How Did Your Week Compare to Mine?

I just finished an intense, interesting week. Perhaps you would like to know what that means for a busy personal injury, civil trial, and family law attorney,

a.
Worked three 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. days out of five, and the first six day week for awhile.

b. Had choir practice on Thursday evening (Hit a strong lick on learning the Easter Cantata.)

c. Appeared at a short notice motion for temporary relief in a divorce action and managed to have my client NOT be kicked out of his house. The parties wasted $1200 in combined attorney fees because my opponent wanted to notch an early win. Not today! Perhaps my idea of a collaborative approach may now make more sense to the other party and her attorney.

d. Obtained a preliminary injunction prohibiting further distribution of the proceeds of a disputed life insurance policy, two thirds of which has been spent!

e. Visited my busy barber and discovered no one waiting ahead of me! (That was a high point!)

f. Was hired by a person stationed in Korea, and another with a case in another state. My Internet presence is becoming more important every day.

g. Overcame a dilatory and disingenuous mediator who refused to mediate the case if I were going to attend the mediation. I did so by meeting with my client and the unrepresented Mother of his children before the hearing. We created a 20 page Permanent Parenting Plan using the document assembly program Pathagoras! The judge was happy to approve it and praised the parties lavishly. By doing the job the mediator should have, I saved my client $2000 and both parties six months of agony. I was so proud of them.

h. Met with my client, the Mother of nine month old baby, and with the Father by phone. Started out calling each other “liars”, accusing, “head is up her ass”, and sundry other insults. Finished with a revised parenting plan filled with promises of mutual respect, putting child first, improved communication, and peaceful transfers of the child. For now, they have to park 50 to 100 feet apart and have a neutral third party carry the child between them, but that is a huge improvement over a contempt petition and impending trial. These people REALLY do not like each other, so I was proud of them too. We again saved the client thousands.

i. Found a potential Medical Malpractice claim worthy of review by one of the top Med Mal attorneys in the State. We will associate if the case turns out to be viable.

j.Made progress in locating a company that caused my client to experience psychotic symptoms from “bath salts”, lose his job, and have parenting rights suspended. Oh, if we can just find a viable defendant. I think a jury of WV Citizens will figure how to give a just result in that one.

k. Met with a woman verging on a nervous breakdown, “self-represented”, who was so traumatized by her hearing earlier in the day that my paralegal feared for her health and safety. We will help her.

l. Learned the daughter of my Mother’s best friend died. She wasn’t yet 60 years old. Trying to figure out how to make the funeral Sunday.

m. Set three new client interviews for Saturday. All claim to be bringing in retainers! We will see.

n. And thus goes the life of a person whose lot in life is to meet people with problems and hire on to help them solve them.

This post was written by Burton Hunter