- Quickdraw McLaw
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Any thoughts on judge Doug Smith? I have a motion in front of him and have not been in front of him before. I'm on the defense. Thanks.
Has been a judge forever and is a bit burned out. Not the smartest judge on the bench; but also not the dumbest. Be respectful to his staff. He won't be impressed or persuaded by verbal elegance. Explain your shit in the simplest and most concise way possible. Make your point quickly and then shut up.
Now that I read that, I suppose that's a good way to approach most judges.
Not a good judge for the defense in civil cases. Not the smartest judge on the bench is certainly accurate. Might not be the absolutely dumbest on the bench, but that's because there are some judges . . .
Whatever you do, don't interrupt him.
8:54 and 9:22 hit the nail on the head.
With some judges, if you are sure your materials have been read by the court, you can rest on the filings and add nothing.
But that is too risky here, so you need to say something. But keep it real short like "Judge, I recognize the court is fully familiar with the motion,so I only want to bullet point and quickly re-emphasize three points…"
And then emphasize them quickly and get out of Dodge. And then after you make those three points, tell the judge exactly how you wish for him to rule.
Never had dealings with Dept. 6. Assistant dealt with Tim and Deanna, what a nightmare. Made her cry. Is this normal for that department?
That is normal for them. Real nice people.
You should really report that to the Chief Judge.
I have had quite a few dealings with Dept. 6, mostly when Cadish was still the judge. Tim and De'Awna have always been polite when I have spoken with them, this post surprises me a little.
You are a rarity. Only few interactions with Deanna, she was abrupt. Tim makes her look nice. He is a bully.
Tim is a bully
To: 12:03. That poster should not report another judge's conduct to the Chief Judge, unless in the relatively scare instances the judge being reported has fallen out of favor with judicial leadership and he/she is being targeted.
I'm just trying to be practical and recognize how this all operates. Not suggesting it's fair.
Deannie is a sweetheart. She is a great help with transcripts. If only she would spice up her transcripts with emojis.
I recommend reporting it. Which Judge it is should not matter. Tim is mean. So is the recorder. Court clerk is nice.
@ 5:18, the conduct is not from a judge. It is from staff that no longer has a judge. When a department is vacant, the Chief Judge can step in and monitor that department. Thus, it can be reported to the Chief Judge. If Tim is such a bully and has been, and now that Cadish is gone, the Chief Judge absolutely should be made aware.
Curious if anyone has insight on Judge Marquis. Going in front of her in April for the first time and would appreciate any input.
Very prepared, has read the pleadings prior to court and runs a tight ship. I work at Family Court not as an attorney.
Agreed. She is usually very prepared and informed. You should be too.
And…unlike some of the judges that have been around for a while, she's actually willing to enforce the preference for joint physical custody instead of saying things like "I know joint is the preference, but…." and then deciding something other than joint custody. One of the judges that used to say that just retired, so that's good.
Is she sharp? Its a probate matter and I always worry about judges that have just recently swapped into a new field.
She's incredibly sharp. Probably one of the sharpest judges on the bench across the board.
Thanks all.
She was handling standard Family Law cases until she was just reassigned to Guardianship court.
Haven't heard yet about how she's doing, but I'll ask around and post.
She has also been assigned 10% of the probate calendar (80% is with Judge Sturman and another 10% is with Judge Potter). She is taking over the probate and guardianship calendar overseen by Judge Ochoa, who is a nice guy, but honestly was completely lost on contested probate/trust matters.
Ochoa was a different judge every time I was in front of him. He seemed to be shooting from the hip a little.
Ochoa is lazy. Which if played correctly, can be to your benefit. He shoots from the hip ALOT and the key is to use that tendency to your advantage.
Ochoa NEVER read pleadings. He didn't bother to understand probate law. He simply rubber stamped the Commissioner, which most of the time I was just fine with.
The insight into judges today has made this blog worth it!
