THE POWER BEHIND THE THRONE

Everybody knows that the secret to a successful Judge is an efficient and pleasant JA. In past years Broweird was notorious for JA's that refused to calendar cases. Call and ask, and they told you to file a motion. File a motion, and they'd tell you they didn't receive it. Ask to fax it and they'd say they don't have a fax. Hand deliver it, and they'd say they don't calendar cases with motions. It was a no-win situation which was made worse, we suspect, when the JA sniffed out a 305 or 786 area code associated with the lawyer. Just sayin...

Before we post the comment we received yesterday, let us first say that being a JA is a thankless job. The hours are long, the pay is low, and for every efficient attorney who feels like they're getting the run-around, there are plenty of our brethren who have no idea what they are doing, and treat JAs, clerks, bailiffs with disrespect.  A good JA can save your case and your client, and a disgruntled JA can sink you. 
Within the last year, some of the more efficient robed-readers have taken to having their JA email lawyers reminding them about their case set for the following day. In our view, that is above and beyond the call of duty. One of a lawyer's first responsibilities is to learn how to keep an accurate calendar. 

With that in mind,  we print this comment we received yesterday: 

Rumpole,

I am in the office today and I am trying to set matters on calendar that I could not for the past two weeks because judges and staff have been on vacation. Now that I am getting JAs on the phone, I am getting a lot of passive aggressive groans, underhanded complaints, exasperated sighs, and so on...just because I need to put such-and-such on calendar.

I am trying to be pleasant. I am being patient and understanding. I get that this is the first day back and things are a bit hectic. But this attitude is not limited to the day after New Years. Some JAs always treat us like they are doing us a grand favor by putting a matter on calendar. Not all JAs - some are wonderful and nothing but helpful. But a good number are nasty on the phone, and that's uncalled for.

So Rump - I call on you, to advise a solution to the constant kerfuffle between defense attorneys and their staff and the judicial assistants. Could we perhaps move to an online scheduling system for criminal so that JAs don't have to manually set our dates? I would love to hear a JAs perspective - what can we do to make your jobs easier?

Any thoughts?

Tuesday, January 02, 2018 11:21:00

Rumpole replies: 

We absolutely cannot have an online scheduling system. This is what would occur:

1) 10:25 AM: Upon trying to log on, your password will not be accepted. So you click "forgot password" and enter your email. 

2) 10:45 AM: You still have not received the email link to update your password. 

3) 10:46 AM: You go through the reset password routine again. 

4) 10:51 AM: A "reset your password" email arrives. However, when you click on it, it has expired because you did it twice. 

5) 11:22 AM: Another email to reset your password arrives and you click on it. 

6) 11:26 AM: Your password is too long- rejected. 

7) 11:27 AM: Your password is too short-rejected. 

This is called the "Goldilocks Password Paradox" from which there is little hope of being saved. 

8) 11:35 You call the IT help line and are promptly disconnected.

9) 11:40 You call the IT help line and are placed on hold. "You are second in line. Approximate hold time is one hour, forty-seven minutes."

10) A martini at lunch is looking better and better.

11) By 2:00 PM all issues are resolved and you log on to the system. You have an emergency bond motion that you need to get heard on the Thursday or Friday before a holiday weekend.

12) 2:25 PM: The calendar system reveals that the first available date is in seven weeks. 

13) 2:45 PM: You call the JA and leave a message. 

14) 3:35 PM: The bailiff calls you back and tells you that to schedule a hearing, you need to use the on-line system. You explain that it is an emergency hearing. The bailiff replies that the JA and Judge are on vacation and Judge XYZ is covering. 

15) 3:42 PM:You call XYZ chambers and the JA tells you to use the on-line system. You explain the emergency and the JA responds that the Judge on vacation left instructions for nothing to be calendared in their absence other than an emergency. You explain (again) that it is an emergency. The JA tells you to call the chief Administrative Judge. 

16) 3:54 PM: You call the Chief Administrative Judge and leave a message. 

17) At 4:12 PM the bailiff calls you back to tell you the JA and the Judge are gone for the day. 

Should we go on? 

From Occupied America, Day three, year two, fight the power!.