dull pencil
the longest night –
the waterfall’s sound
smothered by ice
haiku notebook
this spring’s seed order
on the last page
dull pencil
the staff meeting
goes on and on
“the longest night“ & “haiku notebook” WHC Double Kukai Contest (20 Shortlist) 2002/2003
“dull pencil” from New Resonance 3: Emerging Voices
by dagosan:
middle finger
papercut
middle finger
afraid to look
under the bed –
dust dinosaurs sleep
[Feb. 23, 2005]
potluck
There’s an interesting conversation at My Shingle — Carolyn is “never more mortified”
than when she sees “lawyers trying to shut down legal document preparation services.”
(see Chicago Sun Times article) Lawyers need to understand that clients deserve low-cost options.
Some consumers must choose the lowest price, others will knowingly take the risk of lesser services,
while others choose full-service or discount lawyers. If the client really comes first we, can’t deny them
options — indeed, we should help create the options and inform clients about them.
the homeless to access the justice system. (Poughkeepsie Journal article, “Law firm steers
needy through legal system, for free,” Feb. 22, 2005) Bob Ambrogi is absolutely correct: “ it
reflects poorly on the legal profession as a whole that their efforts are seen as extraordinary.
It would be great if ‘lawyers help needy’ were as commonplace as ‘dog bites man.’”
Real lawyers do real pro bono and work to directly help clients expand self-help options
and access to courts. None of those promotional-trickle-down rationalizations for me.
I’ve been pleased to see how much coverage the Kelo eminent domain case has been getting
this week in every media. I’ve read, seen, and heard (but not podded) accounts that did a good job
presenting the issues in a way easily understood by nonlawyers — and in a way likely to have average
Americans talking constitutional law over coffee. Publicly useful.
If you’re following the Florida Bar’s bullheaded crusade against 800 PIT BULL (see
pit-bully pulpit), you can find Pape & Chandler’s Answer Brief here.
