The New And Improved Fashion Board

[bold_n_brazen]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
The medical term is malignant.

Malingerers are drawn to the law? Who knew?

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Not Bob
Lawyers don't suck; people suck.

I have had cases with opposing counsel who act like weed's opponent. I have had clients who want *me* to act like weed's opponent, and who have gotten pissy at me for declining. I had an administrative hearing before a board yesterday where one of the board members mocked my client and yelled at me. I have had judges confess that they weren't interested in knowing what the controlling statute said.

That being said, most lawyers I've opposed (even those from TCOTU, Chicago, and Miami -- three cities generally viewed by lawyers from elsewhere as being full of asshole litigators) have been reasonably tolerable, most clients get past their frustration and play by the rules, and most judges try to follow the law.

I think that there are assholes in every profession. In representing Piggly-Wiggly, I've occasionally handled cases other than slip and falls. People in the non legal world also have an amazing aptitude for thinking up creative ways to fuck people over.

I seem to have better luck than many people I know in having a decent relationship with opposing counsel. Perhaps this is because whenever I talk to them for the first time, I make a particular effort to be pleasant, and to talk about something other than our matter. If things are adversarial and unpleasant from the start, it's very difficult to fix. If you establish that you can act like normal human beings, it's easier to agree to disagree instead of being a jackass.

Or, maybe I've just been lucky.

[Pretty Little Flower]

Originally posted by ironweed
I am a dumbass, but I have made peace with my dumbassity. For now.

I have not yet made peace with your dumbassity. And Lord knows I have tried. Right, Lord? You know . . . right? Lord?? ANSWER ME!

[Did you just call me Coltrane?]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
Not nerds, because nerds are interesting

2. Nerds don't care that they're nerds. They embrace it. Tools try their asses off to not be tools, which makes them even bigger tools. It actually boils down to confidence. Nerds are comfortable with being nerds - they enjoy Nerddom. Tools really don't like themselves, so they show aggression when it isn't necessary.

When I think of nerds, I think of people who are far superior to everyone in math/physics. I have always wanted to be great at math/physics, and apply it in my career, but I aint smart enough. I can't get into Nerddom.

The Tri Lambs weren't real nerds until the end of the movie.

[robustpuppy]

Originally posted by Did you just call me Coltrane?
2. Nerds don't care that their nerds. They embrace it. Tools try their asses off to not be tools, which makes them even bigger tools. It actually boils down to confidence. Nerds are comfortable with being nerds - they enjoy Nerddom. Tools really don't like themselves, so they show aggression when it isn't necessary.

When I think of nerds, I think of people who are far superior to everyone in math/physics. I have always wanted to be great at math/physics, and apply it in my career, but I aint smart enough. I can't get into Nerddom.

Luckily, you don't need aptitude in math or physics to be a dork.

[Pretty Little Flower]

Originally posted by patentparanyc
I ride the train with a girl from another large firm. The managing partner had a floater [his current secretary plays the cancer card and takes 2 hour lunches and admin can't do shit] who was a shitty floater, and fucked up 2 phone messages.

"Plays the cancer card"? I have never heard this expression. Does it mean "receives extra time off to deal with the fact that she has a horrible and life-threatening disease"?

[notcasesensitive]

Originally posted by Did you just call me Coltrane?
2. Nerds don't care that their nerds. They embrace it. Tools try their asses off to not be tools, which makes them even bigger tools. It actually boils down to confidence. Nerds are comfortable with being nerds - they enjoy Nerddom. Tools really don't like themselves, so they show aggression when it isn't necessary.

When I think of nerds, I think of people who are far superior to everyone in math/physics. I have always wanted to be great at math/physics, and apply it in my career, but I aint smart enough. I can't get into Nerddom.

Are Timmies nerds or geeks? Because I could not get past sentence number 2 of this post. They don't care that their nerds do what? Melt in the hot afternoon sun?

