When the results of Tuesday’s election for President became known, after getting over my shock, I immediately began to think of ways the new President would ride roughshod over the Constitution. I felt at some point patriotic Americans would have to rise to the occasion and demand adherence to the Rule of Law. I am … More We Here Therefore Highly Resolve
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
Consider this possibility: We wake up November 9th, 2016 and there is no clear majority of electoral votes between Clinton and Trump. The spoiler, late to the game Libertarian Gary Johnson has taken 5% of the vote, 27 electors. Clinton has 256, Trump 255. But 270 is needed to win. What then? This election is … More No Clear Majority
The law is a jealous mistress. Carrying her battle flag requires both hands. She keeps my fingers on this keyboard rather than a fretboard. I bought my banjo back when the kids were still in school and I was driving a 1995 Ford Aerostar van. Now the kids are grown, the last one left school … More Battle Flags, Ball Points, and Banjos
A reading from the book of Genesis, 11:1-9 The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words. They said to one another, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered all over the … More Why There Are Lawyers
In the summer of 1986 a movie was released called “Top Gun” . It’s about naval aviators, staring Tom Cruise. It’s about testosterone. And it is about a time when my cohorts and I were still young men. And leaving the theater we all wished we had made other career choices. During this time I had client … More Top Gun Call Sign: Maddog
Apparently the Washington Department of Corrections mistakenly got a memo from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, instructing certain species of fish be released upon capture. Failing to read the document closely the DOC altered their practices to allow big fish criminals to go free early. We were in Britain when the story broke. I … More The Washington Department of Corrections Catch and Release Program
800 years ago this month King John was cornered by his barons in a field at Runnymede and made to place his seal on this document, the Great Charter, that limited his power. It was likely the first of its kind. He and the other chief executives have been fighting the issue ever since. Ab initio this … More Magna Carta
“We was in Agree-ence” the man standing pro se before the Court Commissioner says, as he tries to explain why he has not returned the child of which he seeks “custodie” to the child’s mother. That is how “custody” is spelled in his pleadings. Being a lawyer means one is a wordsmith, and at times the use … More The Street Language of the Courthouse
Lawyers Road Review 