INTERVIEW WITH A BLOGGER

Well it finally happened. An enterprising (and persistent) law student bagged an interview with yours truly. It occurred through some chat-app, and the downloading and instillation of the contraption took longer than the interview. The interview is edited by Rumpole, for brevity and clarity. The student approved the final version. 

Q: How did this all begin? 
A: When I started there were several stories about legal blogs. I recall a scandal about a blog called "beneath their robes" and I read the story. And Markus had his blog up and running, so I thought "why not"?  About a month later I was at a holiday party populated by judges and lawyers, and it was the number one topic of conversation. It was only then I realized I was on to something. 

Q: And the Ayn Rand connection?
A: Like many Objectivists, I was exposed to her as a teenager with The Fountainhead. And then Atlas Shrugged. It went on from there. 

Q: Did you meet her? 
A: Yup.

Q: Were you part of the collective?
A: Next question. (Rumpole's note- "the collective" was a close knit group of fans that Ms. Rand met with for hours at a time. They adopted the name "the collective" as an ironic nomenclature that obviously clashed with Ms. Rand's anti-collective philosophy.)

Q: Describe her-
A: Brilliant. Deeply flawed. Profoundly unhappy at times. Like many geniuses probably bi-polar. 

Q: Are all of your accounts of your exploits true?
A: Mostly, but I take some literary license. I do try a lot of cases and I am proud of that. It's becoming a lost art and I am proud of the Miami defense bar. We are one of the most active trial bars in the country. I do volunteer work for various legal organizations and at times I have to disguise the results because they are often reported in the media and I cannot associate myself with those successes. 

Q: Republican or Democrat? 
A: You're an aspiring lawyer of few words. I like that. It will change once you start billing by the hour. (Rumpole notes- I otherwise did not answer this question). 

Q: Do you really dislike judges?
A: As a whole, no. But some are as  bad as I portray, some worse, many better. In the last decade I see a lot of judges taking the bench with a true desire to work hard and do justice. When I first started, that was the exception instead of the rule. Back then it was a bunch of lazy, old white men. Of course there were exceptions. Judge Cowart in Miami state court leads that pack. He was brilliant. And Tom Scott was one of the hardest working judges on the bench. Janet Reno once said he tried more cases in a year than any other judge she had seen. 

Q: Deepest regret as a blogger:
A: Some unwarranted personal attacks, or ridicule is a better word, that I engaged in. I have gone back and for the most part erased those posts. What I did not realize was that the popularity of the blog would make the mention of any name jump to the top of any google search. I began to realize I could affect the reputation of someone and that made blogging a hundred times harder. People send in comments all the time- "Mr/Ms/Judge X is having an affair with Y." Or "Lawyer Z stole my money and did a horrible job in a case". And many times it is true. But I cannot post that. To what end? It would destroy those people's lives and I cannot let this endeavor turn into a weapon of destruction. 
And reporting the untimely death of a judge and friend, who had suddenly taken ill, before he passed away. I reported he died, and a family member immediately emailed me he was still alive. I nearly quit blogging that day. It was lesson I will never forget. 

Q: Biggest surprise?
A: Two. First, that the blog became popular. It has been cited in trial court and appellate court opinions. And of course the Herald, which we love to scoop, from time to time will acknowledge our existence. Second- that it became a meeting place of the Miami Legal community to mourn the passing of one of our own. We have received many heartfelt emails from the family members of people we have memorialized. That is very satisfying. 

Q: How long can you go on? 
A: I do not know. I'm closer to the end of my legal career than the beginning. I've turned down opportunities that would have taken me elsewhere and prevented me from blogging. The closest I came was a opportunity that would have involved work out of state and out of the US. But at some point it's going to happen. And I have no plans for how to proceed. There are literally thousands of pages of work I have created. I am very proud and protective of it. 

Q: And the last question...WHO ARE YOU?
A: I believe the correct terminology is "LOL"? 

Q: OK, one follow up. Will you ever reveal your identity? 
A: Like the endgame, I have not really considered it. But I admit from time to time I do think about the last post, and probably signing my real name at the bottom of it. But don't hold your breath. 

Edited by Rumpole for brevity and clarity. Approved by the interlocutor. 

HAPPY 8TH ANNIVERSARY TO US

It was a Wednesday, November 8, 2005, and we were a bit bored at work. We didn't wake up intending to become part of the local legal culture, but then when do you really know when a life changing event is about to happen? 

Here's how it all began, 2513 posts, eight years  ago:

Welcome to the Justice Building Blog.

My Name is Horace Rumpole.

We seek comments, rumors, and stories on any and all Miami Justice Building habituates, Judges, Prosecutors, Attorneys, and defendants. While we (the royal we) will not be libelous, and we will not pick on those not able to defend themselves [ insert your favorite judge here] , we love a good story about a Judge or lawyer putting his or her foot in their mouth. A juicy rumor that is not too harmful will also be posted.

Actually in retrospect, not too bad. We managed some humor, to set out what we intended to do, and got in the first of what would be thousands of shots at our favourite target: those who wear the black robe. 

In eight years a lot has changed. We're a bit older, but really just more experienced. Eight years was a good twenty trials or more ago. There weren't Ipads back then, and cell phones weren't that smart, and E-filing was still a dream in Federal Court (and it still is in Miami-Dade County.) Judges and prosecutors and defense attorneys have come and  gone. So have a few very dear friends like Manny Crespo, Rob Pinero, and Sy Gaer. I think the blog came of age the day Judge Crespo passed away. He was the first sitting judge to die while we were blogging and people gathered electronically to share memories before and after the funeral. It's one of the posts we remember most.  Our darkest hour occurred during that horrible week that Judge Pinero lay mortally stricken; we announced his tragic passing too soon. And in that mistake we learned a lesson: we 're not journalists; we run a blog and there is a world of difference. When we walk in that courtroom on the sixth floor and see those pictures of Judge Crespo (hung by Judge Pinero) and then Judge Pinero, we can't help but think of how fleeting life is, and how, as we do our jobs and live our lives, we are just leaving footprints in the sand, by the ocean, quickly washed away.

Even though we run a blog we've also come to learn that we have earned your trust. And trust is a precious thing. We heard one lawyer once tell a young colleague that it took him 25 years to earn his reputation in the REGJB and he never forgot he was always two minutes away from ruining it every time he spoke in court. 

It's been a privilege to be part of your day. And while we acknowledge that we are closer to the end of our career as a lawyer and a blogger than the beginning, we're not done yet. Miami is a fascinating place. We have great lawyers handling challenging cases.  And it's fun to be a part of that. 

And ever the eternal optimist, we arise every day reminding ourself that at any moment some amazingly stupid comment will come from the mouth of one of our judges and we will be there to trumpet the moment. (You didn't think we were going to end without taking a shot at our favourite targets did you?)

So whomever gets the REGJB Judge on their jury panel, write in and tell us how it went. 

See You In Court.