Law And More

Naomi Wolf's "Outrages" - More to This Than Just Layperson Doing Legal Book

The world is well aware of the BBC fact-checking smackdown on Naomi Wolf's book "Outraged." A non-lawyer she got very wrong the UK legal phrase "death recorded." So, the executions she reported for homosexuality between consenting adults back in the 19th century didn't happen. 

So, okay, we get the peril in laypeople doing law-oriented studies, at least without legal experts going over every detail and implication. As The Guardian notes, in the U.S. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has postponed release of the book. The date was supposed to be this week.

But, there's more going on that is off with Wolf's attempt at a comeback through a book. Some may recall she has been a hot enough presence to have had a consulting role in Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign.

What's off is the meme of rage. That had peaked. Evidence of that is the weariness of anti-Trump ranters. On social networks and in daily conversations they are rarely taking the bait to go high rage about what is going on in the Trump Administration. 

Emotions have shifted to angst about what the hell will go down with the global economy and, more specifically, the Dow. There's also the housing market.

Nest eggs, for example, are at stake. A whole bunch of retirees and those considering retiring fear the gains they depended on in equities will disappear. Also, will they be able to sell their house at the price they need to make ends meet without working?

In courtrooms, trial lawyers will also have to back off from the attempt to walk the jury or the judge overseeing a bench trial to being outraged. 

Like too many struggling for a comeback, Wolf seemed to focus in on herself, not what was emerging in the culture. When we're not terrified of economic forces, we have shifted back to the old-line acceptance of what is.

The universal gesture could become The Shrug. That goes back to the centuries of life in America co-existing with political machines. In "Chicago P.D.," Dick Wolf shows that they are still there. The brilliance of Wolf productions has been the raw pragmatism about how the world of law really operates. 

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New York City Police Department - Third Suicide in Two Weeks

Again, members of the New York City Police Department are in shock and in mourning.

The third member of the police force has taken his own life within two weeks.

Although his name has not been released, what we do know is that he was off-duty when he apparently committed suicide near where he worked in Staten Island. Earlier Joe Calabrese and Steven Silks had also committed suicide. Here are more details from the New York Post.

No successful suicide has returned to inform researchers the thought processes which were involved. So, it's mere speculation to pontificate about what might have been going through the officers' minds.

There have been some respected studies of suicide. One popular one is Kay Jamison's "Night Falls Fast." But, overall the subject has not received adequate research. 

Let's leave the survivors, ranging from members of the NYPD to families, alone. They should not experience a pile-on of theories. What they might need instead is for others to simply listen to them talk. Talking really does help. It can ignite the candle of hope. 

BTW, a lawyer who had been overwhelmed created an app for those who have to unburden themselves. Here is the background on that and a little perspective. 

If a police officer, in any part of the nation, seems like he or she is carrying an inner burden, encourage them to talk.

Show that you are capable of what is called "compassionate listening."

Few are in this second decade of the 21st century.

If DR Minibar Booze Was Contaminated, Then Law Enforcement/Plaintiff Lawyers Want to Know If It Was Negligence or Murder

Right now, many are having flashbacks to those old black-and-white news reels and films about law enforcement breaking up moonshine operations during Prohibition in the U.S.

Aside from being illegal and dodging taxes, back then the unregulated alcohol production centers frequently caused deaths from contaminated ingredients. And that's exactly what are being investigated as the possible cause of the deaths of seven tourists in the Dominican Republic (DR). The FBI at Quantico, Virginia, is in the loop on this one. 

The hypothesis, reports the New York Post, is that there had been counterfeit booze in the mini bars of the guest rooms at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and the Bahia Principe.

In the content could have been methanol which is toxic. For instance, it is used in antifreeze which can be fatal for humans. On "Dateline," there had been at least one case in which the female spouse poisoned the estranged husband with antifreeze. It was a brutal way to go.

What investigators want to know is who supplied those alcoholic beverages which were in the minibar.

Both hotels deny the possibility of contamination. 

If contamination is found, then the questions for law enforcement - and plaintiff lawyers - is whether this was negligence or premeditated murder. 

Meanwhile, of course, the tourist industry in the Dominican Republic has suffered a massive blow. Eventually, there will be a case study how public relations turned that around. But that could be a long time from now.

