on the road again?

I think a lot about what it means to be a trial lawyer. It's been on my mind particularly as I finish up a solid month of waiting for a decision in my last trial. I'm a little defensive still, about a comment made to me that I tried cases because I couldn't settle them. Well, that statement is true as far as it goes but it's incomplete. I am quite capable of settling cases, having settled two while I have been waiting for that decision. Not all my cases, however, settle. This might mean that I am somehow unskilled as a negotiator. It might also mean that I am willing to accept cases that are impossible to settle. I know some folks who have about a 100% settlement rate on their cases, but they select their clients differently than I do. That doesn't make them superior negotiators, but it may make them superior client screeners.

Shifting gears here. Being in trial is something like touring with a band when it comes to self-care. Yep, I'm a "small-muscle athlete," with my lips and my typing muscles the primary muscles of use. Hah.