.    I thought I’d share a conversation I had with a lawyer a few minutes ago. It was particularly amusing for what it reveals about the view some people have of what we do.

Me:  Hey, did you get a chance to review that document I sent you yesterday.

Lawyer: I sent it to a couple of other people for some additional feedback. I’ll get it back to you shortly. Refresh my memory, what was this for again?

Me: It’s a post for the blog.

Lawyer: Oh, yeah. Right. I forgot about that. That’s a really stupid idea – that blog. People parse every word in legal filings that nobody ever reads and then we go say any damn thing on a blog. (Apparently he senses my shock at his comment) Sorry… I know the blog wasn’t your idea.

Me: Actually, it was.

Lawyer: Oh. Forget it. What do I care. I’m retiring anyway.

So there you have it. The world we occupy and the way the rest of the establishment sees it. Damn the man! Save the empire!

 . These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.

ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.

ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?

WITNESS: July fifteen.

ATTORNEY: What year?

WITNESS: Every year.

ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the compact?

WITNESS: Gucci Seats ad Reeboks.

ATTORNEY: This mysthenia gravis, does it affect your memory?

WITNESS: I forget.

ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something that you've forgotten?

ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?

WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, i can't remember which.

ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?

WITNESS: Forty-five years.

ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you when he woke that morning?

WITNESS: He said:< Where am i, Cathy?>

ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?

WITNESS: My name is Susan.