I AM a real lawyer!

I am writing not one, not two, but THREE legal memos in an effort, on three different cases, to persuade the judge to see it my way. 

 

Gosh, I can't remember the last time "law" ever came up in conversation in court.  The conversations are usually about one of two things: 1. What a bad and horrible person my client is based merely on the charges, and 2. why every single one of my clients who is charged with something should take the very fair plea being offered (to which I always respond, "It would only be fair / generous / reasonable if he were GUILTY, judge."  And then they usually snort or snicker with disdain.)

 

With all this law stuff, I'm starting to feel like a real lawyer!  The only reminder that I'm a fake lawyer is the difficulty I'm having with cogent legal writing.  It's true that if you don't use it you lose it.

 

I'm looking forward to hearing "Defense application denied" without any rational factual or legal explanation at the end of these hours and hours and hours of work.

nooooooooo!

Tim Wakefield left off World Series roster.

 

Words cannot express my devastation.

 

When the Red Sox released a charity wine, I bought Caberknuckle.  And I waited.  And waited.  For months.  For the right moment.  Then the moment came, just like I knew it would.  The ALCS.  I wore my Wake t-shirt.  I pre-gamed with my bottle of caberknuckle and a select few Red Sox fans.  I kept the bottle to add to my Red Sox shrine, right next to the Mr. Potato Head.  And Wake pitched an awesome game (at first).  I only regretted that I hadn't secured a second bottle, for when Wakefield helped win the World Series.

 

But alas, it is not meant to be.  #49, you'll always be my #1.

I have a really good story

But I can't tell you until the case is over.  Which isn't going to be anytime soon, and is unfortunate because it was a good one.

 

So instead I'll tell you this one.  I was on my way out of the courthouse when I saw my friend and coworker across the lobby.  He looked like he was filling out a form for a client, and it was lunch time, so I figured I'd wait with him and then we could get lunch.  His client and his client's friend were sitting with him, both young males.  As I approached, one of them said not-so-quietly under his breath to my friend: "Ooooh look who's comin to see you..."  The other one was trying to get the attention of another young female, who had clearly come to court to find a friend or family member that had been arrested.  He kept saying, "Hey.  What's your name.  Hey.  You're cute.  Hey.  What's your name?  My name is Roger.  What, we can't trade names?" and she kept ignoring him.  Then the other kid got into it, just as my friend was finishing up their paperwork.  Finally I ask, smirking, "Are you really trying to pick up chicks in court?  That seems like a terrible idea."  And the first one replies, "No way man!  It's perfect.  They're upset, they're vulnerable, their man just got 10 years, it's perfect timing!"  and the second one says to my friend, nodding in my direction, "Well look who came up to you!"  Ha.

vacation won't help.

Showing up to work every day has become difficult.  I have a staggering caseload, an all-time high number not only for me personally but the office caseload is at an all-time high as well.  Taking time off only exacerbates the problem - because then I come back to work and the same number of cases is there, except a week behind.  Or covered by another attorney and not done as I had preferred.  There's no way to keep up, and no way to predict what will actually happen as scheduled.  So I'm maybe 30% prepared for everything, fully prepared for nothing, and stressed about everything.

 

When something DOES go as / when scheduled, I can then finally fully prepare and abandon my other cases in pursuit of representing one or two people fully. 

 

And that's how my day goes, day after day after day.

 

I was supposed to call Mr. Smith to remind him to keep his appointment.  I was supposed to see if Ms. Lynch actually maintained her treatment program as she promised, otherwise her case will become a lot more complicated.  I promised Mr. Williams that I'd visit him at the jail, because we really need to discuss important elements of his case, but I just could not leave the office.  I meant to finish adding to that DWI motion but I never did, so I guess that issue will be overlooked one more time until I have the time to argue it adequately.  Besides, why argue it fully if the judge denies it every time I peripherally mention it?  I'm not sure whose phone calls I've returned and whose I still need to return.  It never goes away!

 

I am really looking forward to when the weather gets cold, in hopes of arrest numbers going down, and more time for me to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and a book.  Instead, the AC is still running, I'm still sweating profusely, and the work still goes on, and on, and on...