Greedy Trial Lawyer
Speaking Humor To Power, Judicial Version
Category: Right On!
Some people take themselves too seriously. Judges may be among the most sensitive to criticism or what they perceive as as even slight disrespect. Yet, they hand both out almost daily. How many times has a judge cut off a legal argument in mid-sentence? How often has an appellate court made an appellate lawyer dance for 15 to 20 minutes, never letting the attorney fully present his thoughts? What about the imperial hand waive from the bench coupled with the dismissive, "Move on, Counsel."
Maybe William P. Smith, Esq., had endured similar grief for too many years. Maybe he had just experienced the 1,000th nonsensical ruling of his career. Who knows exactly what caused him to toss a comical and harmless verbal grenade at a bankruptcy judge? No matter. Judge Sensitivo [I believe that was his nickname] was not amused. Well, I think the grenade was incredibly funny and deserved sustained laughter not disciplinary action.
If you ever find yourself addressing a judge, you're trying to influence that person. Perhaps influenced by "Judge Judy" and other media depictions of "tough judges," real judges don't want to hear your jokes and especially don't want to hear your putdowns.In that regard, when lawyer William P. Smith told a bankruptcy judge in Florida that the judge was "a few french fries short of a Happy Meal," he might have anticipated a less-than-enthusiastic response. And he got it.
After insulting bankruptcy judge Laurel Myerson Isicoff, Smith may lose the ability to practice in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida. He's already lost his client--Miami Beach's Mount Sinai Medical Center & Miami Heart Institute.
Source: Mark Nestmann, Preserving Your Privacy and More
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