As I countdown the last few hours until I am yet another year older, I choose to remain grateful for the voice I have cultivated, the opportunities I have developed, and the force that stands before you. In humility and with compassion.
I don’t care if they take your stripes away. Your loved ones are going to love you as an E-5 just as much as when you were an E-6. A client of mine committed suicide this week and his grieving mother called to inform me that her son, my client is now dead.
In what is now a three part blogpost, I have covered several kinds of sh*t that I end up having to clean up after when incompetent, lazy, or counsel who did not have or take enough time on a matter. The last classification that I will discuss my disdain for cleaning up after is wasteful … Read more
It is no secret that taking over a client’s case after less than zealous counsel was in the driver’s seat early on in the case frustrates me. I imagine it irritates other hard working attorneys. In a previous post I covered the frustration that comes from cookie cutter legal advice. Trashed opportunity is the second … Read more
I am a mom. Of four amazing kiddos. Thus, I have been wiping other people’s butts since 2007. Thankfully, that ended a few years back (when my youngest became potty independent). At least in the literal sense. When I inherit a case from another attorney, whether it was the uniformed legal assistance attorney, a newly … Read more
Can there be a thrill for the advocate after a “win?” Sure. But this post addresses after the thrill of that initial “win” is gone for the military client. After a client wins in a hearing or court-martial, receive a local file for his reprimand, or even his investigationconcludes that he didn’t do anything wrong, … Read more
Legal assistance says they can’t help you, so they forward you to the trial defense office or defense service office. The defense office says they cannot help you until your case becomes a court-martial or some other derogatory action that jeopardizes your career. So, what do you do? You are caught in the in between … Read more
A friend reminded me recently that even though not everyone can afford my full representation, there are plenty of people who still need and value my time. I think a lot about time and spend a great deal of time writing about it. Time is the only currency that can never be replaced. As I … Read more
Two attorneys separately approached me to ask whether I had any wisdom about how to achieve work-life balance. My reply was, partly in gest, “what balance?” I could tell they were earnest in their inquiry, so I set out to try. It really is about setting boundaries and adhering to them. There are no such … Read more
I cannot care more about a military client’s case than they do. Well, technically, I can, and I have. But I won’t. Anymore. When I was in uniform defending Soldiers in Germany and later at Fort Hood, Texas, I found myself stressed and on the brink of exhaustion. I was trying to carry an entire case … Read more