I envy physicians their proximity to death. It goes without saying that those who master the ups and downs of the life cycle must learn a thing or two about bracing folks for the end of life. I imagine that physicians-in-training get some counsel on how to advise a patient that his days are numbered, or to tell a family their loved one is gone, now forever absent.
We lawyers aren’t so lucky. No part of our training deals with the dark arts of despair, yet we too shepherd folks through devastating transitions. We too sit with families and individuals in crisis.
The dark...
September 8, 2016
There's a new security rule in the state courthouses. At least I think there is a new rule. As with so many security measures, practices across the state are inconsistent. It's maddening.
I was asked the other day in Bridgeport to show my bar card. The request surprised me. So far as I know, bar association identification cards aren't mandatory. The only reason I carry one is that it is virtually impossible to get into an out-of-state prison without one. (Unless, of course, you commit a crime in that state; then leaving is difficult.)
I generally try to oblige the marshals. They...
September 7, 2016
For a few tense hours the other day, it appeared my 71-year-old client, Robert Stackowitz, was going to be led from the courtroom in handcuffs, locked up, and taken to a jail to await the arrival of lawmen from Georgia. You see, he escaped from a Georgia prison 48 years ago, and returned to his native Connecticut. Georgia wants him back.
For a lifetime, he lived a peaceful life in Connecticut, avoiding the long arm of the law. It all came crashing down on him late last spring, when his name surfaced after he applied for Social Security benefits. He was arrested at his home.
Bob...
September 1, 2016
Odds are you did not know that the United States government can be sued only with its consent. That’s because a legal doctrine called sovereign immunity, a doctrine nowhere found in the Constitution of this great land, prohibits anyone from suing the government for money damages.
I somehow how doubt that the founders of this Republic had their fingers crossed when they signed the Constitution. The preamble of our charter begins with the majestic words “We the people.” It then speaks about our having created a republic to serve the goals of life, liberty and the pursuit...
August 28, 2016
August 12, 2016
I am deflated suddenly, staring out the window wondering about the point of it all. News is just now breaking that another lawyer has committed...
August 3, 2016
The decision to have Khizr Khan address the Democrat’s national convention at the coronation of Hillary Clinton was a stroke of...
July 28, 2016
If you’re looking for a good summer read, I’ve just the book: Lionel Shriver’s, “The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047.”...
July 27, 2016
It’s hard to avoid online commentary about the value of social media to practicing lawyers, so my decision to leave Twitter and...
July 13, 2016
Corey Menafee wants his job back at Yale University. He is also hoping he doesn’t face criminal charges for his on-the-job conduct. His hopes...
June 29, 2016
The doom and gloom forecasts about the consequences of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union are bewildering. Why all the storm and...