COMPLIMENTS, QUALMS & ROCK N' ROLL

Very quick update: Our Saturday NFL picks are tweeted @justicebuilding

It’s been some interesting times which have brought out the worst... and yet also the best of people.  Before I gripe about things, let me first dole out some compliments. I’m not going to name names simply because I’ll forget many well-deserving ones. Props to a select group of judges, administrators and correctional officers that have kept the system afloat. Many thanks to the Clerks at the 9th-floor^th floor attorney window who have seriously upped their game. I've been impressed with many prosecutors and PD’s who have displayed a degree of maturity and professionalism well above their usually young age. Lastly, in these stressful times, Veterans and Drug Court have done an incredible job.

Now, onto the bitchin’

1. Broward County Zoom “Protocol”.  What is going on there? Some courts mandate in person but some forbid it. Try having some uniformity... please...I'm begging you! 

2.  The chat feature on Zoom- If you wear the robe and don’t employ the use of  the chat feature, you should be stripped of your robe and be forced to preside naked. If you randomly call out your friends and don’t follow the order on chat, you should be placed into the “Dutch oven”.  Fairness in court proceedings also includes fairness in the use of Zoom.

3.   COVID- I had the Omicron, it was a little cold where I had to stop working out for three days. There’s a difference between prudence and irrational paranoia.

4.  The Miami-Dade State Attorneys Office- Not always having a switchboard? An inability to call an office with a 1000+ employees? C’mon, get real! Even Broward never shut down their switchboard. And some judges, try growing a pair! A big reason I can’t move a case is because I can’t communicate with an ASA. Why don’t you look at them and their lack of accessibility for a change?!

5.   Resetting arraignments with no explanation?  Hey judges, start ROR-ing out of custody defendants when the situation starts segueing into a statute of limitations issue.

6.   ASA’s not returning calls or emails- You know...you wanted to be a lawyer, now start acting like a lawyer! Don’t go to bed until you return all correspondence, you’re supposed to be a professional. I used to assume that the young ones would rather respond to emails rather than calls, but it seems like many times I am emailing in vain. Here’s some valuable advice…you will never be successful if you do not have regular communications, even with your adversaries.

7.   Age- It is amazing how people with a higher education criticize others over age. Here’s a tip, it’s a privilege to age and it sure beats the alternative. No matter how smart you think you are, experience is the greatest educator.  If raising a family, representing thousands, helping countless amounts of people and developing wonderful relationships is a negative, I’ll gladly wear the moniker. Recently a person said to one of my kids, “Did you grow up one of those rich kids?” The response was “My father studied more, worked harder and cared for our family a lot harder and better than others"  Respect previous accomplishments, hard work and experience, you’re totally irrational if you do not.

8.  Reluctance to continuing cases- Hey judge, during the pandemic, I signed up lots of cases (I do need to make a living) but as we are coming out of the pandemic, I have an extraordinarily high caseload. Give me a break and quit setting the case every three weeks for a sounding. I’m a sole practitioner, I can only do so much. You see your honor, the pandemic may have altered your routine but your pay is still guaranteed. I have never worked harder in my life than in the last two years. It has not been easy to make lemonade out of lemons. The pandemic has been ironically fruitful for many of us in the private sector but I regularly work 12 hour days...sorry, I can't do any  more.  

9.  Staring at your phone at the gym- You will never get into great shape staring at your phone. Try learning about “active rest”.

10.   Death of a music icon- I regret not chiming in on the previous post on the inimitable Ronnie Spector ( predictably,  I was at a music festival in Mexico ). I had met Ronnie before and would regularly attend her annual Christmas shows in NYC at the old B.B. Kings’ music club. Everything was iconic about her;  from the importance of “ Be My, Baby”, her unique voice, influence on so many artists, admiration from music legends and adoption by the 70’s punk rock community. Her record with Joey Ramone, “ She Talks to Angels” where her cover of Johnny Thunders’ “ You can’t put your arms around a memory “ practically eclipsed “ Be My baby” as her signature song,  was wonderful.  Her 60’s bad girl image was the opposite of her real life, she was a real sweetheart. Springsteen, The Beatles, The Stones, Billy Joel, The Ramones , The Raveonettes , Eddie Money… they all idolized her. On several occasions in the late 70's, I was at the legendary Chicago indie record store “Wax Trax” waiting to meet bands like The Talking Heads, Blondie, Bad Brains, B52’s , X, The Clash, The Dictators and Parliament/Funkadelic. Every time these cutting edge bands walked into the store, the first thing they asked was ‘Where are your Ronettes and Shangri Las albums ?” Ronnie Spector was, is and will always be COOL.

May you have good health, be victorious in court and  “kick out the jams mother*&ckers” (that’s a famous quote from a iconic song by 60's rock n' roll revolutionaries, the MC5)