In 1993 we drove south from Nashville on I-24 into rural Tennessee and into another world. The objective was a visit to the Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchburg. It wasn’t much like the film Deliverance, but then the people we encountered were not that far removed from the cast either. Soon after turning right at … More My Visit to the Jack Daniels Distillery
802 years ago in a field at Runnymede, near London, England, King John was forced by his barons to place his seal on the first document ever known to curb executive power, Magna Carta, or Great Charter. Given recent events in the country birthed from England but with a more developed governing document, the United … More Magna Carta and the Rule of Law, Part 1
Dogs put up with a lot, particularly what people name them. Imagine the what David Eitner, Doctor of Veterinarian Medicine comes across in his daily practice. I casually mentioned to him the prevalence of pretentious names people give their dogs I have encountered and he had plenty to say. It is hard to think of … More Dog Biscuits
I took this snap on my way to the American Bar Association Magna Carta 800th year celebration in 2015. We remember the Magna Carta as the first curb on the power of the state in favor of ordinary men. After events in the past 24 hours however, I feel less free than ever. For most … More Unreasonable Searches and Seizures
Hey there Star Trek fans, I know you are into the culture of outer space and prefer to live in the 23rd century as opposed to the 21st, but some of you have taken it too far. No, you can’t use Klingon’s and Vulcan’s in your own show without someone noticing. This week I report … More Copy? Right?
Here is what President Reagan said at the Brandenburg Gate thirty years ago this June about the Berlin wall: “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down … More Mr. Trump, Tear Down This Wall!
The 2016 holiday season gave me the opportunity to exercise paternal prerogative and slow for a moment the comet that is my daughter Rachel. I captured her thoughts and experiences about moving from Washington State to Washington D.C. but went well beyond the dichotomy that two places named the same could be so different. For … More The Rachel J. Patterson Interview
A brief poem by William Ernest Henley, 1849-1903, sums up a fundamental foundation of character; Be the man you can be, rise to the occassion, no matter what the time or the fashion. You will have your dignity. I do not know who he was writing about but history is full of remarkable people who … More I Am the Captain of My Soul
Listen to the Podcast Flying solo one afternoon, I toured the Las Vegas strip in the car we drove from Seattle. To really bring the story home I dropped an audio recorder into the cup holder to ensure I recall the whole event. I post it here as the inaugural podcast for Lawyers Road … More Viva Las Vegas
I have seen this event on television courtroom dramas. The judge holds the lawyer responsible for the conduct of his client when he reacts badly to events in the chamber. In real life the lawyer can’t do anything about how the client reacts. Judges not on television know this, but people also not on television … More Mr Patterson, Control Your Client
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