Futurelawyer

We Are All Hypocrites.

Avoiding Disaster. Execupundit highlights a quote today that reminds us that, while hypocrisy in others bothers us, it is true that we ourselves act as hypocrites on occasion, and that society really can't function for long unless all are permitted to speak their truth without fear or favor. Opposing points of view are essential to the expression of a stable democracy. So, celebrate your hypocrisy and that of your neighbor. Listen and learn. You might be surprised at the result.

#WhyIAmASolo - I Don't Have To Avoid Controversial Subjects With An Interviewer.

Interviewing - Leave The Dad Jokes At Home. I can tell Dad jokes anytime I want. I don't have to moderate my humor or my language in a job interview in order to work for a salary or wage at a company controlled by someone else. This advice is in the linked article: "The first thing to keep in mind is to avoid controversial topics, as well as self-deprecating jokes. However, showing that you have self-awareness and can laugh at yourself is key. Consider using humor relevant to your industry when discussing a lesson learned in a past position." Are you kidding me? If you are having to worry about offending a prospective employer in a job interview, maybe you should reconsider that or any other such employment. It is still possible to go solo as a lawyer right out of school. In fact, it is probably easier, since you don't need a lot of overhead expenses. With computers and the Internet, you can practice law out of any space. I do it in an old house converted to an office, in a home office that used to be a garage, and in an RV. I remember, in the early days of computing, practicing law in a laundromat at Yosemite National Park. I connected a 300 baud modem to the handset on a payphone, and sent an email. I have crawled under beds in motels to connect a computer to the RJ-11 phone jack. I hate to be the guy who talks about walking miles to go to school ;but, be aware that you really don't have to get a job to be a lawyer. Sure, you might make a lot of money; but, if you have to dial back your personality and soul to get the job, you have lost something more important than money. Just sayin'.

 

Maybe We Need A National Registry Of Things We Are Offended By.

We have become a nation of wimps and weak minds. It really offends me to see everyone playing some kind of victim. Call it reverse offending. But, instead of seeking to ostracize or cancel those who offend me, I celebrate them. They are my brothers and sisters. Just because they are idiots does not mean I should shun them. To the contrary, I embrace them as poor souls who have not yet seen the truth. So, bring on your idiots, offended persons, professional victims, and others who are unhappy in their lives. You might someday see the light. 

#WhyIAmASolo - No One Can Tell Me What Clients To Represent.

Big Law Censorship Problem. Does your law firm control whom you represent? Are you prevented, or discouraged, from representing politically sensitive clients or causes? Whether left or right, being a lawyer should be a neutral, advocacy centered, occupation,  and lawyers should be able to represent whomever they want to. The freedom to do that is being denied to some really competent lawyers in some really big law firms. Whatever happened to the concept that every citizen deserves a competent lawyer? This article discusses the resignation from Kirkland & Ellis of two prominent Supreme Court litigators, Paul Clement and Erin Murphy. They were told they had to leave the firm because they had represented the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association in its challenge of New York gun regulations. While such high profile litigation clients would never hire a solo, no one can tell me whom I can represent. A free, and independent, lawyer class, is all that stands between us and chaos.

Why Free Speech Is About All Of Us.

The recent Twitter frenzy about mobs ganging up on persons with whom they disagree, and the many instances of lives and jobs being taken away by prissy, offended minorities who want to regulate speech they disagree with, has caused me to join the chorus of voices calling attention to the hypocrisy of the so called thought police. You are not the sole repository of wisdom, you smug, self entitled speech terrorists. Your triggered intransigence is counter to everything our forefathers fought for, and I will fight you with all that I am and have. You remind me of a famous Martin Niemoller quote. He was the German theologian who summed up the Nazi conquest of Germany, in these words:\

"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."

If you don't speak up because the speech police haven't yet come for you, you will most certainly find yourself in their sights, sooner or later.

#SundaySermon. Do I Offend You? Get Over It.

I am a Caucasian, Male, Heterosexual, lawyer, poet, Centrist, human being. If I have offended you by who and what I am, too bad. I like calling the Redskins the Redskins; but, I am offended by their new name. I enjoy humor, even when it is offensive, and even when it makes fun of me. Told a lawyer joke lately? To all offended persons, I say get over it. Until we start to tolerate the offensive, we will never be able to live in peace. I am offended that you get offended over so called "micro-aggressions". I am offended that anyone is judged by the color of their skin. I am offended by violence, war, and evil. But, I live every day the best I can. If you want to waste your life being offended by everything, so be it. I wish you well. Truly. But, please know that there is a better, easier, and more enjoyable way to spend the hours and days you get to live and breathe.

 

When The Fourth Amendment Died.

Sometime in the late 20th Century, and early 21st Century, the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which had, for centuries, protected American citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures, succumbed to a disease known as digital technology, complicated by powerful governmental interests that conspired to weaken the definition of "unreasonable searches and seizures". May it rest in peace. In addition, however, evil men with bad intentions also had a hand in using technology to hide incursions into the homes of citizens, and, in a cruel twist of fate, the citizens were lured into the trap by failing to protect themselves. Freedom only happens after struggle and pain, and, when achieved, can only be kept by constant vigilance and resolute will. 

The Thought Police.

The Thought Police. I challenge my readers to read this paragraph outlining the beginnings of the Soviet Union in Russia, without making comparisons to the current U.S.A. Anyone who espouses political views that are not shared by one group of citizens are cancelled, ostracized, criticized, lambasted in social media, and generally removed from public discourse. You say it can't happen in these United States, the bastion of freedom in the world? Watch and learn:

Absurdly claiming to rule with a special mandate from the working class, the totalitarian state prescribed a comprehensive set of obligatory views in virtually all spheres of thought, political and non-political. It demanded the citizens' total allegiance, compelling affirmations and postures of assent by an elaborate system of rewards, and by penalties ranging from intensive exhortation to summary execution. In the privacy of their hearts few individuals can have wholeheartedly assented - especially in recent years - to the officially sanctified dogma. But public respect for its doxology and catchwords remained indispensable for those seeking to pursue most Soviet careers. Within Soviet historiology the policy of thought control was applied with particular severity. It was especially stringent in its impact on the history of Russia, as opposed to other lands, much Russia history being treated as a state secret.

• From Russia: A Concise History by Ronald Hingley    

When Technology Use Becomes Mandatory.

When all dissent has been silenced, and all citizens have safe spaces to go to in order to be protected from dissident ideas and language, when all statues of past historical figures have been destroyed, when there is only one political party, when profit has been outlawed, when comedians have all been put into prison, and all other forms of human conduct has become tightly regulated by the government, we will still be able to use our computing devices; except that such use will be mandatory. I look forward to being long dead when our future is realized.

Living The Dream...Even If It Is A Nightmare.

In a world in which you can be hated, cancelled, and otherwise shunned for saying something that "offends" someone, it occurs to me that retiring to bed, pulling up the covers, and going to sleep might be a prescription for escape. But, no. It appears that, until cooler heads prevail, we are all living a nightmare.