Walter Olson must be doing his job too well. Despite my promise two days ago to be less cynical about lawyers, I had the same old reaction to this headline from the Law.Com Daily Newswire (Dec. 1, 2003):
15 Minutes, $100 Million
I immediately thought, “damn, another outlandish contingency fee!” Luckily, the emergent pollyanna in me was quickly restored, when I read that “Intel will have 15 minutes to save $100 million today as it tries to persuade a federal appeals court that its Itanium chips do not infringe patents held by Intergraph.”
As I work out the details of this revamped website, I shall also be working on my attitude, and not speculating on the fee for those 15 minutes. Pretty soon, you might not recognize the firebrand who wrote this and this.
P.S. No, the Bar & Grill is not officially opened yet. But, the haikuesque dessert cart is stocked (in the Right Margin). Today, in addition to my very humble offerings, you’ll find one poem each from two of my favorite English-language haiku poets. I hope to win converts to this often-maligned and misunderstood genre. With its brevity and seeming simplicity, I believe it is the perfect art form for the busy lawyer.