[nononono]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
I seem to have better luck than many people I know in having a decent relationship with opposing counsel. Perhaps this is because whenever I talk to them for the first time, I make a particular effort to be pleasant, and to talk about something other than our matter. If things are adversarial and unpleasant from the start, it's very difficult to fix. If you establish that you can act like normal human beings, it's easier to agree to disagree instead of being a jackass.

Or, maybe I've just been lucky.

I generally get along very well with people on the other side of deals. I started out aggressive, progressed to sweet with a stinging follow-up if needed, and then lately I just don't even rise to any bait - more measured, unphased by the spaz on the other side. In real life, anyway. I can't decide whether this is a sign of maturity, perspective, that I am so f'ing distracted by other things in my life, or that I've just given up altogether and no longer actually care. I also almost never do cya emails and letters over small issues so long as I can reasonably be sure I'm not getting completely maligned, which maybe makes me a lousy lawyer, but I just don't believe in that petty crap.

[robustpuppy]

Originally posted by notcasesensitive
Are Timmies nerd or geeks? Because I could not get past sentence number 2 of this post. They don't care that their nerds do what? Melt in the hot afternoon sun?

Geeks. Definitely.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
This is generally true all over. But then, I rarely worked on deals where the opposing counsel was in the same city. In any event, I think the pleasantness stems from things being so heavily regulated. The only things that would make me irritated were crappy or mean (in the sense of totally screwing employees) business decisions, and that wasn't ever anything to do with opposing counsel. On the crappy business decisions, both sides of counsel were usually in agreement about the crappiness.

I would think maybe anti-trust would be the same way?

Not so sure. There are two types of antitrust matters--litigation and deals. On litigation, it's plaintiffs vs. defendants. And defendants vs. defendants, so nothing good there. And on deals, it's A buying B, so usually B, and quite often their lawyers, aren't too happy about being the bitch.

That's not to say it's always unpleasant, just that it's not inherently different from anything else except ERISA.

[patentparanyc]

Originally posted by Pretty Little Flower
"Plays the cancer card"? I have never heard this expression. Does it mean "receives extra time off to deal with the fact that she has a horrible and life-threatening disease"?

No, it means once in remission taking ginormous amounts of time off and 2 hour lunches every day citing sympathy from said remission from said horrible disease.

[ltl/fb]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
Not so sure. There are two types of antitrust matters--litigation and deals. On litigation, it's plaintiffs vs. defendants. And defendants vs. defendants, so nothing good there. And on deals, it's A buying B, so usually B, and quite often their lawyers, aren't too happy about being the bitch.

That's not to say it's always unpleasant, just that it's not inherently different from anything else except ERISA.

eta fuck it, nevermind, it was a long way of saying that on the deal side, it's not different from ERISA at all.

[Shape Shifter]

Originally posted by Pretty Little Flower
I have not yet made peace with your dumbassity. And Lord knows I have tried. Right, Lord? You know . . . right? Lord?? ANSWER ME!

That is correct, you have tried.

[robustpuppy]

Originally posted by patentparanyc
No, it means once in remission taking ginormous amounts of time off and 2 hour lunches every day citing sympathy from said remission from said horrible disease.

1. If it's okay with the partner, why does it matter to you? I am assuming it does not result in more work for you, and that you do not have to cover for her while she is at lunch.

2. If you were in remission from a life-threatening disease, which, by the way, does not mean you are cured, don't you think you might just take a "fuck it, life is too short, and so is 1 hour for lunch" kind of attitude?

3. How do you know what she "cites" as her reasons? Whether she gets paid for her time off? Etc.

[patentparanyc]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
On deals, one of the sides is the bitch in ERISA -- but why would the lawyers care? Usually both sets of lawyers have been the bitch and the, uh, dog (?) so it's more an opportunity for friendly banter ("yeah, you *are* keeping those liabilities, aren't you? heh" or "looks like you're going to have some coverage problems coming up . . ."). You're just drafting around the business decision, and telling people the ramifications of their decisions.

Why are we talking about woooorrrkkkkk I do deal work alllll dayyyy lonnnng if I see another ProSupp I will scream.

Coltrane, post a pic already or sumpin. And where is the ladies' daily pic equivalent? hmm?