Exactly the right tone and content for all your communications. Complimentary consultation janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Norm Pattis - 6 Days as Fotis Dulos Defense Lawyer, 15 Hate-Filled Emails

The shock is that Norm Pattis, defense attorney for Fotis Dulos, is receiving hate-filled emails. 

After all, this is America, a nation proud of its U.S. Constitution. One of the amendments - the 6th - provides for both a fair/speedy trial and defense assistance. 

Pattis is simply doing for Dulos, what the U.S Constitution guarantees him. It's irrelevant or should be that Dulos is in a loop of a case of a missing mother of 5. Officially he has been charged with tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice. 

During the 6 days that Pattis has been representing Dulos, the number of attacking emails has totaled 15 - so far. Here are more details from Law.com.

But Pattis may be enjoying this negative attention. He defends clients who make him a target in the media and beyond. For example, he represents alt-right blowhard Alex Jones. It is Jones who has made his signature denying that the Sandy Hook massacre ever took place.

It is also a resume-builder to take on lost causes. Many recall when then Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz defended socialite Claus Von Bulow, who died recently. That win in a murder case enhanced Dershowitz's already formidable brand as a defense lawyer. He chronicled how he pulled that off in the book "Reversal of Fortune."

In Pattis, we find both a pull out all stops defense lawyer and a genius in public relations - both for himself and his client. Regarding the latter, he has put out there that the "sensationalism" of the case is distorting perception of the facts.

Pattis has requested a trial in August. Expect Summer Theatre in Connecticut. 

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Fotis Dulos - Represented by Alex Jones' Lawyer Norm Pattis

The story of the missing Connecticut mother of five has now shifted to coverage of the lawyer representing her estranged husband Fotis Dulos. 

Lawyers have become the stars in their own right of high-profile legal actions.

Yesterday, lawyer Norm Pattis entered the saga. It was in a big way.

That's not only because the CT missing person case has attracted world attention. Also it's because Pattis is representing Alex Jones. The latter is being sued by Sandy Hook parents who are pushing back on his contention that the massacre there was a hoax. 

As the Daily Mail reports, Pattis has positioned and packaged the current legal situation as becoming sensationalistic. That, of course, could have the public become more sympathetic toward Fotis. He could be thought of as a kind of victim of too much media and overzealous law enforcement.

Currently Fotis is in Bridgeport Correctional. He has been charged with tampering with evidence and hindering the prosecution. No body has been found. However, sources say that his girlfriend has made statements to law enforcement.

Ironically, the bad blood between his estranged wife Jennifer and himself was partly due to the bitter custody battle. They were in divorce proceedings. Now, her mother has filed for custody. She has forbidden Fotis to visit the children. They are with her in her Manhattan apartment under armed guard.

The last big legal media show in CT was about the Petit home invasion. In an upscale suburb two thugs, hoping to score lots of money, entered a doctor's home. They beat him badly but he survived. His wife and two daughters did not.

As in the real life story "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote, there was no financial windfall for the home invaders. Global media covered the trials for guilt and for sentencing. Their death sentences were rescinded when CT ended the death penalty.

If Pattis has his client not take a plea deal there could be another major trial in CT. And, yes, it will be sensationalistic.

Exactly the right tone and content for all your communications. Complimentary consultation janegenova374@gmail.com.  

Good News for JD Class of 2019 - Legal Services Adds About 2,000 Jobs in May 2019

The general jobs creation numbers were disappointing for May 2019. And those could impact Election2020.

But in the legal services sector, there has been good news. For May about 2,000 jobs had been added. Here are more details from Patrick Smith at Law.com.

Hopefully that development will motivate members of the JD Class of 2019 who do not yet have jobs to keep marketing themselves in smart ways.

A useful guide is the annual edition of the iconic "What Color Is Your Parachute? 2019." It is available in the public library. The insight applies to all kinds of work situations in all fields. 

Also, good luck to those preparing to take the bar exam. 

Exactly the right tone and content for all your communications. Complimentary consultation janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Remembering Joe Calabrese and Steven Silks

Genius producer Dick Wolf captures the complex psyches of police in "Chicago P.D."

Each member of that elite unit has his or her demons.

The most complex case of suffering is played out by the leader Hank Voight. Audiences feel for this antihero.

