I'm a Trial Lawyer

My profession was mentioned in the Bible. It permeates popular culture through movies, television shows, and often the daily news. It's been much maligned, so much so that I have to explore this manufactured notion of "frivolous lawsuits" in voir dire just to try to weed out those people who won't give me a fair shake. I have always taken pride in my calling though, preferring to believe that actions can change stereotypes.

I represent individuals, not insurance companies or corporations. We are always outspent but never outworked.

My client is a painfully modest woman who was injured through the negligence of a big phone company. She didn't know anything about premises liability, the difference between a licensed invitee and an unlicensed invitee. She just knew she was hurt.

Trials are exhausting affairs. But if you love them, as I do, the exhaustion moves to something different, something wonderful. I was jittery as a nerve end and driving back to the office while the Booglet and her mother slept at night. I was turning on the lights in the morning and turning them off at night for a solid week. I lived off coffee and bananas. Of course, this blog suffered; like weeds growing in a neglected garden, spam ads popped up. My world focused only on the terrible events of January 3, 2000, the night my client struggled for her life.

Friday, at 11:00 am, the jury returned a verdict. My client prevailed.

Today the Booglet and I spent the whole day together. We went to the zoo, fed the giraffes, watched the gorillas, and basked in the sun. She knows Daddy's trial is over because now she can jump on me, now I'm in "play clothes," and now the pressure has dropped considerably. Even at her young age, she knows this.