The night before a trial is a particularly poignant moment. I find I cannot organize what I am thinking for this post without some reference to antiquity, and recall those who also find it hard to sleep before such a battle. The soliloquy Upon the King from Henry V comes to mind. As William Shakespeare … More A Soliloquy Upon the Eve of Trial
By now in my practice I have come to recognize those things I may cherish my children may find to be so much junk they have to off load when I have passed on from this earth. Regularly I hear the tale of houses packed with bits and pieces of personal property, often still in … More The Probate Song
Pete Patterson finds Refuge in the Road. Lawyers Road Review is now a book. … More There is Refuge in the Road
In international relations, is the world as wide open as it was in the 1930s when legends like Hemingway were made? Or did our post-WWII efforts to avoid war as a remedy to conflict by adopting international laws amount to anything enforceable? What if the parties refuse to act in good faith? … More Wishes for the Fishes: China and the Law of the Sea
There are just so may sound bytes from family law that stick with a guy after a few decades of practice. “Mr. Patterson, Control Your Client!” the guy says to me. Couldn’t see who it was but I think it was my clients ex-husband. The hearing had not gone well for us and his former … More Sound Bytes from Family Law
“Radio Free Everett” has a Cold War feel to it, wouldn’t you say? But with the advent of in home devices that anticipate our needs, cell phones that track our movements and televisions that now prompt us to watch certain shows, I am feeling that Orwell’s Big Brother is indeed watching us and he is … More Radio Free Everett
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
Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. George Santayana -1905 This famous statement could be attributed to my guest, lawyer and author James D. Shipman in 2017. Bitter Rain is the title of Jim’s fourth historical novel and the second in a row concerning the Second World War. As we learn … More The James D. Shipman Interview
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?
Lawyers Road Review 