Practicing Law

It's a practice, not a perfect.  Yet, the ethical standards of representation are always increasing - see the USSC Padilla decision for a recent change that will have huge implications on things like advising on sex offender registration and mandated hard time, as well as the immigration consequences the decision addresses directly.

At the same time, we all know attorneys who aren't even hitting (or aiming for?) the minimums of professional courtesy.  The men who call fellow attorneys "honey" or "sugar" because they are women.  The women who flirt a little too freely with judges hoping to curry favor.  The attorneys who bully other professionals on a case - most often in my experience, children's division/DFS workers, secretaries, and therapists. 

These aren't necessarily board reportable or ethics complaints, but they are for sure a big problem in the field.  There is nothing at all wrong with being a fierce advocate for your client; there is something very wrong with using your power to insult or demean others. 

I saw this yesterday, when a fellow attorney in a family support team meeting stepped over the ethical boundaries of approaching a represented party, and then proceeded to call her "honey" and bully social workers who tried to shut down his incredibly unethical and unprofessional behavior. 

So, service message here is - if you wouldn't treat your mom or dad like that, you might want to think twice before you do it to another profession, to a client, or to a judge.

Getting drunk on hand soap

My work gives me all kinds of new info.

You can get a DUI level alcohol reading from consistent use of antibacterial soap and Nyquil.

You can be positive for meth if you use Sudafed at recommended levels.

Good parents occasionally lock the cabinets and the fridge so kids can't get food.

Hot pants are appropriate court attire, especially if coupled with a long scarf and a bolero hat.

It is entirely acceptible desirable to keep your man from other's by Facebook threats, and even more so when you have been ordered to have no contact with that man by the family court judge who can and will take your child away permanently if you continue in the relationship.  Bonus points if the man brain damaged your infant and you can see it as "disciplining" a six month old.

Just some parenting thoughts for the new world.

And Dog, and others

We have a dog.  She's good but she barks alot and eats underwear. I got her from my law school husband, who was worried about me running alone with a stalker (yep.  you read that right.), and who also wanted to get rid of his dog because he never walked her.

We have some other people in our "cast" of life.  Running Man has another daughter, Hippy Hula.  She's twenty and pregnant.  I have a close friend, Purse Girl.  She loves purses and went to law school with me.  We have exes, and I won't bother naming them because I don't want to mess with them at all.  There are others.

But, enough of that.  I'm bored with it.  I had two trials today, back to back, and now I'm ready for a day of peace.  I doubt I will get one though because it just never seems to work that way.

Today I won a big trial - and it was a big mistake in a way.  I am really glad I got my delinquent off the clearly fabricated allegations he faced.  BUT, and this is a big ongoing issue - I work for the Juvenile Officer as GAL and then I am directly adversarial to her in my other role with delinquents.  I don't love that and I don't think I am good at it, so today, winning, was a big deal.  I could tell she didn't like it.

So, I did my job well and that was a bad thing.  Makes it hard to revel in victory.

And then there were...

Two new additions to our household: RunningMan and VolleyballGirl.

RunningMan is my boyfriend of almost a year.  He has taken up residence with me and my girls this year, after much soul searching by both of us.  We are both newly divorced, so this felt quick, but at the same time, we are both old, so what is the reason to wait, really?  We both run, and sometimes do so together.  RunningMan is kind and thoughtful (most of the time - he is a man, after all).  He has a crazy ex to rival my crazy ex, but he also has a good heart.

RunningMan and I met online on a dating site.  This is almost pitiful to admit in some circles, but it is a fact.  He is adjusting to the house and the kids really like him.

RunningMan brings with him a fifteen year old daughter, VolleyballGirl.  VolleyballGirl is pretty troubled right now due to several things: she doesn't see her mom ever, by her choice; her boyfriend (or ex, depending on the day) is in juvie; she is going through a social crisis and no longer hangs out with her friends; and generally she is also a fifteen year old girl.  I love her as one of my own in some ways, but in others we are still getting accustomed to each other.  She's here to stay though, so expect to hear about her.

VolleyballGirl brings a new dynamic to our once fairly stable set of four girls.  She seems to alternate between Doctor and Sarcasma, which sometimes causes strife.  I hope these issues begin to smooth out some, although I will quickly admit they are not going to disappear.

That's all for now.  Time to go save some kids from the evil juvenile officer...

And the introductions continue

Today I'm going to try to finish introducing my family, while under the influence.  I had a root canal this morning, so I have some nice happy meds in this afternoon.  Hope I don't, say, forget a child or something.

