The children must play

True or False: All attorneys are top notch professionals, above the petty games of small minded individuals.

If you answered true, read on.

Today, we had a high conflict situation with another attorney office. Right in the middle of negotiations they stopped answering their phone. Ok, this is the middle of Friday and some offices close. But low and behold, their fax machine decided to close early. All of a sudden, their fax stopped picking up - almost like it was unplugged. Unplugged? That would be unprofessional !?

Where is the glamour?

Many people think lawyers represent power, glamour, and wealth. The reality can be drastically different. Most lawyers experience overwhelming stress. We deal with destroyed lives day in and day out. In the less serious case, people can lose their homes or children. The outcome of our client's situation rides on our skill and preparation. And statistically, 50% of the cases are lost. That presents a tremendous amount of stress on us that are constantly worried about your clients. We are the hardest working people that I know - with not much in the way of rewards.

A whirlwind of activity this weekend

I have a hard fast rule: do not work on the weekends. I did just that in my past life and it was never worth it. But this weekend will need to be an exception. next week I have several very important hearings. All of them require complex visual aids to be put together. I like to think of hearings being like a game of show and tell. But I believe the emphasis always needs to be on "show." That is why I always have lots of documents, pictures, and color timelines to show the judge.

I'm back!

Sorry about that. But even a dedicated blogger has to take breaks. Lots of interesting hearings, clients, and experiences over the last month. Stay tuned and I will share. :-)