« Update: This Old House | Main | I am »
August 05, 2004
Hurry! Hurry! OK...now, forget about it for 3 months.
I'm almost through my first summer of doing some real lawyerin' work for a firm full of evil, greedy trial lawyers who love to prey on poor insurance companies and corporations who've never done a damn thing wrong, ever.
It's been fun and very educational. I can see some definite advantages to the old system of apprenticeship. No matter how well you did in Civ Pro in your first year, you have no idea what Civ Pro is until you spend some time working on real cases.
The one thing that drives me crazy, although I knew it would happen, is the hurry-up-and-wait nature of litigation. The first brief I ever wrote, support of a joinder motion, was filed in early May. I think I first started working on it in April when I'd go into the office once a week or so. A couple of weeks ago I asked the lawyer whose case it was if he'd ever heard anything regarding that motion and he said, "Judge X said he was going to rule on that by September."
The big case I worked on in May in anticipation of a June pre-trial conference was continued 'til mid-September one day before the conference was scheduled. I spent every hour the week before it was continued getting exhibits and witnesses in order. Now I won't even be around for the trial. Well, that's being optimistic. I fully expect to be present at that trial next summer.
The brief I'm writing that we'll probably file tomorrow is on a very narrow Civ Pro issue. It's in federal court and the local rules emphasize speed so hopefully by the end of fall semester I'll know if my brief was successful.
Posted by Half-Cocked at August 5, 2004 09:25 PM
Comments
We've got a criminal case that's been pending since 1999. Under the circumstances (which, I will grant you, are unique), it may be necessary/possible to drag it out another year.
Posted by: Kevin at August 6, 2004 10:51 AM