Daughter, age 30 12, StrongWilledChef.  Some in the house might just call her brat. She is a musician, and has a dream (which she's had since age eight) of owning an Italian restaurant, where she will stroll through playing her violin as her Italian food delights simmer in the kitchen.  And, she's very organized - she has a backup plan while her restaurant is taking off.  She will author a book in the interim, to pay the bills.

SWC is complicated.  She is the most giving kid, at times, and then at other times she is almost intolerably hateful.  She is  the child who will never be peer pressured - but sometimes this makes her social life nonexistant.  She's ok with that.  SWC amuses herself.  She reads a lot, and writes more.  She's self-sufficient, and has been very set in her ways since birth, if that is possible.  She was my hardest baby, but I bet she will be the most stellar adult imaginable.

Daugher, age 11, Fashionista Athlete, is the heart of the group.  She's sweet and loving and supportive eighty percent of the time.  She loves people, and when she loves you, boy do you know it.  She hugs a lot, and is the first one to take care of anyone who is hurting.  She loves basketball, but is not good at it; her deal is encouraging her teammates and being part of a group. 

She also loves to run and does so with me and with a group of lady runners.  She identifies herself as a trail runner, and a basketball player, and a future actress, in that order. She's not a scholar, and she has organization challenges.  Her room is always a mess; she often forgets to turn in homework.  Her shoes are untied as often as they are tied and her glasses always have smudges.  None of this seems to phase Fashionista.  She is laidback, and has been since her birth.

Tomorrow: Boyfriend and one of his daughters.  If I get ambitious I will try to get both his daughters and the dog in.  For now I am stoned on pain meds (legal and prescribed) and tired after oral surgery, so I am going to call this a wrap.  Peace out.

Here's....the GAL.

Hi.  I'm the GAL.  That means I am a full-time attorney representing kids who are abused, neglected, or the product of an otherwise unsafe household (yes, you could read that as a house full of methheads and be accurate).   I was 1LWannabe and JDWannabe, previously.  I was also an advertising exec, a SAHM, a homeschooling mom, a nonprofit founding board member, a CASA volunteer, an ice cream parlor worker, a county clerk voter registration specialist, a nurse, a church volunteer, and an Indian chief.

OK, I lied about one of those.  You caught me.  I was never a nurse.

I have a rather complicated life (but who doesn't right?).  Four kids, to be introduced here and in the sidebar.  One sorta step-ish daughter living in the house and one living out of the house, also more on them below and in the bar.  A boyfriend/live-in.  An ex-husband. Some friends.  A stalker.  Yeah.  You know, the everyday American family.

Today's victims of GAL intro:

Daughter, age 17, from this point on known as Doctor Girl.  Obviously, or I hope obviously (and if not, please go back to first grade for context clues 101), she wants to be a doctor when she grows up.  Which, I must admit only here in anonymity, she really has almost already done.  She's smart.  She's sassy.  She's witty.  She's bisexual.  She's got great hair.  And she hates oranges.

Doctor girl is the epitome of calm, cool, and corrective. She is always ready, always prepared, always wry with her humor, and always correcting others.  Including me.  I love her so much, and in fact, I admire almost everything about her, but she has definitely taught me why I as first-born am so annoying.  It's that "I know things you don't" air about us first-borns. 

Sadly, she is usually right.  She knows about biology, and chemistry, and other sciency things.  She's a whiz at calculus and she can paint a great room.  She is just about perfect, I would say. 

Victim 2 is Daughter, 16, now known as: SarcasticBeauty.  Yes, you got it again in one.  She's gorgeous, and she's sarcastic.   It's almost more than I can stand, looking at this one who resembles me, but pretty.  She has all the boys calling, and yet, sarcasm prevails and she treats them with disdain.  (This is because of CollegeFreshman Boy, more on him later.  Maybe.)

Sarcastic Beauty, or Sarcasma for short, is nothing like Doctor Girl.  She is not bookish, nor is she calm.  She has a loud laugh, and a wide love of people.  She's a photographer, and loves to catch those funny expressions people hate to see posted on Facebook.  She's never sad or mad for long, which is nice, since she had a very scary heart diagnosis last year, requiring surgery and ongoing care.

Sarcasma is not sporty, but she is usually at every game for every person in every school in the metro.  This is because she is afflicted with SocialButterflyitis.  We are working with medicine (cold Snapple) and seeking counseling (heavily attend Jerseylicious viewings).  But to date, her Butterflyitis is winning. 

Sarcasma is trying to earn a driver's license.  Watch out world.  Especially those of you on the sidewalks, or say, in buildings.

Tomorrow's episode shall feature two or three new victims for introduction...stay tuned!

Testing one, two, three

I sure hope this works out better than last time, when my ex thought he would spam my blog daily.