Day Three: Where is machismo?

While the third day of practice is usually the toughest, ASB KY showed why they were voted Dean Mahoney's favorite late-night entertainers with flexibility and steady competence.

Shortly after the sun broke through the clouds of morning stew, we got our court clothes on, meandered over to the shrine of justice and witnessed family disputes being adjudicated. A surprise Honor was the opportunity to talk to Judge Harris, who told us about the pressures of being a family law judge with the largest caseload in the Commonwealth. I'm glad he's there to take care of things, cause I don't think I would do it if they asked me. Although if Judge Harris is reading, he should shoot me an email. I need a job.

After seeing what justice looks like, we tried to replicate it ourselves in the Appalred Office where several of us did client intake for their family law practice. I, however, made copies. Apparently my lack of legal abilities preceded me, and, true to form, the copier spit ink-splattered paper at me and cut my assistant, Susan. I hope the copier has seen Office Space, because it shares a fate with the Initech printer if it doesn't shape up. (http://www.imdb.com/media/rm741644288/nm0619651).

As a reward for our administrative assitance, Susan and I got to sit in on a bankrupcy consultation, which will probably be the most important area of law for aspiring lawyers for the upcoming decade of Depression. Jay, the attorney on the case, handled it with aplomb.

The Appalred staff had a meeting shortly thereafter over the cases that they choose take on, accepting the ones that have the best chance to win and the most in line with the principles of Appalred, and sadly turning down those that are beyond their resources or outside their practice areas. They let us sit in on the meeting, which was sweetened by plates of delicious homemade fudge, provided by the Old Town Fudge Company. That fudge is the best perk I've seen or heard of since coming to law school, rivaling Skadden's $75k end-of-the-year bonuses.

In a rousing talk by the founder of Appalred, John Rosenburg, we learned the background of the organization, through its roots in litigation with the coal companies, the cases he argued in front of the United States Supreme Court and the development of affiliated organizations that have allowed the practice to expand to other areas of the law. As a Holocaust survivor and a dedicated community servant, he is the embodiment of what a committed citizen can accomplish.

At the end of the day, with legal work behind us, we turned to the non-legal stuff. Post stirfry dinner, Ben displayed his unparalleled ability to charade (in his performances of Armageddon, Rainbow Bright, and The Unbearable Lightness of Being), but there were heroic performances accomplished by several members of the troupe. See e.g., BOB FALCONI, "The Rotten Cucumber;" SUSAN KRUTH, "A Drunk Black Horse;" and VERONIKA BATH, "Madeline Albright;" SUSAN EDWARDS, "Guava juice." See generally, KARLA SOLORIA.