Am I still in high school? Threatened by a judge with $5,000 in sanctions for not preparing a brief on time – like being late with your homework. The judge keeps me waiting in court for two hours while he decides what he’s really going to do to me. (tell my parents?) And one of the lawyers on the case (a friend) tells me with a giggle he’s going to hang out in court just to see what the judge is going to do with me.
That same day I get a call from an appeals lawyer representing my former client who got convicted after a jury trial last year. She wants to know why I didn’t object to a question the DA asked the cop on the stand. “I don’t know” She waded into me just like a teacher. “Well what was on your mind?” All I could get out was a mumbled “I don’t know.” If this was on film I’d be looking down at the floor.
The $5,000 in sanctions? The judge settled for making me come back next week.