Alexis Plunkett plead guilty to a felony, and will surrender her license. #dontgotthis
This whole story is just sad. It's always uncomfortable watching situations like this play out. I've never practiced in another city, but it feels like Vegas has more than it's fair share of these very public flame outs. I do not know Alexis, but I wish her well as she moves forward with her life.
What is so "sad" about someone living the life he or she wants to live? Maybe Plunckett didn't want to get caught living on the edge; but it certainly seems she wants to live on the edge. Maybe this isn't so sad.
Nobody wants this outcome for their life. I know it's popular to say she got what she deserved, and that may be true, but that doesn't mean it isn't sad. All the work of getting a degree, getting licensed and building up a career, flushed down the toilet in a very public way. That's sad no matter how you cut it.
Hate to tell everyone, but it is not a black or white issue. Sorry, like many things in life the issue is dominated by shades of gray.
So, 3:34 and 4:22 are both right. 3:34 believes it is very sad it came to this, which it is, while 4:22 points out our sympathy should be tempered by the fact that she insisted on making all the bad decisions which lead to this.
She made really bad decisions, and it is a shame she had reached a point in her life, where her stress level was so high, and ability to think clearly was seriously compromised, and she could not listen to the rational advice of others, that she behaved in a manner which is probably far worse than she ever behaved at any earlier stages in her life. And yet, she pretty much created the entire situation, these were decisions she insisted on making, while others urged her not to.
All the threats to kill the ex-boyfriend, and other crazy shit, was totally indefensible. However, the cell phone being used by the inmate situation, by itself, does not seem so earth-shattering, and the D.A. may have initially over-reacted a bit. But the D.A.'s concerns and approach were justified by everything that happened subsequently.
The picture that the RJ took of Alexis today is a picture showing a lot of crazy in this fairly new attorney. I hope she gets the help she needs and figures out her life moving forward depending on her jail sentence/prison sentence. Sometimes she appeared as her own worst enemy but maybe some time away from law will serve her well.
From what's been reported plus a few very brief interactions with her, it seems she likes the danger and excitement of the life she's created. It's quite possible that this won't end well.
As someone who has been somewhat is shoes similar to Plunkett, this can end any number of ways, some of which are probably happy endings (although she will not see them now). Honestly time away from this profession is a Godsend in many ways. Clears your head. Makes you rethink what you really want in life. The end of a legal career is not the end of your life; for some people, it just might ultimately save their life.
She has a long career ahead of her, being a paralegal for other train wreck criminal defense lawyers.
5:50 wins best post of the day.
Being away form what is often an incredibly stressful career can, after the passage of time, help focus one on what is really important, what passions they truly have that they may be able to pursue(so long as it pays the bills adequately), and can ultimately make one a better and happier person.
And,as 5:50 indicates, a person no longer being a lawyer–or a judge or some other public official for that matter, can eventually be a blessing in disguise. One should not primarily define themselves by their profession and have their happiness tied in with the continuation of such profession.
People may treat you as important if you are a lawyer, a judge, or other public official, but this sense of importance is illusory because these people don't truly care about you, and usually in fact take pleasure in your misfortunes and career threatening problems.
Only your close family, and a few close friends, truly care about you, and in fact your close friends may not really care and often they in fact resent that you are more successful than they are, and they secretly take pleasure in your problems.
I know that sounds dark and cynical, but it is true.
6:09 either needs to get much better friends, or 6:09 has hit on a truth about human nature that is actually a lot more negative than I consider most people, and their secret motivations and thoughts, to be.
But although I think 6:09 paints with too broad a brush, some of what is offered is definitely true in many instances. True that many who treat you as important due to your positon and status, take secret pleasure in your problems and downfall.
But I think 6:09 generalizes too much. I don't think most people are as the poster describes. At least I hope not.
Plunkett tried to get her ex boy friend killed. Wtf, she should be disbarred and a harsher sentence. Way to go, Wolfson.
OBC wont differentiate between that and 1 cent in a retainer refund check