For the first time in several months, we’ve both been able to leave the office at pretty normal hours, without taking work home, more than once in a week. Finally, our respective cases have calmed down enough that we’re running near a normal work week again. It’s nice.
Also, big congratulations to my buddies [...]

Things are still very crazy, but going well. We close on our first home Tuesday, which is very exciting. Of course, Sarah has to be out of town for a trial – she’ll come back for the actual closing. As if that weren’t enough, my main case has kicked back into hyperdrive; [...]

In order to catch up from the disastrous start to my week, I had to find another gear if I was going to get my latest project partner-ready in time for said partner, in turn, to get it client-ready in time for delivery to the client today. It was a good project on a great [...]

Today featured a classic effort at self-pwnage, presented by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The case is United States v. Beltran-Moreno.
Best quote:
In short, if the Beltrans’ sentences were to be altered, there appears to be only one direction in which they could go, and that is up — by at [...]

Sarah and I were laughing just yesterday at how recently, as very new associates, we were waiting to get staffed on enough cases to stay busy. We both have all we can handle, now, and it’s not busy work. Some of it is less than glamorous, but it’s all real legal work that has to [...]

I am glad to live in Texas, and glad I do not live in New York.

I finally have a bar number! I don’t have a printed law license, yet – it is apparently on its way. I do, however, have a bar number, a licensed date, and the glorious “Eligible To Practice In Texas” status on the website of the State Bar of Texas.
No more “attorney-to-be” and “not yet licensed [...]

That’s what the Fed is pledging to “rescue the financial system,” according to Bloomberg.com. That’s 50% of 2007 GDP, or 288% of 2007 federal tax revenues. Makes my prior post sound look like a praise of good budgeting.

That’s what the so-called “financial crisis” of 2008 has cost the federal government directly… so far.* Wonder how that stacks up to other crises? CNBC has a slideshow showing the costs (inflation-adjusted) of some of the biggest government projects ever.
There are many events not listed in that slide show, of course. Two of the most [...]

“Indeed you can usually tell when the concepts of democracy and citizenship are weakening. There is an increase in the role of charity and in the worship of volunteerism. These represent the élite citizen’s imitation of noblesse oblige; that is, of pretending to be aristocrats or oligarchs, as opposed to being citizens.”
- John Ralston Saul