One of my least favorite phrases in blogging is “repurposing content.” The verb “repurposing” hurts my ears. You can give something a purpose, but you’re not “purposing” it. And if “purposing” isn’t a verb, how did “repurposing” become one?

While I hate the term, I love the concept. We’ve posted to this blog over 550 times since 2009. Every one of those posts was not completely unique in all respects. Take, for example, my posts about the pros and cons of mandatory workplace arbitration. I posted about that last year. Shortly thereafter, the California Business Law Reporter asked to publish a version of the post. Then last month, Cal CEB asked me to do a guest post for their CEB Blog on the topic. I then posted here about doing the guest post for CEB. So while I may complain about the term “repurposing content,” I’ve repurposed the heck out of that content.

If writing blog posts is as easy as taking something you’ve done before and putting a new spin on it, why has it been 25 days since my last post? (It’s OK to admit that you”be missed me. I’ve missed you, too!) My absence is due to the fact that I’ve been preparing for trial. The case was supposed to start trial today and we were ready to go. Witnesses lined up, pretrial motions filed, opening statement rehearsed, testimony outlined, exhibits organized, I mean ready. Then we show up at court at 8:30 this morning and the judge tells us he’s in the middle of another trial and to come back in January.

Copyright: antoniodiaz / 123RF Stock Photo
Copyright: antoniodiaz / 123RF Stock Photo

So as that date approaches, we’ll need to meet with witnesses again, refamiliarize ourselves with the extensive documentation, and gear up once more. This brings me to the actual point of this post. That would be a rare event in a case going to arbitration, but it’s perfectly normal in trials. You get ready, show up for trial, learn you’re not getting out, and come back months later. It’s hugely inefficient and expensive for the client. Therefore, we can add that to the list of “pros” of workplace arbitration – the hearings tend to start when they’re supposed to start.

In case you’re wondering, I do not see myself repurposing this particular content. I’m more likely to use it as an egregious example of burying the lede.