Stone Posted March 23, 2004 Share Posted March 23, 2004 I like pi. 13 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cathy Posted March 23, 2004 Share Posted March 23, 2004 mmmmmm, pi! Glyn, thanks for posting that link - incredible article. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ranitidine Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 Another day in the life. I arrive at the office a little after nine, with my coffee and bagel. I won't go to court without caffeine. I pick up the Cappellitti file and head for court, finishing my coffee in the elevator. After a short subway ride, I am at court. I head for LeVine's courtroom and look for Ira. He covered the case for me two weeks ago when I had to be in Supreme New York on Koslowsky. It had taken me all morning, but I had finally settled it for $100,000.00 at about 12:30. Ira, in the meantime, had rejected a $25,000.00 offer on Cappellitti, trying to get me $35,000.00 on the case. We sit, kibbitzing with various acquaintances, until the lawyer for the carrier, American Transit, finally shows up. Ira bitches how he is embarrassed to be wasting his time on such a small case. He's right, as he is one of Queens County's most respected litigators and handles only med mal these days. The American Transit attorney, unwashed overly long hair, ill-fitting suit, informs us he has only $9.000.00 on the file. He says he never offered Ira $25,000.00. Ira spends the next hour, until the case is called, muttering about what a fat, lying fuck the other lawyer is. When we finally go into see LeVine, Ira tells him how the other lawyer is reneging on his previous offer. LeVine consults his list of conferences for March 10 and finds no record of $25,000.00 ever having been offered. We inform the judge that I just learned that the clients are moving back to Argentina on Friday. So he marks the case off the calendar, to be restored when I know when they will be available for trial. Ira seethes and tells me that I must try the case to verdict. Thanks, pal. The policy is minimal and I'll have to pay for the services of two doctors. We go upstairs where I wait for Ira to finish a preliminary conference before Referee Yablon, where every item of discovery is contested. While waiting, I engage in a conversation with a clerk I know who tells me that, unsolicited, Ira did him a solid last year. I agree on his virtues, remembering the time I ran into him in a bar behind Supreme New York during the Fisher trial and asked him to lend me $5,000.00 to pay for my medical expert's fee. He agreed on the spot. As it turned out, I didn't need it, settling the case for $80,000.00 during the liability phase of the trial. Now that very client has gotten my son a job operating the board at the right side of the house for "42nd Street." Gabe says that usually it's only fathers who get such jobs for their sons in Local 1. Back to the office, where the new client expected at 12:30 never shows up. The 2:00 clients do arrive. One is an old client, the other a work colleague of hers. They proceed to spend two and one half hours relating a shocking story of racial discrimination against them at their workplace. I inform them I will take their case. They inform me that before they choose a lawyer they want to keep their appointment with Fred Brewington. I've met Brewington once. He's the biggest civil rights lawyer on Long Island. I tell them he has earned his excellent reputation but remind them that, should they hire me, they'll deal only with me, not with an associate. They leave, and I show SheRah, my paralegal, my crossed fingers. I listen to my voice mail. An adjuster at Allstate has left me the message that, as of now, he can't offer me more than $5,000.00 to settle Blandino. I go out to lunch at 4:00. When I return, I call a prospective witness in the bruiser of a case that starts trial on April 26. He tells me that, although he is still a cop, he will testify that he knew that the inspector was spying on my female sergeant client while she showered and changed in the women's locker room. Larry calls. I relate my day to him. He comments on how hard it is for us to earn a living. He tells me that his monthly expenses, before he takes a draw, are $30,000.00. He tells me I am still running my business like a candy store and should borrow money to expand. SheRah leaves at 6:15. I spend the next two and a half hours paying bills. And they told me it was indoor work with no heavy lifting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lippy Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 My client (I'm a sub-contractor on this job) was so pleased with the history and significance statement I wrote for a property's nomination for listing on the state and national registers of historic places that she doubled my fee. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
omnivorette Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 I find out that our consumer direct fulfillment house may not be in legal compliance after all. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cathy Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 So is that a love or a hate thing, Omni? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
omnivorette Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 Hmm. Well it's a hate thing because it's going to be a TON of work to figure out, and to fix it. It's a love thing because it poses many interesting and complicated questions which I'll have to figure out - and I'll learn a lot in the process. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Stone Posted March 26, 2004 Share Posted March 26, 2004 Ranitidine: Thanks for making my job a little better! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slapsie Maxie Posted March 29, 2004 Author Share Posted March 29, 2004 much as I loved my holiday, I was thrilled to be back at my desk this morning doing the one thing I truly do well I realised how fortunate I am to be able to do what I really adore doing, publishing books Today, I really loved my job S Quote Link to post Share on other sites
g.johnson Posted March 29, 2004 Share Posted March 29, 2004 much as I loved my holiday, I was thrilled to be back at my desk this morning doing the one thing I truly do well Sitting? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slapsie Maxie Posted March 29, 2004 Author Share Posted March 29, 2004 much as I loved my holiday, I was thrilled to be back at my desk this morning doing the one thing I truly do well Sitting? of course, while watching the drones do the hard work Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wilfrid1 Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 "Analyzing" several hundred documents, even though I already know what they will say, in order to give advice on a decision, even though my advice will not be influenced by reading the documents, as I already know what they will say. Just as well someone pays me for this nonsense. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ron Johnson Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Contacted by a hotshot mass-torts plaintiff's firm about being local counsel for all of their Kentucky clients in some massive MDL. I just finished drafting and filing all the complaints in federal court, and they told me that they are pleased with my work so far and are prepared to offer me 15% of whatever fee is generated from all of the cases. SWEET!!!!! I am going to pro hac them in once its referred to the MDL commish, and then I will just be along for the ride. Should be cool to see the Learjet Lawyers in action. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slapsie Maxie Posted April 1, 2004 Author Share Posted April 1, 2004 Contacted by a hotshot mass-torts plaintiff's firm about being local counsel for all of their Kentucky clients in some massive MDL. I just finished drafting and filing all the complaints in federal court, and they told me that they are pleased with my work so far and are prepared to offer me 15% of whatever fee is generated from all of the cases. SWEET!!!!!I am going to pro hac them in once its referred to the MDL commish, and then I will just be along for the ride. Should be cool to see the Learjet Lawyers in action. Did not understand a word of this. but, if you are happy, I am happy S Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wilfrid1 Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 Translation: Ron has been contacted by a bunch of bandits who specialise in driving decent businesses to the wall by launching mass actions against them on behalf of the "little guy". They fund their lives of luxurious ostentation by siphoning off a healthy portion of whatever damages the "little guy" wins. Ron is picking up a nice percentage of this. Now, the Learjet bit is lost on me. I obviously don't spend enough time reading the legal press... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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