhere without my trusty laptop in case I should have five spare minutes.  I’m at the point now where I can say I’m a writer who practices law on the side, which is a much healthier way to be, at least for me.  There’s a reason why you can retire from the military after twenty years – wage war for longer than that, and something can snap in your brain if you’re not careful.  Ghost writing is a natural extension of the skills I learned being a lawyer.  I know how to research, how to knuckle down and get things done, I know how commas can change the meaning of a sentence, and I understand the value of a real deadline.  Plus, I type about a hundred words per minute, which makes me pretty darned efficient, if I do say so myself.

I’ve taken on some leadership roles along the way.  I am a past president of the Georgia Council of Municipal Court Judges. (Yes, I am a municipal court judge: no, you don’t have to refer to me as “Your Honor.” But you may.)  I serve as the 2022-2024 president of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.  That’s a pretty sweet gig, if you don’t count all the work behind it.  I got to interview both Matt Bai and Rick Bragg at our 2023 conference.  I’m a member of the National League of Pen Women, but I’m not in charge of anything there.

My children have flown the nest, but occasionally come home to disrupt my routine and allow me to spoil them.  My husband remains comfortably snuggled in the nest, leaving only for doctor’s appointments and Publix runs.  Then there’s Lincoln, my beautiful rescue dog.  I can consistently make Lincoln happy, so he’s where I put my efforts.  I mean, look at this face.  Don’t you want to give him a treat?

In addition to this website, you can also find me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LoriBDuff

And Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/loribduffauthor/

And LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/loriduffwrites

And Threads:  @loriduffwrites

And TikTok: @loriduff

Bwa ha ha ha ha.  I’m everywhere.