Judges Who Understand

It's been a rough morning. A small child woke us up repeatedly last night. I had (and have) a dull headache and mild nausea.

I did manage to get to Court on time, stopping at the office to pick up the file, where I noticed that certain documents were missing. I had just discussed these last night with the client but for whatever reason the client did not get them to us.

When I went in front of the judge, he asked - "do you have a waiver"? My client was not there - with good reason - but the waiver was one of the missing documents.

And this is why lawyers appreciate judges who understand. We're not always at our best. We're not always having a good day. Our office staff sometimes makes minor mistakes, and we do too. This morning's judge is a working lawyer who has probably been there.

He didn't know the specifics about the reasons or my morning, but maybe he could see it on my face. He understood. He smiled. He knows we'll get those things done and he gave us time to do it.

Thanks Judge.