August 24, 2004
Whatever you do, don't mention the war
We are getting a German law student intern for a week starting today. We are taking her as a favor to a friend who practices exclusively corporate law primarily for German clients in the United States. This should be fun for her to see how litigation is conducted here. Our friend told us that she really wants to work when she is with us. That's nice. The fact is that she will be able to contribute very little of substance to what we do on a daily basis. Most law school summer associates are useless as are most first year associates. It takes a long time to be able to practice litigation effectively and correctly and they do not really teach you much about it in law school. Still, I've supervised foreign interns before and I have an idea of what to do for them and with them and no, I don't mean to imply a reference to our last President here.
We will let her sit in on a very contentious deposition scheduled for today and I will take her with me to Court later this week. I will give her some research material and a draft pleading and ask her to write me a memo about what I need to plead in order to get around the problems this client may have. I know the answer to that question already, of course, but if the memo is any good she can walk out of here with a small writing sample.
All in all, it should be fun.
Anyone recognize the source of the title, by the way?
Posted by: Random Penseur at
07:54 AM
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Posted by: GrammarQueen at August 24, 2004 08:27 AM (gDEwS)
2
Correct!!! Good for you, so early in the morning.
Posted by: RP at August 24, 2004 08:37 AM (LlPKh)
Posted by: mikeyinbarcelona at August 24, 2004 10:04 AM (vJk6k)
4
#1 son had it downloaded on my laptop before I went to Armenia, leading my neighbors in the hotel to wonder what in the hell I was watching on Armenian TV.
Posted by: kb at August 24, 2004 11:33 AM (jVRaJ)
5
Drat... I was thinking 'Allo, 'Allo, but now that I think about it, it's definitely Faulty Towers. Oh, man, nearly starting laughing just thinking about it!
Posted by: Hannah at August 25, 2004 10:18 AM (UdFzX)
6
"I'll have the Prawn Cocktail."
"One Eva Braun cocktail coming right up . . ."
That was for me by far the funniest episode of Fawlty Towers ever -- from Sybil's ingrown toenail to the talking moose with the Germans in between.
Re baby associates -- I decided to leave my last law firm when I saw that the first-years were getting paid more than I was as a sixth-year attorney writing telecom contracts at a premium billing rate. Grrr. I get paid only a little more now in-house but the quality of life and rewards of the work more than compensate me for the difference.
Don't even get me started on how I would change state licensing schemes and law school curricula in my perfect world. . .
Posted by: John Lanius at August 25, 2004 03:40 PM (Hs4rn)
7
Farty Towels.
(Well, that was one of the misspelled signs at the openning of the show.)
And I thought I was gonna have a heart attack the first time I lived through that dang fire drill.
Posted by: Tuning Spork at August 26, 2004 01:24 AM (6xRga)
8
JL's right -that was the very best episode ever. "I think I mentioned it once but I got away with it."
Posted by: Simon at August 26, 2004 05:42 AM (OyeEA)
9
This is SUCH a well educated group of people. I love that.
Posted by: RP at August 26, 2004 02:04 PM (LlPKh)
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August 20, 2004
Quiet Today, huh?
My Firm has just gotten retained by someone who is facing a potential $40 million judgment against him. Partial summary judgment has been entered on the first cause of action against him, his affirmative defenses and counterclaims have been dismissed, and the matter has been set down for an assessment of damages hearing. A note of issue has been filed by the plaintiff to certify discovery is complete and the case may be placed on the ready trial calendar. We appear to be long past the 20 day period in which one may move to strike the note of issue and remove the case from the calendar. We have had no discovery of any kind and need to take discovery on, inter alia, the issue of damages, both the computation and even the existence.
Welcome to my day. It's going to be quiet over here today.
Nothing like getting retained in a timely fashion.
Posted by: Random Penseur at
12:39 PM
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Posted by: Emma at August 20, 2004 01:51 PM (NOZuy)
Posted by: Jim at August 20, 2004 02:16 PM (IOwam)
3
Not to make this a competition or anything, RP, but today, I got to the office at 11:30, fired up the computer and got a cup of coffee, got a figurative pat on the back from one named partner on some work I did last week, had a lovely political discussion with another named partner in my office, and I'll be spending the next few hours preparing interrogatories and requests for production for a federal case that isn't even styled yet.
What do I win?
Posted by: David at August 20, 2004 02:21 PM (M2Rrs)
4
David, you win nothing but the continued privilege, such as it is, of fighting the good fight.
In any event, it's good we did not make it a competition. My situation here is sooo much worse that I don't even want to update this post on the continued badness that has taken place since I first posted it. Can you say long past 20 days on the notice to admit that was served?
Posted by: RP at August 20, 2004 05:26 PM (LlPKh)
5
I once was a litigator. Tried it for almost 5 years. Hated it with every fiber of my being, in part because of situations like that.
But one thing kept me sane. . . remembering that it wasn't my money at stake. Assuming neither you nor your firm were the cause of the delay, you're golden.
I love writing contracts.
Posted by: John Lanius at August 20, 2004 11:55 PM (gplif)
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