Born on the hottest day in 1958 in a hospital about a mile from my practice, son of a lawyer who was a lot like Atticus Finch, I have been appearing in court since I was a teenager. The people of my hometown are just plain folks who really dont understand how the outside world has made their lives complex. Thats where I have found work for I am schooled in the secret knowledge of lawyers. Enough about me, I now am told I should use this space to disclaim that anything I have said here or on any blog should be taken by the individual reader to constitute legal advice. Instead, if you think you have more than a passing interest in any topic I touch on, you should consult an attorney.
You may find yourself living in a shotgun shack, And you may find yourself in another part of the world, And you may find yourself, behind the wheel of a large automobile And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife. And you may ask yourself “Well, how did I get … More Same As It Ever Was
This summer this lawyer found himself, purely by accident in a venue employed to create a reality TV show, The Jersey Shore. Then several weeks later Hurricane Sandy was barreling down on this boardwalk, benignly referred to as “Seaside Heights” on the map. It is not some comfortable venue for bourgeois America like perhaps Cannon Beach, Oregon. Instead … More Biblical Event on the Jersey Shore
In the summer of 2006, I trekked again north to attorney John Weston’s cabin out in the wild. This time, I brought my then 12 year old, Johnny. It was time for Johnny to get away from the TV, the video games and other devices that require electricity, which comes at a premium when one … More Its Not That Easy, Being Green Part I
We woke the first morning in Weston’s cabin to see a moose across the creek feeding. In fact, we saw so many moose we decided they were an insurgency, and declared them to be the Moosahadeen. Beaver, muskrat and other four legged creatures thrived under a sky filled with raptors of one kind or another. … More Its Not That Easy Being Green Part II
We few, We Happy Few We band of brothers For he that sheds his blood with me today shall be by brother; Be he ne’re so vile, this day shall gentle his condition: And gentlemen now in England now a-bed shall think themselves cursed they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap while any … More The Greatest Generation
There was another young man who used to work for us, sometime trading the job with Sam who went to war. His name was Ben, and he instead went to biology. Ben got tired of the intermittent funding of biology and decided to go to law school. Things of course are not what they were. One must recognize the … More Work Life Balance
It doesn’t seem all that long ago that a young college student came to work for our firm. Sam had a knack for languages and we encouraged him to complete his studies while he was making copies of endless pleadings for us, mere mercenaries in the war between the men and the women. One day … More When Sammy Comes Marching Home, Huzzah
Sometimes I wonder about this job. Law exists to resolve conflict. Working the law means inviting conflict to be the subject matter of my trade, as opposed to say a mechanic who invites fixing broken automobiles to be his trade, or a sailor invites the sea to be his profession. The concept of sailing away keeps spirits up. Practicing … More We Can Sail Away
Fellow traveler The post season of baseball is upon us, which reminded me of events of 1999 here in Seattle, and lead me to reprint what was written about it 10 years later. Baseball, like a bright star in the heavens, return to us each spring and shine upon us until fall. A heavier Ken … More And Jose Mesa Wept
For years I have been publishing Lawyers Road Review for the Snohomish County Bar News in Washington State. There is a creative bent that I just can’t get out of my system, and like a long road trip, has benefits and scenes you do not expect on the way. So fasten your safety belt, engage the cupholders, and be … More The Road is Long
Lawyers Road Review 