Rejection Letter

I got an email from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission yesterday informing me that I have not been selected for hire. I don't know what I applied for or when, but it has to have been before January 15. Their vetting process for job applications must be incredibly thorough.

Emotional Roller Coaster

I ran away to law school because I thought accounting was too boring. I'm not bored anymore, but I am stressed.
It's a major thrill to file a big, beautiful brief that busts the opposition's chops with a perfectly crafted legal argument. On the other hand, it's a real punch in the gut to get a brief from the other side and have to read a twenty-page takedown of that argument. Either way, the adrenaline rush is continuous. My hair is much grayer now than it was when I applied to law school. I hope it makes me look experienced.

Straight Talk

If you want to hear some really frank talk about race, spend time around trial lawyers. Hardly a week goes by in the office without a conversation about the challenges associated with having a Black or Latino client, juror, judge, or opposing counsel. With big bucks on the line, lawyers can't afford to be delicate about such issues. I'm sure race comes up even more among criminal attorneys.

Citation, Schmitation

I have already forgotten most of what I knew about proper legal citation. My firm has a house style that has nothing to do with the Harvard Blue Book or the ALWD manual. If I were a law clerk, I'd probably look askance at the briefs I file. Hopefully the clerks who read my stuff are more open-minded than that.

Mo' Money, Mo' Lawyers

Unfortunately, you get as much justice as you can afford. One of my firm's clients is suing two defendants: one with money and one without. The big money defendant has a big money law firm that fights every point of law tooth and nail--we've had to work like crazy just to keep them in the case. The small money defendant has a small law firm that barely understands what's going on--I assume the firm just has a general practice and has never had to deal with the statutes we're suing under.
The situation is as frustrating for us as it must be for the outmatched defendant. If we get a big judgment, it will probably be against the guy who can't afford to pay it. The rich defendant could write us a check right now, but it would rather spend the money on its attorneys.

Loser

Last week the court ruled on one of the first motions I ever filed. Denied! My colleagues' attitude was essentially, "don't sweat it, judges almost never grant those." If anything, that made me feel worse. I probably racked up $1000 in billable hours fighting for that motion. An awful lot of legal fees get wasted on high-risk, low-yield legal maneuvers.

Infinite Loop of Legal Argument

Last week I wrote a document called the Plaintiff's Reply to Defendant's Response to Plaintiff's Motion to Quash Defendant's Request. This is why I love practicing law.