Judges, despite their robes and the trappings of majesty — who else enters their workplace to the sound of a uniformed lawman commanding “All rise”? — are just like the rest of us. They are often motivated by high ideals, but, being spun from the same mortal clay as we lesser mortals, their motives can often be venal, even petty.
Most judges crave dispositions. They want the cases on their list of things that need doing, their dockets, to move. Getting between a judge and a closed file can be a risky thing to do. Judicial administrators are closet...
October 19, 2016
Connecticut Chief Justice Chase Rogers believes in committees; she also believes in transparency. So I was curious to see what her committee of judges and journalists was all about. I accepted the invitation to speak to the committee about the pros and cons of plea-bargaining with anticipation.
It was an eye-opener.
The meeting took place at studios of WFSB’s television station in Rocky Hill. There appeared to be about 35 people present. I recognized many of the judges and quite a few of the journalists. It was a friendly group; perhaps too cozy with one another for my...
October 9, 2016
Let me see if I get this right: Clowns are now a potential sign of a terroristic threat. Have we lost our minds? Or is it mere nerve that we are lacking?
Halloween is upon us. And that means costumes. For as long as I can remember, clown costumes have been a staple of the season.
Comes now word of a ban on clown costumes at local schools. And I was recently asked whether the police could lawfully arrest someone for wearing a clown costume or mask in public.
Even a prosecutor I spoke to seemed more than a little unhinged. When asked whether he thought a person could be...
October 8, 2016
I’ve been offered all sorts of things as a fee for my services. My favorite offer was of a house in Mexico. I turned it down, telling the potential client I didn’t have time to visit Mexico, much less own a house there.
Accepting property as a fee is trouble brewing. You have to declare a value for transaction for tax purposes. The value of most things is what you can sell it for. I’d rather practice law than become a broker in miscellaneous items.
So what about Bitcoin? Can a lawyer accept payment for legal fees in Bitcoin?
Our office was consulted on that...
September 26, 2016
September 8, 2016
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...
September 7, 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...
September 1, 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,...
August 28, 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...
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...