In real life we are encountering the kind of mental disquiet which the police officers were not able to endure. In the New York Police Department this week there have been 2 suicides. Here is the coverage in the media.

The most recent is that of homicide detective Joe Calabrese.

As yet the shock has prevented the usual speculation about the why. But, the speculation will be just that: speculation. It is impossible to know what thought processes took over that human being before the decision to take his own life.

Earlier in the week Steven Silks, deputy chief in Queens North, committed suicide. He was being subjected to mandatory retirement. He had aged out of the job. Perhaps that provided a tipping point. Perhaps not. The mind houses so many trains of thought. 

No successful suicide has been able to return to planet earth to provide a detailed account of how the decision-making proceeded. And, if there had been any regrets. Scientific research shows that after the heart stops the brain is still functioning for a bit. The person is aware that he or she is dead.

The one explanation of the suicide process which made sense to me was by Abby Hoffman's brother Jack Hoffman. In "Run Run Run," Jack describes a mental process of passing through a series of doors. The journey, at least for Abby, was irreversible. Once through all those doors, in all sorts of psychiatric states, there is no way back. Suicide is The Next. Abby had developed a bipolar condition. Here the book can be ordered from Amazon.

May the souls of Joe Calabrese and Steven Silks rest in peace.

May their families find the strength to live with this loss.

And may those who serve as police officers throughout America talk to someone, anyone when their thoughts overwhelm them. No, it doesn't have to be a professional in the field of mental health. A trusted human being who knows how to listen can save a life.

Among Alan Dershowitz's Famous Clients - Claus Von Bulow Dies at Age 92

Before Alan Dershowitz went on to O.J. Simpson fame, he was a major celebrity for getting Claus Von Bulow acquitted.

Von Bulow was charged with putting his very rich wife Martha, who was known globally as "Sunny," in a coma. The method was allegedly through an overdose of insulin. 

Dershowitz chronicled his defense work in the book "Reversal of Fortune." That became a movie starring Jeremy Irons as Von Bulow. 

Now, Von Bulow is dead at age 92. Here are more details from the Daily Mail.

The acquittal gave Von Bulow his freedom but Sunny's children made it their business to have him removed from her will. He didn't get a penny of her large fortune. 

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The Unforgiven

What a stunning reversal of fortune.

At BuzzFeed, investigative reporter Katie Baker states that publisher Simon & Schuster isn't going ahead with "The Path: Accelerating Your Journey to Financial Freedom." That was based on input from a source at S&S.

Self-help coach Tony Robbins had co-authored the guide with Peter Mallouk, President of Creative Planning. In addition, Robbins is no longer associated with Creative Planning. 

As many recall, it was BuzzFeed which contended that Robbins was sexually inappropriate with employees. He also berated those who said they were victims of rape. 

In this #MeToo era, it seems downright impossible for any player fingered for alleged inappropriate sexual behavior to restore his brand.

There had been rumors that former "Today" media strategist Matt Lauer was returning to broadcast. But that didn't happen.

Robbins might be finished. And that's that. 

Exactly the right tone and content for all your communications. Complimentary consultation janegenova374@gmail.com.

Alan Dershowitz - The Clown Conservative

" [Alan] Dershowitz essentially called [Robert] Mueller a partisan hack."  - Jerry Lambe, Law and Crime, May 29, 2019. Here is the article.

Increasingly, retiree from Harvard Law School Alan Dershowitz has been rebranding himself as, well, a clown conservative.

He pontificates on air at Fox and in the print media, seemingly without thinking. The assertions appear to be positioned and packaged for maximum effect.

Former admirers of Dershowitz' breakthrough legal defense work are bug-eyed. 

Is an explanation for this behavior to be found in the research of Jeffrey Sonnenfeld?

That professor, now at Yale, published "The Hero's Farewell." It describes how difficult it is for a powerful professional to let go once the job ends. 

Watchers of Jack Welch observed that after he retired from leading GE. Continually, he was commenting on what was going on. Like Dershowitz, his behavior seemed clownish.

The first line of Dershowitz's obituary in The Economist and The Wall Street Journal could read: "A great legal defense mind wound up setting in play a circus of conservative rhetorical antics during the Trump Administration."

Cartoonists in the legal media might depict Dershowitz in a clown costume. 

Exactly the right tone and content for all your communications. Complimentary consultation janegenova374@gmail.com.