Law & Ordering

Through an electronic case search today, I found out that one of my clients had been lying to my partner and I-- or at the very least, omitting the truth. Although I can understand why she was not forthright, I am more skeptical of facts that she has told us. It has also created some more work, as I have spent the last 3+ hours putting together a spreadsheet of what I think is her life. Fortunately I am a fan of Excel so I did not mind doing it while watching Jon & Kate + Eight.

As I was piecing together my little spreadsheet, I felt like Detective Lennie Brisco (RIP Jerry Orbach) diagramming out a crime on the whiteboard in the precinct station. Other times during clinic felt like ADA Claire Kincaid sorting through case files. Or Dr. Elizabeth Olivet in psychiatry sessions. Or Jack McCoy arguing in court. If only I were cool enough to be Dr. Huang (BD Wong) or Tutuola (Ice-T).

If you did not understand any of that, you clearly have never seen Law & Order, the original or Special Victims Unit. And if that's the case, I suggest that you turn on TNT, Bravo, USA, A&E, or NBC . . . because it will be on at least one of these channels right now.

I digress. Though I am sure that all lawyers wear many hats, working as a real lawyer in a legal-aid clinical type of sitution without any support staff has given me a crash course into doing it all. If only I got a "dun dun" when I walked into the clinic office.